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Curb Appeal

7017 Meandering Creek before — 7017 Meandering Creek Before Improvement

We often have buyers who have a home to sell. The most common advice that their Realtors tell them to do to sell their homes quickly is to work on their curb appeal. Now to some people that might sound like a huge task, but it can be pretty easy and fairly inexpensive if you are willing to put a little elbow grease into it!

We have a home for sale at 7017 Meandering Creek in Parkview Hills that has an elevation that we don’t have any professional pictures of. We decided that we wanted to get some photographs of it, but the “curb appeal” was a little blah. We usually save our professional photos for our model homes and they usually have a little extra landscaping, so this was going to have to be a quick project. I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate curb appeal!

So, of course I volunteered to be the landscaper for this one! Since it is a new home, there weren’t any dead trees to remove or major overhauling to do. I thought that a little black mulch would stand out against the white limestone accents on the home and pairing that dark mulch with vivid pink flowers might be the most eye catching combo. I was really excited to be able to buy beautiful sun loving flowers since my own personal garden is so limited. I was going to live vicariously through this East facing sunny garden!

My first stop was Mike’s Garden Center. I love Mike’s because they warranty their plants and they have early bird specials and sales all the time. If you catch a good special you can find flowers for sale at $0.73 per 4” pot. Amazing! Another reason I love my particular Mike’s on Crowley Road is because they are pet friendly. They have their own birdcage and their own shop kitty and three small dogs. One of them accompanied me as I selected my flowers. I loved it!

I bought Vinca and Moss Rose. I love Moss Rose because it is a creeper. It will fluff out and go everywhere. Also it drops seeds like nobody’s business and you will have Moss Rose coming back every year. And, it doesn’t need a whole lot of water. Don’t get me wrong, it needs to be watered, but it is very forgiving of this Texas heat and doesn’t mind drying out a bit. So I loaded up my three flats of Vincas (on sale!) and my one flat of Moss Rose and bought my black mulch.

Of course with all of these plants I needed help getting out of there. The folks who work at Mike’s are always so nice and one guy helped me load up my car. No, you don’t need a truck to haul plants and mulch. I have a two door hatch back and I can get anything in there! I laid down my seats and spread a blanket over the trunk and seats to keep it from getting soiled and me and my Mike’s buddy loaded up my car.

CA trunk loaded — There's room for more!

When I got to the home I quickly took a couple of “Before” pictures and got to work. I have found that it is easier for me if I lay the plants out where I want them to go first. So I unloaded all of my flats and got to work. I knew I wanted the Moss Rose to go along the walkway to the entry since it would look pretty there as it began to creep out of the flower bed once it became established. Vincas will get thick, so I also wanted to make sure I placed them far enough apart to not compete with each other for sunlight. I also wanted to make sure I planted thickly against the ugly white washout stub in the flowerbed. You know that thing that looks like a pipe with a lid on it? You have got to be careful when you are gardening not to completely cover it since you need to know where it is in case you have to snake your sewer line out to the street.

CA flowers laid out — Ready for planting

Once I had my flowers laid out, I just had to get to work! I used a little gardening spade to dig in the earth.

As I was digging I quickly noticed that the ground was very clay-ey. When I was at Mike’s I wondered to myself whether or not I should buy some potting soil, but I decided against it. Well, I regretted that decision! But, since I wasn’t removing the old mulch, just adding the new mulch on top, I figured it would be ok. In my opinion the best way to convert a clay based flower bed to better soil is to dump lots of mulch on it every Spring and Fall. That’s what I did at my home over the past six years and now I have this incredibly rich soil full of grody earth worms! They make for healthy plants and occasional frights while planting.

After hours of backbreaking digging and planting, the clouds parted (not really) and a ray of sunshine (it had been sunny and sweltering all day) fell on the pretty new flowerbed. I was pooped and the thought of adding the mulch made me have a heatstroke. So I popped on over to Mr. Bentley’s house next door to lounge on his deck and take a couple of pictures of his awesome view. He’s going to be the subject of the next Celebrity Gossip post.

