According to the latest report from The National Association of Realtors, detached single-family homes were the most popular this year!

According to the latest report from The National Association of Realtors, detached single-family homes were the most popular this year!



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Want to really impress potential buyers at an open house? If you're short on time, here are a few easy ways to "wow" them before they come in:

Want to really impress potential buyers at an open house? If you're short on time, here are a few easy ways to "wow" them before they come in:



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Have you ever heard of your home's thermal envelope? Find out what it is, and 4 other ways to make your home energy efficient:

Have you ever heard of your home's thermal envelope? Find out what it is, and 4 other ways to make your home energy efficient:

Your home is your place to rest, play, and spend time with your family. It should be a place of comfort, and this comfort need not come at a high cost. Many homes, however, waste a lot of energy in ways that can be prevented. Here are five ways to make your home more energy-efficient.

Replace or Weatherize All Windows

Windows are one of the biggest sources of heat gain and heat loss in a home. Both heat gain and heat loss rob you of comfort and keep your energy bills higher than they have to be, whether during the summer or winter months.

Windows rank high on the list because of air leakage around the frame and the heat that transfers through windowpanes. Old single-pane windows provide little protection against heat transference. If you replace these windows with energy-efficient windows you should see immediate savings and improved climate control in your home.

When choosing windows, consider the frame and not just glass. Frame material and frame design matters. Hinged windows allow less air leakage than sliding, single-hung or double-hung do. Avoid metal because these conduct heat. Choose insulated vinyl frames or insulated fiberglass frames for the most efficiency and durability.

Pay attention to glass efficiency ratings such as the U-factor and the solar heat gain coefficient. The right windows to choose depend largely upon regional climate. If you live in an area with hot summers and mild winters, you want glass that blocks out as much solar heat gain as possible.

Low-emissivity coatings on windowpanes reduce heat conduction through the glass, which benefits you by keeping hot air inside in winter and hot air outside in summer. There are other coatings and tints available, but you should still look for the Energy Star label. Only products that have met strict requirements by the EPA qualify for this special certification.

Seal the Home's Thermal Envelope

Air leakage through your home's exterior is another source of energy waste. Air infiltration makes your heating and cooling system work harder to maintain climate control. In order to find all of the hidden leaks, schedule an energy audit with an HVAC company. Until you do, seal the noticeable leaks. These can usually be found in the following areas:

• Around window frames and doors
• Beneath baseboards
• Around flues and chimneys

When sealing leaks in most areas, you can use caulk, weather-stripping or expandable spray foam insulation. Another method to control air leaks is to replace poorly fitting doors or other features and to use hardware with a type that creates a better seal. One example is barn door hardware. This kind of hardware can create a better air seal in some cases because the door slides into place instead of swinging open. This creates fewer opportunities for gaps between the door and the frame.

Upgrade Your Home HVAC System

If your home's HVAC system is older than ten years, consider replacing it with a new energy-efficient system that is Energy Star certified. Improvements in design make these systems far more energy-efficient than any in the past. If they are sized correctly and installed correctly, you should see lower bills and improved comfort and improved air quality.

Upgrade Insulation

Most homes have only the minimum required insulation. Older homes might even fall far short of the minimum simply because the insulation has become too wet, or it has become compressed or it has shifted.

Adding insulation to the attic will have the largest effects. It doesn't matter which kind of insulation you use as much as it matters that it is properly installed, with no gaps, and that you use the recommended quantity for your region.

Adding insulation to exterior walls doesn't have to be a big remodeling project. Much of the time, it can be blown into walls by a contractor.

Use a Programmable Thermostat

These thermostats make a home more energy efficient in the following ways:

• You won't have to remember to set the temperature lower or higher before you run out of the house each the morning, because you can program the thermostat to do it for you each day.
• You can program different energy-saving temperature settings for special occasions, such as vacations, and you can still come home to a comfortable house.
• Some new thermostats even allow you to check them remotely, sparing you from worrying about whether the home is getting too hot or cold while you are away.

By implementing these ideas, you have little to lose and a lot to gain in terms of comfort and savings. If it feels overwhelming or it is hard on your budget to make all of these changes at once, try to do them in steps. Each time you take even one step towards more energy efficiency, you will start saving money on energy bills.

