Five Questions for First-Time Home Buyers

Buying your first home is a huge, exciting, and often daunting experience. Here are five important questions to ask yourself before you start the house hunting process.

1. What home and area will best suit my needs? Having a clear idea of what and where you want to buy is an essential first step. Are you looking for a family home with enough bedrooms to accommodate in-laws or more kids down the track? Perhaps you love the idea of buying a budget ‘fixer-upper’ and transforming it into your dream home. Or do you want a modern townhouse or condo that is ready for you to move in? It’s also important to think about where you want to live. Draw up a list of what is important to you – i.e. schools, amenities, parks, public transport, a friendly community or accessibility to your workplace – and hone in on areas that fit your criteria.

2. What features am I looking for in a home? Your first property is probably the biggest purchase you’ll ever make, so it’s important that you hold out for a place that is right for you. You can divide your list into ‘must-haves’ and ‘nice-to-haves’ but don’t leave anything off. Think again about basic wants, such as how big and modern your home must be, as well as smaller details like garage space, living room layout and kitchen appliances.

3. How much can I borrow? Before you hit the auctions and home inspections, it’s essential that you know how much you can actually spend. Visit a few lenders to get an idea of how much you can borrow. There are a number of different loans – including federally-backed programs – designed for first-time homebuyers and those who don't have the standard 20% minimum down payment. Shop around for the best mortgage interest rate, as this will make a big difference in how much you actually pay. Also realistically assess what you can afford in monthly repayments, and don’t be tempted to over-extend yourself for your dream home.

4. What are the other costs? As well as thinking about your monthly repayments, consider what you can afford for a down payment, the cost of insurance and property taxes, your closing costs, and how much you will need to spend on renovation and maintenance.

5. Who can help me find and purchase a home? A good, ethical real estate agent can be your best friend during the home hunting process. These are the professionals who know first when a home hits the market, and who will find those that match your criteria. You should also search through online listings, look out for sale signs in the neighborhoods you want to live in, and ask friends, family and colleagues to keep an eye out. When you’re ready to buy, an estate agent can guide you through the purchase process – from getting a loan to negotiating a contract.

Energy Saving Tips for Your Living Room

Want to save money on your energy bill this year? The living room is a great place to start your energy audit, as it’s where we spend a lot of time and use a lot of power-hungry appliances. Following are some tips to help you reduce energy use in your living room. - Lower your heating and cooling bills by replacing your single pane windows with energy efficient windows. All of Wallside’s windows feature the energy-saving INTERCEPT Spacer system and dual-pane insulated glass.

- Consider insulated drapes or blinds on your windows to keep warm air inside during winter, and summer heat out. Tinted window film can also help insulate against solar heat during the summer and keep furniture and carpets from fading. Contact our expert team at Wallside Windows of Detroit at (313) 908-5243 to learn more about the different energy-efficient treatments you can pair with your windows.

- Caulk around window leaks or install low-cost, clear plastic window sheeting over leaking windows to keep cold air out. The plastic must be sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration. - Switch over to ENERGY STAR® qualified lighting fixtures or bulbs to save about $6 per bulb or about $14 a fixture annually on your energy bill. ENERGY STAR® certified compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and light emitting diodes (LEDs) use 75 percent less energy than comparable incandescent light bulbs and last about 10 to 50 times longer.

- Plug your TV, DVD and other home electronics into power strips, and turn the power strips off when the equipment isn’t in use. Even in standby mode, TVs and DVDs still use several watts of power. Gaming systems are especially power hungry, with some consoles using almost as much power as your TV. To be safe, unplug your gaming console when you’re done.

- Avoid placing heat-emitting appliances such as TVs or lamps near a thermostat.

- Turn off the lights in any room you’re not using and consider installing timers or sensors to help reduce the amount of time your lights are on. - To prevent cold air creeping in through the fireplace, keep the damper tightly closed whenever the fireplace isn’t in use. You can also install a tight-fitting fireplace door, or even better, a blower motor.

Give Your Home a Winter Makeover

1. De-clutter and clean Clearing out clutter is the first step in any makeover, as it’s hard to see a room’s potential with random mess and ancient keepsakes in the way. Attack clutter hot-spots such as front entryways and nightstands. Buy some cheap baskets and storage boxes and use them to organize and store the belongings you don’t need out of view. Anything you don’t need – and be ruthless here – should be thrown away or donated to a charity store. Once you have more space to think, get your home sparkling with a top-to-toe clean. Vacuum and wash your floors, wipe away the dust coating your furniture and appliances, and wash your windows inside and out to let the winter sun shine in.

2. Warm up your windows Trade your floaty curtains for draperies in warmer, softer materials such as velvet and cashmere. You can buy readymade draperies from your local home store, and hem them to the right size or let them pool elegantly on the floor. Alternatively, make your own drapes using cut-price fabric from a designer outlet. During winter, blinds are a great option as they help increase the energy efficiency of your windows and protection from the low glare of winter sun. You can even find fleece-lined blinds for extra cozy luxury.