Flowers and Bentley 030 — Ruby says I need a pedicure...

The next morning I was at the home bright and early to spread the mulch. Sounds easy enough right? Right! Today I was wearing my heart rate monitor because I thought I needed to know exactly what my caloric commitment was to this project. It was a day late and the majority of it was done, but I figured I could do some math and guess. Mulching burned 640 calories! Yay! Ok, way off topic.

Anywhoo, I had four bags of black mulch and I laid them out near the places I thought they would be going. I opened each one and threw the mulch out and covered up all the old mulch. Occasionally I had to free some leaves or petals from under a little bit too much mulch, but it was pretty quick work. The only problem was that I forgot about the tree in the yard. That made me a bag short. So I spread it as best I could and it was a little thin at the end. I was regretting that I didn’t start at the entry and work my way out. So when I was running out of mulch, I was at the most important place! Oh well. Since I was sooooooooo tired after I finished, I decided I would finish the mulch the next time I was at Parkview Hills. By the time you read this, it will all be complete. But I did manage to take pictures with what I was able to cover and from the street, you can’t even tell I ran out!

By the end, I was pretty impressed with the effect that some flowers and mulch had on the appearance of the home. What do you think?

7017 Meandering Creek After — 7017 Meandering Creek Lane after sweat equity

The Trials and Tribulations of a Shady Gardener

Let me begin with the disclaimer that I am an absolute novice gardener and I have been known to have a black thumb on occasion. I do take an interest in what goes in my flowerbed, but usually I pay someone to bring the plants and plant them. But this year I decided to do it all myself. I have had a really tough time with my flowerbed this spring. You see I have a north facing home and my flowerbed is mostly in the shade. I detest shrubbery and I adore flowers, so you can tell that I have quite a dilemma on my hands. A few years ago I planted some Day Lilies in my flowerbed along the border where I do get patchy sun. They are pretty big, but they are only in a few spots and I wanted more variety and color.

Daylilies and Imps Blog — Daylilies and Impatiens

I Googled Texas shade plants and could find nothing that flowered and that I thought was pretty. I went to the plant store and found nothing except for Impatiens. Not cute. I was yeaning for Gerber daisies and Snapdragons and all sorts of sun loving pretty blooming flowers! I knew that I had a tiny patch that saw sun for about two hours and I did plant three little Snapdragons there. Snapdragons, I read, were good for part sun. I was hoping and praying that they were going to be happy. I also planted some Lobelia in another part that gets about 2 hours sun as well.

I knew there were no alternative to the Impatiens so I bought a few different types and tried them out. After about a week, the impatiens began to grow on me and my Snapdragons looked very sad. The Lobelia was droopy. I added some Caladiums that had little blotches of red in the leaves for some variety. No flowers, but at least they are pretty and flower-like. But I had to dig up the Snapdragons and plant them in a container in my south facing back yard.

Garden Mix Blog — Caladiums, Agapanthus, Impatiens and More

Well after about another week the Impatiens were fluffing out. They were flowering and every time I backed in or out of my driveway I was gazing at them. The Lobelia looked like it was dying, so I dug that up and planted it in my mom’s yard. I gave in to the superiority of the Impatiens in a shade garden and bought more and planted more. I also remembered that I had an Agapanthus once in a shady spot, so I bought one and planted it in a tiny, sometimes sunny, spot under my Japanese Maple. I also got a Diascia and planted it where the Snapdragons used to be. It was very clearly labeled “2 Hours of Sun” and I knew that would work!

