One of the hottest of trends is the teardown. Prospective sellers of teardowns may favor an FSBO sale or using a discount broker because they want the maximum return from their asset or speculation. They’re aware that the value of the property is in the land, not the house, and they don’t want to have to go through a full service broker, with all that implies: open houses, print ads, showings - with 6 percent commissions.

Sometimes community groups and town fathers object to the whole teardown phenomenon. They say it can ruin the charm of a community by replacing lovely old homes with ostentatious McMansions. In Hinsdale, Ill., many of the old families and preservation advocates formed CHART, Citizens of Hinsdale Advocating Responsibility in Teardowns. Hickey is sympathetic to their aims (I grew up in Hinsdale,” he says), but he thinks groups like CHART should focus on the kinds of buildings that go up in place of the demolished homes and institute building codes to prevent McMansionization. (more…)

search for : full service broker, McMansions

Moving your home, especially long distance, can cost you a mint if you want full-service packing and shipping. That might be your only option if you have one of the larger McMansions or your apartment is full of antique furnishings that need to be protected. For those who can rough it a little, there are more and more do-it-yourself options out there. Rental trucks allow you to do it all yourself — pack, drive and unpack.

If you’re up for packing but not driving, a few services will drop off containers at your home for you to load at your leisure. Then they will drive or ship your furniture to your new home. It costs more than renting but you pay nothing for gas and travel expenses and you get plenty of time to load and unload. The downside: these services aren’t available everywhere and you’ll have to arrange street parking yourself. (more…)

search for : Rental trucks

Nearly every lender requires one, but sometimes sellers and buyers don’t always look them over carefully. And in some cases, buyers and sellers don’t see their real estate appraisals at all because they are asking the wrong person for the report. Gerald A. McKinzie, owner of McKinzie Metro Appraisal, says that the only person an appraiser can give the appraisal to is the actual client. So if the appraisal is ordered by the lender then the mortgage company or bank will get the appraisal. “We can’t give the appraisal to [the homeowner] because of appraiser ethics and I think this is pretty true nationwide. Appraisers cannot give the report or the conclusion of the report or their findings to anyone but their client,” says McKinzie.

The American Society of Appraisers says that an appraisal is important, now more than ever. With a fluctuating market, increased inventory, and housing prices dropping in many areas, the association says, having an appraisal is critical and valuable information. If you didn’t receive an appraisal when you purchased your home, the association says that under federal law it is your right to receive one. The association highly recommends that you request a copy of it. “Homeowners should point out anything they can to the appraiser who comes to do the inspection,” says McKinzie. He says even things that might not be top of mind or easy to spot such as a new furnace should be mentioned. Also, remodeling, upgrades, new roofs, new flooring, and landscaping are important to mention to the appraise (more…)

search for : real estate appraisal, Appraisers, American Society of Appraisers, Homeowners

Hardwood flooring made from the trees on your building site or from trees that your city had to remove is very unusual. But not because such wood is rare. To the contrary, the number of hardwood trees cut every year by municipalities and private homeowners is huge. If the logs were sawn into boards instead of being mulched or tossed into a landfill, the volume, in board feet, would be equal to about two-thirds the amount of hardwood lumber produced annually in the United States.

To the average suburban resident, all trees look attractive, but a commercial logger sees things differently. A job that entails only three or four trees — a large number for a private homeowner or municipality — will not interest him. To justify the expense of bringing in a crew and large tree-cutting equipment a commercial logger wants at least 50. And, he wants to take out the 50 trees in one day, not spend an entire day on one tree because of the time-consuming, daunting logistics that confront an urban tree service crew. They must avoid hitting power lines while staying clear of houses, gardens and driveways (a 500-pound section of a tree hitting an asphalt driveway on a hot summer day will leave a big dent). (more…)

search for : Hardwood flooring, homeowners, United States

Remodeling your home can definitely be an exhilarating undertaking. A new look, new space, new colors, new fixtures — it’s all very exciting! It’s also all very disruptive. When you are remodeling, whether you’re doing the work yourself or having professionals do it for you, your entire lifestyle is disrupted for days, weeks, even months at a time. It may not seem like that big of a deal before you start, but until you live through a remodeling, especially a major one, you have no idea just how stressful the entire process can be. So, before the first nail is driven, take some time to get yourself, your family, and your home prepared, and you’ll find it a little easier to cope.

If you are having a building contractor do the work, they should be able to provide you with a detailed schedule that answers both these questions. (If they can’t, you have probably hired the wrong contractor!) Remember that schedules are only estimates, and a number of things can disrupt even the most carefully laid plans. Talk with your contractor to see what possible glitches they might foresee, and how you can create a contingency plan for them. (more…)

search for : remodeling, building contractor

The Bush administration’s plan to sell national forest lands to help pay for rural schools is drawing widespread opposition and suffering legislative setbacks, but the administration isn’t backing off.The administration wants to raise $800 million for the Secure Rural Schools program for another five years by selling 300,000 forested acres in 35 states.

The administration’s plan was seen as virtually dead after the Senate Appropriations Committee, following the lead of its House counterpart months before, refused last week to include the proposal in a $26 billion interior appropriations bill. But Dan Jiron, Washington spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, contends the obituary is premature. “What you have heard isn’t an indication of anything at this point,” he said Thursday. (more…)

search for : sell national forest lands, Secure Rural Schools, Senate Appropriations Committee, U.S. Forest Service