Your home is often a reflection of your personality and your life. If you don’t like your home, you may also become frustrated with your life. Take advantage of your home, and find ways to make the most of your existing resources. The following are some wonderful ideas that will assist you in the way you perceive your dwelling.

You deserve comfort. Obtaining total perfection in your everyday life would become quite boring rather quickly. However, if there is an item of your home that causes irritation or discomfort, it will continue to be a mental thorn until you deal with it. You can make a difference in how happy you are in your home by getting a new piece of furniture or adding shelving to a closet. A good night’s sleep is important, and getting a new mattress in itself may impact your sleep in a positive way.

Increase the area in your home by expanding. There comes a time when you need extra space, no matter how efficient you are at using the space that you have. If moving to a new place is overkill, why not expand your current residence? Your stress and clutter is easily diminished by adding even a small amount of space.

If you want to add a little pleasure to your home, consider investing in a swimming pool or spa. Although these features are not for everyone, lots of potential home buyers like these things. Other considerations you might make are a basketball hoop or a fitness room. When adding things, such as these, to your home can make it more valuable.

Additionally, lighting affect both the look and the feel of any room. If you brighten up your home, it will make it easier to deal with the strain on your eyesight. Different lighting solutions will help your home look different. You can either choose to hire a professional to do this or just do it yourself!

Take up gardening as a hobby, and improve your landscape with beautiful plants and flowers. If you do not have the skills to do it yourself, seek help from a landscape designer. No matter who creates this area, you will enjoy relaxing among the lovely plants. Plants are great for a variety of reasons.

Try fixing the appearance of the outside of your home. By changing the roof shingles, buying new windows or changing the siding color of your house, you can bring new life to your home. You will feel proud and excited each time that you turn into your driveway when you are on the way home.

You spend so much time in your home, so having one that you enjoy being in is vital. Constantly working on your home is excellent in two ways – it will make you feel more comfortable, while adding value.

Mona Koussa is a local San Ramon Realtor. You can also Search San Ramon Homes For Sale with school and community information.

Buying San Ramon real estate can be stressful and exciting. You need to have the right information, because if you do not, then there is the chance you could make mistakes that could follow you for years. The tips in the following article will help your purchase go more smoothly.

Get organized before you jump into the house-buying game. Dedicate a notebook just to the information you gather online, from the newspaper, from friends and from your agent. This gives you a centralized repository of data you can access whenever you need it.

Properties that require major improvements are usually sold at a lower price. This will let you save some money in the beginning, and fix up the house as you see fit. In addition to customizing the home to your tastes, you are creating valuable equity each time you make an improvement. Take the potential of a property in consideration before letting the drawback discourage you. The home of your dreams may be concealed behind that ugly exterior.

Make your dream home your reality. There is a controversy over whether this is the right time to buy and sell real estate; therefore, consider both sides before making a decision. Buying your dream property now may be your best bet, as housing prices are likely to continue to rise.

Prior to purchasing a new property, you should always do an adequate amount of research. If you do not research the property you are interested in purchasing, you may make a bad decision and purchase a piece of property that will cost you time and money. There are many questions that you’ll want to find answers to before buying, such as the character of the neighborhood, the area’s crime rate, zoning, the age of any buildings, and tax rate.

Before buying a home, get an inspector to examine it. If the house you’re looking at requires serious renovation work, you need to know it before buying it. This makes the inspector an extremely cost-effective and-safety conscious choice that should never be bypassed.

Investing in real estate is always a risky situation. Property values are currently at an all time low because of the housing market crash. This presents a perfect opportunity for you to move out of your apartment, and purchase your own home. The downward trend is an aberration when you look at house prices over the long term. Therefore, you will probably make money on your investment after ten years.

Collect data about your local housing market. Give City-data.com a visit or any other sites like it so you can learn about the average housing prices, number of foreclosures and other relevant market conditions within a 15 mile radius. You should also check out information about local employers, income levels, and unemployment rates. But don’t just look at statistics. A terrific house in a great neighborhood can defy the averages.