So now that I have stopped trying to make my shade garden into a sun garden, I am finally happy. There is definitely a lesson to be learned and although I think it’s kind of obvious, I have never shied away from stating the obvious! You can’t make a shady garden into a sunny one and you can’t make things be other than they are. The minute you give up trying to impose your will, you will find peace! 🙂

If you have any links to good Gardening Tips, I am obviously in need! Send me some pictures of your gardening handiwork with a little back-story. I’ll post them here and we can have a contest and vote for the best one! [email protected]

Third Party Home Inspections, Are They Worth it?

DSC_5107_dxo-580x385 — Our Certified Graduate Builders! Above and Beyond Home Inspections!

All my life I was always told when buying a car take it to the mechanic before you buy it or when buying a home always hire a professional home inspector before closing. I have found this advice to be very good and it has saved me many times. Home inspectors are excellent at finding issues in older homes that sellers sometimes cover with paint or texture, that can be very helpful. Sometimes the items they point out to you will be very costly to repair and you need to know that before proceeding with the purchase of your home.

The times when I DON’T use a mechanic to inspect my car is when it is new. My new car will come with a warranty so if something breaks they will fix it or if a manufacturer’s defect is found it will be repaired by the manufacturer. So, when I’m buying my new car what I want to do is look for cosmetic issues, things like door dings or scratches because I know that once I drive that car off the lot these items won’t be repaired for free.

It’s the same when you buy a New Home. You don’t need an additional Inspection, because the home is inspected over and over during the construction process. If you remember a recent post, we even go above and beyond on our inspections. We like to make sure we did it right the first time. A new Home is also covered by a warranty, as are all of the major components used in the construction and finish, such as the foundation, the roof and the appliances.

Before you close on your new Antares Home, you will meet the builder at your home and he will perform a “home orientation”. A home orientation is when the builder walks you through your new home demonstrating how everything works, who to call if it doesn’t and all the little things you need to know to enjoy your new home. You will also will spend all the time you want looking for those cosmetic issues like texture error, paint issues, any spots on the floor or anything else that needs a touch up. You will return 7 days later and verify that ALL the corrections have been completed and then you will proceed to closing. The builder will place an Owner’s Manual in your home and this booklet will give advice on maintaining your new home and several helpful tips to keeping it like new and giving you many years of enjoyment.

Since a Home Inspection can cost you about $500 dollars, it doesn’t seem worth the money on a New Home. If you want to have one anyway, we can accomodate you. Just ask your Salesperson!

Property Taxes

The tax bill is due by Jan, 31, 2011 for the 2010 tax year. You are responsible for making sure that your taxes are paid even if your taxes are escrowed by your mortgage company. You can request a receipt from the county to make sure they were paid if you are the type that tends to worry. It is also good to keep a record on hand in the event you need to prove that taxes were in fact, paid.

If you purchased your home last year, do not forget to claim your Homestead exemption. The Tarrant Appraisal District has all of their forms on one page for easy access.

If you want to know how to calculate tax rates in a neighborhood you are interested in purchasing a home in, here’s how I do it. Let’s use Tarrant County as an example since we sell most of our homes in Tarrant County. On the Tarrant Appraisal District website they have a spreadsheet of their tax rates. Print it out. There are lots of codes to on the left-hand column. They correspond to the Taxing Jurisdiction Name.

The next step is to perform a property data search on the property you want to purchase. If you want to build a home or the home is a newly completed home and not listed in the tax records, I use the model home as a reference. Let’s use 404 Elk Run in Fort Worth. That’s the model home at the Parks of Deer Creek.

You will see the Taxing Jurisdictions called out one by one. Those codes and names correspond to the tax rate in the third column of the tax spreadsheet. Sometimes you have to go by the name instead of the code as in Tarrant County Hospital which is actually code 091, instead of 224.

Go through the list and add it all up. The grand total is the UNEXEMPT amount. Multiply this amount by the total price of the home you are purchasing and that sum is what you pay without Homestead exemption or any other additional exemptions you may qualify for. By my calculations I came up with a tax liability of 3.039537% for the value of the home. When you multiply that by $118,900 (the value given for the 2010 tax year) the number is $3614.00

This is a really good way to figure out ahead of time if the taxes in one neighborhood are lower or higher than another. If you plan to escrow your taxes into your mortgage, this can make a big difference in your monthly house payment.

