Get Higher ROI with Low Budget Updates

HomeGain, the leading provider of online marketing programs that connect real estate agents and brokers with home buyers and sellers, has identified the top 10 home improvements under $1,500 that gives sellers higher ROI as follows:

Rank	Activity	Cost	Price Increase	Return On Investment
1st	Cleaning and de-cluttering	$290	$1,990	586%
2nd	Lightening and brightening	$375	$1,550	313%
3rd	Home Staging	$550	$2,194	299%
4th	Landscaping	$540	$1,932	258%
5th	Repairing electrical or plumbing	$535	$1,505	181%
6th	Kitchen and bathroom	$1,265	$435	172%
7th	Replace or shampoo carpets	$647	$1,730	169%
8th	Paint interior	$1,012	$2,112	109%
9th	Repair floors	$931	$1,924	107%
10th	Paint Exterior	$1,467	$2,222	51%

Source: www.HomeGain.com

Top 3 Money Maker$ are:

1. Cleaning and De-cluttering. Remove personal items, wash inside and outside of your home, freshen air, remove clutters from all areas of the home. Organize closets, Polish wood works and mirrors. The more personal stuff in the house, the less potential buyers can imagine themselves living there. 

2. Lightening and Brightening. Clean windows (inside and out), remove old curtains and hang a new one, remove fixtures from windows, make sure windows open easily. Make sure that sunlight enters the room.  Ensure that your house is bright and cheery - it will make more marketable.

3. Home Staging. Add fresh flowers, remove personal items, arrange furniture, add new props and artwork. Home staging simply means arranging your furniture to best showcase the floor plan and maximize the use of space. 

If you have a limited budget and you are interested in making more of a cash return on your investment, follow the 3 tips above and get top dollar when selling your home.

Lower FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium

FHA has announced that it will lower its annual premium on the loans it insures from 1.35% to .85%. for loans with less than 5% down and for loans with more than 5% down, Mortgage Insurance Premium is lowered from 1.3% to .8%. With this new rule, the first-time home buyers can save about $900 a year on their mortgage payments. Same savings will be realized by existing home owners who refinanced into an FHA loan. That is significant savings over the life of the loan.

The annual Mortgage Insurance Premium is paid on top of principal, interest and insurance every month until the end of the loan. 

According to the White House, the lowered premiums will help more than 800,000 home owners save on their monthly mortgage costs and enable up to 250,000 new home buyers to purchase a home. (Source: www.zillow.blog)

Annual Savings After the Reduction in FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums on a $175k 30-yr. Fixed Home Loan
Year	3.5% Down	5% Down
1 Year	$818	$805
5 Years	$3,932	$3,863
10 Years	$7,421	$7,276
20 Years	$12,669	$12,375
30 Years	$14,709	$14,338

Source: www.zillow.com

If you have any questions with the new FHA rule, do not hesitate to contact me.  

SMART HOME GADGETS

Smart home gadgets are making life easier and more convenient. Whether you are in the office or on vacation, your smart home gadgets will alert you on what's going on using your smartphone, tablet or computer. Not only they provide convenience, they also provide some energy efficient savings. 

SMART HOME THERMOSTATS

Save your hard earned money on rising monthly electric bills by investing on programmable thermostat. You can program your home temperature from this smart device for every hour of every day. Your thermostat will save you money by automatically adjusting the temperature when you're not at home or asleep. According to Nest's website, Programmable thermostat can cut heating costs by 20%.

SMART SMOKE DETECTORS 

The latest smart smoke detector can tell you whether you're in immediate danger or not. If you're not at home, you can get a message on your cellphone telling you if there's a problem.

EASY TO USE WEBCAMS

The new technology in webcam allows you to monitor your home and communicate with older kids or pets when you're out of the house. You can see what's going on in your house from your smartphone, tablet or computer 24/7. You can also record the footage to be retrieved at a later time. 

 

Smart home technology can easily be installed in a newly constructed home as an added bonus. Spinell Homes,

Alaska's #1 Home Builder, has 14 different communities and floor plans ranging from townhouse style condos, 

single-family homes, and multifamily properties that can be customized to a buyer's needs and wants. This 

includes adding smart home gadgets and energy efficient options.  2 of their latest projects are Dove Tree and Nadine Park. Both are centrally located - just minutes from downtown Anchorage.

Using these smart home devices can save you time and energy bills and put more money aside for things like a family vacation or other expenses. If you want to know more, don't hesitate to contact me.