Fact:  It takes an about 22 subcontractors to build an average single-family home.

Happy New Year!  I hope that 2016 brings you happiness and prosperity.  It will also, as each year does, bring changes to the housing market and our economy.  Did you know how closely the two are tied together?  Buying or selling a home not only affects your personal financial situation, but that of the local economy, as well.

Renovations to a home also contribute to the economy, due to their use of local labor and business.  Government permits also help to boost the economy when renovating.  This is another means to creating jobs, as well.

GDP is the monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period.  

GDP measures how well an economy is doing, and in the United States, GDP has contributed to more than 15 percent of the GDP for the past two years.  How does housing affect the GDP?  Some ways include:

• Home building 
• Home remodeling
• Rent and utilities
• Services for a home (i.e. electricians, plumbers)

At the beginning of last year, housing comprised about 15.45 percent our nation's GDP.

It's a great way to start the year knowing what owning a home, or renting a living space, can do to help our economies, both locally and nationally.

*Source:  Buffini and Co.

Celebrate: Thanksgiving Decor

Thanksgiving is a wonderful way to celebrate all in our lives for which we are grateful.  It's a time to come together with family and friends and celebrate.  It's also a beautiful time to decorate.  You can easily transfer your autumnal decor and even Halloween decorations into beautiful Thanksgiving decorations.  I have found some beautiful ways to decorate for this week's holiday below.

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All sources via Pinterest.  Click here to follow me on Pinterest.  I have created a special Thanksgiving board.

Have a wonderful holiday - be well.

Staging Your Home to Sell

Staging your home is one of the most important action steps you can take to help sell your home.  As a certified stager, I found these tips from HGTV to be extremely helpful:



- Get rid of clutter!  The biggest and most important tip!

- Group furniture into seating areas and move items away from the wall to make space appear larger.

- Move your pieces!  Rearrange furniture, art, and decor as you wish.  Don't follow rules just to follow them!

- Turn your junk room into useable space!  Add seating and pretty storage bins to give it a functional feel that is pulled together.

- Increase the wattage of your bulbs.  Most homes aren't using strong enough bulbs to give off beautiful light.

- Paint seamlessly:  use the same color throughout as much as possible.  It will help to make rooms appear larger and more pulled together.

- Choose neutral colors.  Paint is the most important thing within the home to do this with.  Beiges, greiges, and soft whites are all popular, buyer-friendly choices.

BUT...

- Experiment with color.  It sounds counterintuitive! However, in a small space, such as a powder room, using patterns and color can make the space seem exquisite and well tended to.

- Don't be uniform with wall hangings.  The same shape and size of art hung in the same spots in every room is boring and won't stand out.  Vary what, where and how you hang your pieces to make each room pop!

- The rule of threes:  when it comes to arrange knick knacks the rule of three is very important.  Plants, candles, etc. are all most visually appealing when arranged in groupings of three.

- Go green by bringing the outdoors in.  Live plants, flowers and beautiful arrangements of foliage help bring a room to life and warms up the home.  This is especially key during the colder months.

- Make the bedroom as peaceful and serene as you can.  Soft colors (particularly blue), lush bedding, and simple decor help to make this happen.

- Make your kitchen cabinets look great.  These are one of the first things potential buyers see.  If you cannot afford new ones, consider refacing or painting to give old cabinets new life.

- Fix your floors.  Floors are another thing potential buyers will look at so make sure they are repaired and in the best shape you can afford.

- Fix up your bathroom tile.  If you cannot afford a full reno, consider having your tile painted and your tub tinted to freshen up the space.


If you have any staging questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.



These tips were found here.

A Review of the Current Real Estate Market

If you receive my postal marketing, then you know I have been working with Buffini & Co. for several years to help increase my breadth of knowledge of the real estate market, as well as provide you with the most current information available to me on how things are looking.  Based on information provided by Buffini & Co., the following information details where the market is currently:

• Millenials are making up the majority of first-time buyers with most of the between the ages of 25 and 34
• 86% of Millenials are buying due to a change in family size
• There are fewer foreclosures on the market in most areas
• Housing inventory is up, at a 4.6 month supply at this pace
• New listings are up 12% this year from 2014 levels
• 67% of Americans say now is a good time to buy
• 40% of Americans say now is a good time to sell
• Experts are predicting 16% growth in home construction

This information is all very positive and shows an overall boost in home sales and purchases, with growth predicted for the future.  This information is not area-specific and different locations may vary in their numbers and predicted growth and sales.

If you're interested in discussing this further, particularly in the greater Main Line area, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Fall Decor Outside

Fall is one of my favorite times of year to decorate for.  The Harvest setting, bright colors and different textures make it an easy way to make your home extra gorgeous, particularly on the outside.  Decorating your front stairs or porch is a great way to change your home seasonally, add in some color and some fun!  

Pumpkins, hay, mums, kale, cabbage, and baskets are all popular and fairly inexpensive ways to decorate for the season.  I pulled some inspiration from Pinterest:

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You can follow me on Pinterest here.

Pinterest

Have you joined Pinterest yet?  I just did, and I am loving it!  It is an amazing resource for home decor, design inspiration, paint colors, tips and tricks, DIY projects and more, just to name a few in the home arena.  It's also a great space to find recipes, activities for children, fashion inspiration, quotes, and much, much more.  It is also great for saving things you find around the web; a true pin board for the interwebs.  

Follow me on Pinterest here!

Fall Home Maintenance

Can you believe Fall is just around the corner?  The beginning of Fall, like any changing season, is a great time to do some home maintenance.

+  Clear out gutters
+  Do a check over your roof
+  Have your chimney cleaned
+  Check for any leaks and drafts around ceilings and doors and fix them
+  Have your furnace serviced
+  Change out screens for storm windows
+  Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

Doing this things can help save you money and catch any problems before they arise.  Maintaing your house can be a chore, but in the long run, it will do your home good.


*source:  Buffini & Co.