If you have more questions about Taxes in Texas you can visit the State Comptroller’s website or call one of our Home Buying Experts at 1-800-Antares!

Did you Know?

The Homebuyer Tax Credit was extended for members of the Uniformed Services, members of the Foreign Service and members of the Intelligence Community.

If you fit into one of those categories and you were serving on qualified official extended duty service outside of the United States for at least 90 days from January 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010, you can still qualify for the Homebuyer Tax Credit.

Are you one of the above qualified people and did you buy a home after the tax credit ended this spring? You can still claim the credit.

Thinking about buying a home? There is still time. You must be on contract before April 30, 2011. Call one of our Sales Offices today to find out more information! We have a Home for You!

1-800-ANTARES

Here are the Forms you need to claim your Tax Credit, even if you are not eligible for an extension, but you just haven’t filed for it yet.

8 Reasons to Buy a New Home

If you’re like most first-time home buyers, you’ve probably listened to friends’, family’s and coworkers’ advice, many of whom are encouraging you to buy a home. However, you may still wonder if buying a home is the right thing to do. Relax. Having reservations is normal. The more you know about why you should buy a home, the less scary the entire process will appear to you. Here are eight good reasons why you should buy a new home.

Pride of Ownership

Pride of ownership is the number one reason why people yearn to own their home. It means you can paint the walls any color you desire, turn up the volume on your CD player, attach permanent fixtures and decorate your home according to your own taste. Home ownership gives you and your family a sense of stability and security. It’s making an investment in your future.

Appreciation

Although real estate moves in cycles, sometimes up, sometimes down, over the years, real estate has consistently appreciated. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight tracks the movements of single family home values across the country. Its Housing Price Index breaks down the changes by region and metropolitan area. Many people view their home investment as a hedge against inflation. Texas is one of the states that lead the Nation here.

Mortgage Interest Deductions

Home ownership is a superb tax shelter and our tax rates favor homeowners. As long as your mortgage balance is smaller than the price of your home, mortgage interest is fully deductible on your tax return. Interest is the largest component of your mortgage payment.

Property Tax Deductions

IRS Publication 530 contains tax information for first-time home buyers. Real estate property taxes paid for a first home and a vacation home are fully deductible for income tax purposes.

Capital Gain Exclusion

As long as you have lived in your home for two of the past five years, you can exclude up to $250,000 for an individual or $500,000 for a married couple of profit from capital gains. You do not have to buy a replacement home or move up. There is no age restriction, and the “over-55” rule does not apply. You can exclude the above thresholds from taxes every 24 months, which means you could sell every two years and pocket your profit–subject to limitation–free from taxation.

Preferential Tax Treatment

If you receive more profit than the allowable exclusion upon sale of your home, that profit will be considered a capital asset as long as you owned your home for more than one year. Capital assets receive preferential tax treatment.

Mortgage Reduction Builds Equity

Each month, part of your monthly payment is applied to the principal balance of your loan, which reduces your obligation. The way amortization works, the principal portion of your principal and interest payment increases slightly every month. It is lowest on your first payment and highest on your last payment. On average, each $100,000 of a mortgage will reduce in balance the first year by about $500 in principal, bringing that balance at the end of your first 12 months to $99,500.

Equity Loans

Consumers who carry credit card balances cannot deduct the interest paid, which can cost as much as 18% to 22%. Equity loan interest is often much less and it is deductible. For many home owners, it makes sense to pay off this kind of debt with a home equity loan. Consumers can borrow against a home’s equity for a variety of reasons such as home improvement, college, medical or starting a new business.