The tips you’ve just read will help you make good decisions. Use these tips to help you make the most of the money that you are investing in the property. Buy with the confidence that you know what you are doing.

Call Mona Koussa or visit San Ramon Homes For Sale for more information. Request your San Ramon Homes Value

Being an informed consumer means not only reading your homeowners insurance policy closely but also asking experts what constitutes the right type, and amount, of coverage you need for your home, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).

“Besides knowing the basics of what a standard homeowners insurance policy covers, consumers should ask a series of questions, and receive satisfactory answers to each of them, before buying a new policy, or renewing an existing one,” says Michael Barry, vice president, Media Relations, I.I.I.
A qualified insurance agent or insurance company representative can guide you through your choices.

Here are six basic questions everyone should ask before buying or renewing a homeowners insurance policy:
How much would it cost to rebuild my home in its current location in the event of a total loss? Your homeowners insurance policy should cover the cost of building a new home from scratch. Your insurance agent or insurance company representative will have knowledge of your neighborhood, and familiarity with the construction materials used when your home was originally built and can accurately calculate this cost. In general, homeowners policies cover partial or total damages caused by fire, hurricane, hail, lightning or any other disaster listed in your policy. Flood and earthquake-related losses must be insured separately because both perils are excluded in standard homeowners insurance policies.

How much is the personal property in my home worth in the event of a total loss? Your homeowners insurance policy should cover the cost of replacing all personal property (furniture, appliances, clothing) should it be stolen or destroyed by fire, hurricane or another insured disaster. Most companies provide personal property coverage equal to about 50 to 70 percent of the amount of insurance you have on the structure of your dwelling. So if you have $100,000 worth of dwelling protection, most insurers would recommend $50,000 to $70,000 worth of personal property coverage. The best way to determine if this recommendation is appropriate for your specific situation is to conduct a home inventory.

How much liability protection do I need? Liability covers you against lawsuits for bodily injury or property damage that you, or your family members, cause to other people. It also pays for damage caused by your pets. The liability portion of your policy pays for both the cost of defending you in court and any court awards—up to the limit of your policy. You are also covered not just in your home, but anywhere in the world. Liability limits generally start at about $100,000. Most insurance agents and company representatives recommend that you purchase at least $300,000 worth of liability protection. If you have significant assets and need more liability protection than is offered under the standard homeowners policy limits, ask your agent about umbrella liability.

What level of additional living expense coverage do I need? The Additional Living Expenses (ALE) provision is found in standard homeowners insurance policies. It pays for the costs of living away from home if you cannot reside there due to damage from an insured disaster. ALE covers hotel bills, meals and other expenses over and above your customary living expenses. ALE coverage differs from company to company. Many policies provide coverage equal to about 20 percent of your dwelling protection. For example, if the structure of your home is insured for $100,000, you would have $20,000 of ALE coverage. Some companies impose a time limitation, such as 12 to 24 months.

Should I buy a separate flood and/or earthquake insurance policy? There were numerous flooding events and earthquakes in the U.S. in 2011, but relatively few Americans had coverage for either type of natural disaster because these perils are excluded from standard homeowners insurance policies. Check with your insurance agent or insurance company representative to see whether you might need specialized coverage beyond your standard homeowners insurance policy. Flood coverage for homeowners is available from the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and from a few private insurers. Earthquake coverage is usually available in the form of a supplemental policy from your insurance company, or, in California, from the California Earthquake Authority. Fire and water damage due to burst gas and water pipes following an earthquake is covered under standard homeowners policies in most states.

Do I qualify for any discounts? If you have smoke detectors, burglar alarms and/or dead-bolt locks in your home, you can often get a premium rate discount. Sophisticated sprinkler systems and alarms that ring at monitoring stations often reduce your homeowners insurance premium, too. Ask your agent or company representative about discounts available to you. If you are at least 55 years old and retired, for instance, you may qualify for a discount of up to 10 percent at some companies. If you have completely modernized your plumbing or electrical system recently, a few companies may provide a price break.