3. Give the walls a paint-over It’s a cliché because it’s true: everything can be spruced up with a lick of paint. But you don’t need to repaint your entire house to make it seem brand new. Create the illusion of space with a lighter-colored ceiling, paint a feature wall in a contrasting color, or turn the rectangle over your sofa into a ‘gallery space’ with a new block of color. You can even paint the insides of your bookshelves in a bold color for an eye-catching effect.

4. Add some warm winter accessories Think shag rugs, flannel sheets and throws and pillows in soft textures like cashmere, velvet, faux fur and wool. Winter is the time to snuggle up with plaid and tartan bedding and to light your home with soft, romantic candlelight. Look out for candles with winter scents, such as fir, cypress and heath.

More Top Tips for Selling Your House

Last week we shared some secrets for selling success. Here are five more to help you secure a speedy and successful sale.

1. Win buyers over with your photos To get buyers to your open house, you first need to capture their imagination and interest online. Photos can make or break a deal, so get five or six high-impact shots which truly showcase the best aspects of your home. 2. Upgrade your doors and windows As well as improving your home’s visual appeal, new doors or windows make your home more energy efficient, a plus for any budget and environmentally-conscious buyer. To learn more about energy-efficient windows and treatments, contact the team at Wallside Windows of Detroit at (313) 908-5243. 3. Always be show ready Keep your house looking its best while it’s on the market, as you never know when your final buyer will walk through your door. Think perpetually shining kitchens, bathrooms, living areas and bedrooms that are tidy and dust-free. Because storage space is on most buyers’ wish lists, you should also cut back the clothes in your closet and neatly arrange your cabinet drawers. You might have to turn into a cleaning general for a few months, but the vigilance will be worth it when your buyer signs on the dotted line. 4. Send the pets on holiday You may love animals, but a bowl full of dog food, whiff of kitty litter or free-floating pet hair can be a major turn-off for many buyers. Send your pets to stay with friends, family or a pet hotel before an open house inspection. Or if it’s feasible, keep your house pet free for the entire sales campaign. It might mean a faster sale at a higher price. You can remove pet hair and aromas with a thorough cleaning, including a steam cleaning of carpets and soft furnishings. 5. Let your buyers see the light As with any strategy of seduction, light has a crucial part to play. First, optimize your natural lighting by pulling back your curtains, cleaning the windows and cutting back foliage that blocks sunlight into your home. Install dramatic lighting in entranceways and opt for more subtle, diffused lighting in bedrooms. In your kitchen, use directed lighting in the places where you perform specific tasks, i.e. above the stove, island or sink. In living areas, increase the wattage in your light bulbs, use white shades on table lamps and go for floor lamps that provide lots of light and take up little floor space. Uplights and downlights are also a clever way to create drama and illuminate dark corners.

Energy Saving Tips for Your Attic and Basement

Want to save money on your energy bill this year? I could sit here and tell you all about how much help new energy efficient windows would be, but today I've got some different tips for you.

While often neglected, the attic and basement are two rooms where you can make huge energy savings with a little DIY attention. Following are some energy-efficiency tips for your attic and basement.

• If you’re installing a new roof, make sure it has good ventilation to allow heat and moisture to escape. This will cut cooling costs during summer, prolong shingle life and help ward against condensation.

• Check your attic has adequate insulation – it’s one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to reduce your energy costs. A properly insulated attic can reduce your heating bill by 10 to 50 percent, and helps to cap cooling needs in summer. If your attic has less than six or seven inches of insulation, you can probably benefit from adding more. Ask at your local hardware store about which type of insulation - loose fill, blanket insulation or recycled (a green and non-itch alternative to blanket insulation) would work best in your attic.

• Insulate your basement’s interior wall to save money on heating and create a dry, comfortable living space.

• Before insulating, seal off all air leaks. In the attic, air can get in from behind and under knee walls, and around the attic hatch, wiring, pipes and recessed lights. In the basement, common air leak locations include between rim joists and under the sill plate, and around windows, wiring holes and plumbing pipes. Don’t forget to seal and insulate any heating/cooling ductwork.

• Insulate your water pipes with heat tapes. This reduces heat loss when hot water flows to your faucets and decreases standby losses when the faucet is turned on and off.

• Recycle the old working fridge, freezer or other appliance that’s sitting around in your basement. You’ll get cash rebate and save yourself up to $150 a year in energy costs. Most energy companies will pick up and recycle your old appliance for free, and drop you back your rebate. Ask your energy provider about their appliance recycling program.

• Consider installing a whole house fan in your attic.  Whole house fans are far more energy efficient than air conditioners as they cool your house with natural air currents. Use your whole house fan at night or during the cooler times of the day to draw cool air through the house and exhaust warm air through the attic. Your home will then stay naturally cooler during the hotter parts of the day, without the fan. For extra efficiency, you could install a fan with a timer or variable speed motor.