-Ron Formby

Painting a Room

About a year ago, I decided to paint my master bedroom. I have lived in my house for about five years, but I had never got around to painting any of the rooms. While my home was under construction I had so much fun daydreaming about what rooms I would paint what colors and where I would place decorations. Well, when it came down to it, I ended up not having time to paint my home before I moved into it. So, I put the painting off until later. I think this happens more often than not to new home owners.

But, once the furniture is in, it really isn’t that hard to paint. We moved all the furniture to the center of the room and covered it with a couple of old sheets. We then covered that with plastic sheeting. We also covered the floor with plastic sheeting and used painter’s tape to affix the sheeting to the floor. We covered all of the trim, baseboards and window sills with painter’s tape. I had lots of fun with the painter’s tape because it comes in three different colors, blue, purple and green. It was very fun! We covered the windows and the doorways with the plastic sheeting also.

We bought a few gallons of paint and loaded up the roller brushes and went at it! It only took us a total of about 3 hours for the first coat and the same for the second. We did let the paint dry for a couple of days between coats, but I don’t think you need to wait that long between coats. I am including a few links below for those of you who want more precise instructions for painting a room. Or you can just wing it like we did!

If you are worried about covering up paint samples that you tried out when you make your final choice you can use this nifty tool:

http://mysmallwall.com/index.php

TLC has an amazing set of instructions plus lots of information on types of paint brushes and how to use them. These instructions entitled “How to Paint a Room” are perfect for those of us who like to use the phrase “you’re not doing it right!”

Benjamin Moore’s website has nifty tools that let you upload pictures of your room and virtually paint it! Plus they teach you color basics. Thanks Benjamin Moore!

For some reason that I still don’t understand, my husband insisted that we needed to buy 5 GALLONS of paint for just one room. Something about touchups and paint matching, blah blah. Anyway, if you want to be a bit more precise with your paint buying, since it can get expensive, here’s a handy estimator.

Just in case your walls have a few dings in them, you will need to repair them before you paint over it. Or not. It’s up to you, but here’s how.

Ok, so you were in a hurry and you painted really fast and now you see some problems. You don’t have to live with them. Here’s how to fix them.

Of course Martha Stewart has instructions too!

If you want to get all Fancy here is a great website on Decorative Painting.

Have fun and send us some photos of your painting project!

10 Rules to Follow

Whether you have just put in your loan application at the sales office, or if you currently have a contract on a home OR if you are just thinking of buying a home very soon, there are a few guidelines that can help you accomplish your goal of Home Ownership!

Do not change jobs or become self-employed or quit your job. Job stability is key and most lenders are going to verify that you have had the same income for the last two years by looking at your tax returns.
Do not buy a car, truck or van (or you may be living in it!) Taking on an increased debt load can count against your buying power.
Do not use credit cards excessively or let you current accounts fall behind. You do need to have a good payment history on all of your debts. If you increase your balances owed on your credit cards after you have been approved for a loan, you may find that loan has vanished!
Do not omit debts or liabilities from your loan application. We’ll see it anyway and it is better to have a good idea what to expect when submitting your loan application. It will make a difference as to which lenders and programs we need to consider for you. We want to help and all information is crucial!
Do not spend money that you have set aside for closing. You need it for closing on your New Home!
Do not buy furniture. Or any other high ticket items. See number 2 and 3.
Do not originate any inquiries into your credit. That means no new store accounts, book-of-the-month clubs, credit cards or visits to the car lot!
Do not make large deposits without checking with your loan officer. Christmas gift money and cash savings can cause huge problems when deposited into your bank account. Call your lender for advice first.
Do not change bank accounts. So Bank of Everywhere has made you really mad with their crazy charges? Suck it up until after you have closed. Changing banks at the last minute can keep you from closing as bank statements are necessary for underwriters.
Do not co-sign for a loan for anyone. Sorry that Grandma needs a new car. Someone else needs to help her besides you. See numbers 6, 2 and 3.