Call Mona Koussa or visit San Ramon Homes For Sale for more information. Request your San Ramon Homes Value

Source: www.iii.org

When presenting an offer on your next San Ramon homes, CMAs (Comparative Market Analysis)  Help Take the Guesswork Out of the Equation.

One of the most nerve-wracking aspects of buying a home is preparing your first offer. While you don’t want to make an offer that is so low that it shuts down negotiations, you also don’t want it to be higher than the true value of the home. Coming up with the perfect offer isn’t just a guessing game as there are numerous factors that go into determining what a home is actually worth. One thing that can help you when preparing your offer: a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA).

Once you’ve found a home that you’re interested in and you’re ready to make an offer, the first thing you’ll want to do is obtain a CMA, which will detail the home’s essential characteristics and compare it with other homes in the area. The report will include the sales price of homes similar to the one you’re interested in, how long these homes were on the market before they sold and what the competition looks like.

Your real estate agent will conduct this analysis for you, providing a good foundation for making a proper offer. However, it’s not totally out of line to perform your own CMA to help decide if a home is within striking distance of an amount you’re willing to pay.

The outcome of a CMA should narrow the infinite world of potential prices to a fair range of prices, with clear upper and lower limits reflecting the realm of realistic prices an average buyer would pay for the home. The CMA will also include realistic appraisal values for the home.

Once you have the CMA, it might be a good idea to drive by each of the comparable properties that recently sold to get a good sense of the neighborhood and evaluate the home from the outside. A comparable property is one which lines up closely with the home you’re looking at in terms of square footage, upgrades, features, condition, school system and location. The sales price of a very similar property can be highly predictive of the market value of the home you’re interested in buying.

A good rule of thumb is to calculate a fair value range for your target home and multiply the average price-per-square-foot of the comparable homes by the square footage of your target home. This will provide a baseline for the market price.

Then, if the target home has characteristics that make it more or less desirable, adjust the value up or down to account for those.

Another thing to take into consideration is when a comparable home sold. For instance, if the comparables that sold for the highest price occurred during periods when there was little inventory, you may amend your offer considerably if the current market has a significantly higher inventory.

One strong piece of advice: Don’t always try to lowball an owner on a house you love, because you may find that it’s gone before you have a chance to negotiate.

Call Mona Koussa or visit San Ramon Homes For Sale for more information. Request your San Ramon Homes Value

Coming soon 5 Bedrooms and 5.5 Bathrooms San Ramon bank owned home. With 5,300 Square Feet living space and 17,890 Square Feet lot this semi custom home was designed with the family in mind. Enjoy a huge open kitchen that faces your large family room. Located in a San Ramon prime area that sets in the hills but close to all amentias, schools and transportations. This home is part of the excellent San Ramon school district.

For more information about this home or receive email notification as soon it becomes available for sale, contact Mona Koussa at 925-831-9615 or visit San Ramon homes for sale

Many San Ramon homes owners want a nice garden. For a garden full of healthy, vibrant plants, though, there are many factors you need to consider. Gardening takes some effort, but it is also a pleasant and rewarding hobby. Below you will find some wonderful tips for making gardening more fun and less work!

You may be able to re-pot some plants to bring indoors for the winter. Maybe you’d like to save the most expensive plants you have or the most resistant. Dig carefully around the roots and transfer the plants to a pot.

Purchase a wheelbarrow, and a kneeling stool to use in your garden. Using a large portion of your time near or on the ground working on your garden puts a huge strain on your knees; therefore, having a portable, lightweight garden stool will greatly assist you in making gardening easier on them. Also, gardening can involve a lot of heavy lifting and moving items, therefore a robust wheelbarrow can make that aspect much easier.

If you’ve got children, gardening may be a great activity for them and for family bonding. Most children like picking out the plants and flowers. Giving them permission to be covered in dirt doesn’t happen very often for most kids, and it’s even more fun with family.

While working in your garden during the fall season, watch out for those stink bugs! Stink bugs are attracted to tomatoes, beans and most fruits. Proper measures should be taken in order to ensure minimal damage to your crops.