For more information regarding buying or selling a home go to: http://www.mnrealty.info/

10 Tips on how to turn your new house into a home

Once you make it through the entire home buying process and are holding the keys, take time to ensure the new house becomes your home. These 10 steps are a great place to start:


When you're moving into a new house, the more you know about it before you must know— during a high-pressure day, emergency, or crisis — the happier you and your family will be.  Closing day took care of the legal and financial aspects of taking on ownership of your new home while move-in day got you and your stuff into the premises. We helped you, sanity intact, move-in with Three Sanity-Saving Tips For Moving-In Day. To top off this success, we've compiled a list of practical "must do's" to ensure settling in is the beginning of belonging.

Get off to a great start in your new home — new or resale — by attending to these "little details" which will also make this feel like "our home." Ignore them and they can cause problems down the road. Involve the whole family in dealing with these 10 tips and everyone will feel at home.

#1. Our New Passwords: Change codes and passwords for security systems and anything else you are taking over from the previous owner. Make sure the new version is significantly different, so it can't easily be guessed. Record passwords and keep in a safe place.

#2. Our New Keys: Change the locks on the house, garage, outbuildings, and gates. If you're happy with the existing hardware, a local locksmith can re-key or change the lock cylinder or replace the interchangeable core, depending on your system. Check window locks to ensure all are fully functional.

#3. Our Smoke/CO Detectors: Check with the local fire department to learn where smoke/ CO detectors and fire extinguishers are required or recommended. Interconnect units if possible. Check existing units for expiry dates. Never install a smoke/CO detector in your home without understanding how it operates whether it is hardwired or not. If not, install new batteries today and add a replacement date to your maintenance calendar. (This will also be a move-in anniversary reminder.)

#4. Our Manuals: Start a digital and/or paper folder for manuals for every appliance, detector, and operational device that could need repair or replacement. Jot down maintenance reminders on your maintenance calendar while you inventory what you have.

#5. Our Electrical Breaker Panel: Where is it? What does each circuit breaker connect to? Get out the labels and do a room-by-room check so you know what's what and record this by each breaker. If you have cable or other wired services, find out when the exterior and interior cables and hardware were last updated. You may be due for an upgrade.

#6. Our Water Shut-off: Where is the main shut-off? How do you turn off the water line to the refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, and every other potential source of leaks? Check temperature settings where applicable to suit your conservation plans. If the water heater or anything else, is rented, compare this arrangement to the cost of buying a new one.

#7. Our Furnace: Clean or replace filters in the furnace, range hood, air conditioner, and any other filtered appliances. Note times for the next clean on your maintenance calendar.

#8. Our Clean, Dry Home: Steam cleaning carpets is a no brainer, but make sure gutters and downspouts are cleaned, too. To ensure the house stays dry, check that the grading is correct all the way around the house. Are windows and doors properly caulked to keep interiors cosy and draft-free? If you'll be parking under sap-dripping evergreen trees, you'll need something to safely remove the sap, but not the car paint.

#9. Our Undisturbed Garbage: Ask neighbors about local pests and wildlife to make sure you prevent their invasion. That's a lot easier than getting rid of them once they settle in — pests, that is, not neighbors. A copy of the garbage pickup schedule is essential.

#10. Our New Closets: Don't make do with someone else's closets. Fit out closets with racks and shelving that suits you. Do it now instead of later wishing you had and you'll always be pleased you moved into your closets properly from the start.

For more information regarding buying or selling a home go to: http://www.zillowpress.com/benstrom/

How to get the perfect home!

Selling your home can be tough regardless of market but finding your next home presents a completely new challenge – you have owned a home for a while and you know exactly what you want and what you don’t want but you can’t find that perfect place out there.  I specialize in the complicated process of selling your home and helping you build the perfect custom home. The advantages to building a custom home is you get everything little detail the exact way you want it but the process can be difficult and that is where I help – I handle everything from helping you determine the perfect design, have that design drafted for a price that is acceptable, find the perfect contractor depending on area and type of home, and update you on the process throughout construction. It is a difficult process but with the right real estate consultant it can be far less stressful and an enjoyable process. Contact me today if you would like an experienced real estate consultant on your side while building your next home or to find out your exact home value! 


For more information regarding buying or selling a home go to: http://www.mnrealty.info/