If you can manage these 10 rules, you might just find that you are a Home Owner sooner than you think!

Top 10 Reasons Antares Homes Salespeople Are the Best!

Contender for Salesperson of the Year: Monique Tinsley!

1) We are present at our sales offices during operating hours:

We have heard from our customers that Builder A is never open, or Builder B never has a salesperson at the office even though it is open. We are in the business of selling homes and that can’t be done without a salesperson to meet with you!

2) We are excited to see you when you walk in our door:

All of our salespeople will give you a hearty welcome when you come to our offices. We know that there are many other builders to choose from and we are glad to have the opportunity to serve you!

3) We want to know what your needs are:

Don’t be taken off guard when you are in one of our sales offices and our salespeople are asking you endless amounts of questions! It is important for us to make sure we match you to the right home or floor plan. We are focused on building neighborhoods that are occupied by happy Home Owners just like you!

4) We know a lot about financing:

In the current financial landscape, lending regulations change very often. We do our best to prepare for upcoming changes and understand what all the options are. Each Home Owner has a unique set of circumstances and we need to be able to problem solve on the fly.

5) We can help you with your credit:

As lending regulations change, so do credit requirements. We have experienced several increases to the bottom line credit score requirements and have figured out several ways we can help our customers to increase their scores without enrolling in pricey credit repair programs.

6) We are knowledgeable about construction:

We have the luxury of working with Certified Graduate Builders who teach us about why we build homes the way we do. If we don’t know an answer off the top of our heads, an expert is a phone call away!

7) We are dedicated to customer service:

We want to make sure you have the best home buying experience possible and that starts with good follow up. We make sure to keep in touch with you even before you buy a home with us.

8) We are honest:

We offer the best value at the best price. No bait and switch here!

9) We are constantly striving to improve:

Our sales people attend weekly training. We rely on each other for feedback and help. We have a spirit of service to each other as co-workers that benefits our customers.

10) We have fun!

If you only knew…

Holiday Decorations

Better Homes and Gardens December Sunshine — Better Homes and Gardens "December Sunshine"

Over the long weekend a lot of families were in their yards placing their decorations and Holiday lights. It seems like every year the scenes in the yard and the decorations in the front windows get more and more elaborate. I am not talented at decorating anything including my living room and I rarely decorate for the Holidays because it can be so overwhelming for me. So since my stepdaughter really wants to decorate this year I have been debating whether or not to put up a tree. So, I thought what if I did smaller arrangements through out the house instead of a big tree? Here are some easy ideas for Holiday decorating that I found:

Simple Ways to Decorate for Christmas from Better Homes and Gardens. Some of theses ideas look really simple and very pretty. I am going to try a few and then post them later.

Holiday Decorating made Easy by Good Housekeeping. I love the snowflake garland! It reminds me of making snowflakes in Elementary school.

101 Easy Ideas from All Things Christmas. I love #43!

If you are really crafty and ambitious, (unlike me), here is a great video on how to decorate a tree with spectacular ribbons. It looks so beautiful, but not something I am going to attempt!

Thank goodness for DoItYourself.com! One of their first pieces of advice is to bring out all of the red and green items you already have in your home and group them together. I really feel like a “duh!” head when I read advice like that, but if they didn’t print it, I would never have thought of it!

MMMmmmmm Clove oranges!

How to decorate on a budget! I love this one because I really don’t want to spend a lot of money to decorate my home for only six weeks out of fifty-two weeks! The use what you have section is my favorite.

How could I have forgotten about Popcorn Garlands?

Maybe I will have a tree this year, but it may be a smaller one. I saw lots of pretty arrangements calling for a smaller tree doing research for this post. I found that there are many more decorating ideas for those people who are a little craftier and have a better decorating sense than I am in possession of. I don’t know about you, but in my opinion, making a wreath is not for beginners. Please make use of the comments section and send me any ideas or experiences you have had with making simple and easy Holiday decorations!