When fall is here, you need to plant autumn edibles. A pumpkin makes a great container, and costs less than a clay pot. Once you cut an opening at the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the insides, spray the inside and edges with Wilt-Pruf to keep the pumpkin from rotting. After you have finished this, you will be ready to start planting.

Healthy soil will be your best defense against the pests that can invade your garden. If your plants are healthy, they can more easily resist insects and disease. If you want to get the best plants, begin with a soil that has hardly any chemicals, and that will bring salts.

A lot of annual plants prefer the cold winter months. To keep these plants looking their best prune them back if they have become too leggy. After a couple of weeks, you will see these annuals bloom again, and they will look beautiful when compared to all of the winter foliage. Annual plants that flourish in cold weather are snapdragons, petunias and dianthus.

There are natural materials, and you can also use other plants to help keep pests away from your garden. Slugs can be kept at bay with a patch of marigolds or pungent vegetables. Insects also avoid shrubs and trees that are mulched with wood ash. These are methods you can use to get rid of the need to use pesticides.

With these tips, you’re better equipped to grow the most beautiful garden you can imagine. In learning how to create your dream garden, you’ll also be growing as a person. That’s because learning how to nurture your plants will not only help you reach the goal of having a great garden, but it will help you learn to nurture yourself.

Call Mona Koussa or visit San Ramon Homes For Sale for more information. You can also sign up to our New Listings Alerts to receive email notification as soon as any of these home is available for sale.

San Ramon Real Estate: Refinancing home loans continues to be popular for those looking to save money and simplify their finances.

There are several situation where refinancing might make sense for a home owner. One of the biggest reasons is to get a lower mortgage rate. With many lenders offering lower interest rates today, refinancing could save a home owner significant money.

Cash out refinancing remain a popular options for home owners looking to pay off their debts or invest. Investment properties are gaining in popularity with many home owners choosing to refinance for extra cash to buy properties to rent or resell as an additional source of income. Another reason for refinancing is to switch from adjustable rate to a fixed rate home loan. With the threat of inflation home owners are seeking not only better but also stable rates. Refinancing is also popular with home owners who want to consolidate loans such as a mortgage and home equity line of credits.

I am your neighborhood link to exiting new listings. I have an intimate understanding of market trends and knowledge of neighborhood amenities — Give me a call or visit my website San Ramon Homes For Sale to schedule a meeting.

By Pauline Perenack

Listing a property with a blurry property profile photo or, even worse, no photo, is like having a blurry or abstract image as your profile picture on a social media platform or Internet advertising campaign. It is not appealing and, therefore, no one wants to click for more information.

I don’t know about you, but when I am contacted online by someone whose name I don’t recognize, I immediately look to the profile picture. If I recognize the face, I’ll look into the profile, get information as to what they’ve been up to, and make the connection. However, I get some requests that I just ignore. These are the requests where I think I might recognize the name, but the profile picture is of a dog in a field or a baby. If your profile picture doesn’t intrigue me, why would I want to see if we should connect?

This same principle can be applied to images for listings. We’ve all visited the various consumer sites, such as Zillow, Trulia or RES.NET, where listings show the property profile photo and a few basic details about the property. Now, as an agent, you have to assume that this is the first image a potential buyer sees and the hook to getting them to read more about your listing. With this in mind, you have to ask yourself, why would any agent choose to include an image of a tree to accompany their listing? Or, even worse, no image at all? You want to make sure the profile image is so engaging that people wouldn’t even think of skipping over your listing. Since consumers now require instant gratification, this is your chance for the glamour shot that shows the property in all its glory. It needs to pack a punch, and it needs to welcome viewers in to experience the full story of the property. If a buyer doesn’t like your first image, why would they want to see more? Think back to when you had to choose a photo for your marketing flyers in years past. The better the picture, the more people asked about it, and the same goes for property profile photos online.

Make sure the profile picture shows off the front of the house. Why? Because people want to see what their house will look like. At this point, they don’t care about a close-up of flowers in the front yard. Sure, they may be pretty, but they aren’t going to intrigue buyers enough to want more information about the property.

Once a property profile photo interests people enough to look at the property information, that’s when they like to see photos that tell more about the property. However, more often than not, agents can’t access the interior of the home. In this situation, prospective buyers would rather have no photos than an image of a stop sign or of the length of the street, as neither of these tell the property’s story.

With these things in mind, think of marketing your property this way: If no one is accepting your online contact requests, and your profile picture is a witty photo of a blank Post-it note, chances are those same people are ignoring your current listing that boasts a profile photo of the house numbers.

Pauline Perenack is the Marketing Manager with RES.NET.

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On Thursday, federal and state officials announced a $26 billion foreclosure settlement with five of the largest home lenders. California is expected to receive approximately $12 billion in principal write-downs, including through short sales, over the next three years, according to the state attorney general’s office.

Making sense of the story

• The deal settles potential state charges about allegations of improper foreclosures based on robo-signing, seizures made without proper paperwork.
• The settlement sets up a federal monitor to oversee the process and try to prevent the challenges that tripped up many homeowners seeking help in earlier programs designed to address the housing crisis.
• Most of the relief will go to those who are underwater on their homes. That relief will come over the course of the next three years, with banks having incentives to provide most of the relief in the next 12 months.
• At least $17 billion will go to reducing the principal owed by homeowners who are underwater and behind on their mortgages.
• Up to 750,000 other underwater homeowners who are current on their mortgages will be able to refinance their current loans at lower rates. They will not receive a reduction in principal, but with mortgage rates near record lows, they could receive substantial savings on their monthly payments.
• Approximately $1.5 billion will go to homeowners who had their homes foreclosed upon between Jan. 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2011, and who meet other criteria. They will receive up to $2,000 each.
• The five mortgage servicers that are parties to the settlement include Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Ally Financial (formerly GMAC).

Mona Koussa is an east bay real estate professional. Search East Bay Homes For Sale

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Just like many other aspects of life, you have to learn what is involved in buying property before you dive into it. Knowing your stuff not only gives you more power at the negotiating table, but can also improve your own future, as well as your family’s. Read this article for useful tips about buying a piece of real estate.

A buyer’s checklist will help you understand the real estate buying process, and these forms can be acquired from your Realtor. Many Realtors have checkoff lists available that include all steps of home-buying, including finding the perfect house and mortgage procedures. Having a list like this can be invaluable in coordinating everything to coincide with closing day.

When buying a house, put the focus on your personal desire, rather than future value. Some will advise you not to upgrade to a larger home, but you should realize that there are those who say it’s a great time to do so. This may be the best time to buy your dream property because housing prices are expected to rise.

Do your homework in checking out possible properties prior to making offers on them. There are several features that should be considered prior to writing an offer for rental property. The first one being sustainability. The property should be in good condition. You should look at the bare bones of a house: the roof should be in good repair, the floors should be level, the plumbing and electrical should be in good working order. Also, when you make an offer on a house it should be contingent upon approval of a home inspection. The second thing to consider is  it the location. This especially goes for rental properties. You need to ensure that your tenants can get to where they need to go and that the property is near commonly used retailers and service providers. Lastly, make sure you are looking at the average income in the area. This is different from physical location, because you should keep in mind that a high rent area is definitely a better location than a low rent area. Location is not as much of a deal breaker for high rent areas.

Adopt a flexible attitude toward making choices. You might not have the financial resources to buy your dream house in your dream neighborhood, but you might have enough to choose one of the two. If you don’t find the home of your choice in an area that you want to live in, look for a different home. At some point you may want to look in a different neighborhood.

If you submit an offer for the home you love and the seller does not accept it, do not lose hope. They may be willing to cover the price of the closing costs or make some repairs to the home before you move in.

The best thing you can do for yourself in purchasing real estate is devoting time to learning all about the process. A real estate agent can help you to a certain extent, but there are many decisions that you have to make yourself. Having a great deal of knowledge about real estate will give you the confidence to make necessary decisions.

Call Mona Koussa or visit San Ramon Homes For Sale for more information. You can also sign up to our New Listings Alerts to receive email notification as soon as any of these home is available for sale.