5 Things to Consider About a Neighborhood Before Buying

Buying a home is a long-term, important investment, so take the time to discover what makes your targeted neighborhoods tick. There are a number of ways to check the pulse of a community; talking to neighbors can give you a great snapshot of what it’s like to live there. Here are five other ways to determine whether a neighborhood is the right fit for you.

1. Is it an up-and-coming area or still in transition?
You might start by researching local home values and foreclosure rates. Consider such factors as crime rate, development plans and proposed or new businesses. You can even contact local officials, such as the county property appraiser or the HOA manager (if applicable) for better insights. Sometimes buying a home in a transitional area may prove to be a good investment, but you probably want to make sure you'll feel good about your home in the interim, too.

2. Do the schools make the grade?
Even if you don’t have school-age children, you should be interested in how the schools in your potential neighborhood perform. Homes near high-ranking schools tend to maintain higher resale values. Start your research by visiting GreatSchools.org  or using the SchoolFinder tool at education.com.

3. What’s nearby?
Consider what’s important to you in your future neighborhood, and then explore the surrounding areas near your targeted home. Among things to keep in mind are proximity to stores, schools and green spaces. Aside from being practical, these amenities make it easy to mingle with neighbors, set up kids’ play dates or just play fetch with your pup. WalkScore.com is a great place to search for nearby amenities – all you have to do is plug in an address and mode of transportation.

4. How far is it from work?
Try the new INRIX Drive Time tool on remax.com to determine how long it will take you to drive to work, school or area stores from your new home. You can also time a potential commute by doing a test drive during the time of day you’re most likely to go to and from work. Explore mass transit options. In addition to offering an alternative to driving, good public transportation near your home can have a positive effect on your property value.

5. How safe is it?
A neighborhood watch, well-lit streets, walkways, security systems and little to no signs of vandalism are signs of a safe neighborhood. You can see a picture of the types of crimes that occur in the neighborhood by researching on city-data.com or FBI.gov and the local police department’s website.

A RE/MAX agent is one of the best helpers you could have on your quest to find the right neighborhood – and the right home – for your needs.

For the information you’re looking for, give me a call at 832-570-5726 or visit me online at CallJared.com.

Create an outdoor sanctuary in your backyard

(BPT) - Coming home from a long work day to a place of peace, quiet, relaxation and even harmony is a dream for many homeowners. And by creating an outdoor sanctuary in the backyard, this private place of solace will become the first destination for all members of the family when they need a break.

Backyard sanctuaries incorporate peace of mind with a spa-like atmosphere. Some do this with plant features, others with water. Here are some tips to build an outdoor sanctuary in your own backyard.

1. Create a walkway - A beautiful walkway around your backyard, through different scenic zones, can help you to clear your mind of troubled thoughts. This walkway can be a paved path, or composed of stepping stones or gravel and woodchips. Consider planting different gardens close to the walkway, inviting walkers to immerse themselves within the blooms and scents wafting from the flowers.

2. Incorporate a seating area - This space doesn't have to be large, but give it a sense of ambiance with an arbor made of cedar to allow plants to grow taller, or a pergola to provide shade and that wonderful natural aroma that cedar gives off. Natural materials like Western Red Cedar weather naturally, and are rot-resistant, giving homeowners a durable and long-lasting material to enjoy for years to come.

"Using Western Red Cedar for backyard sanctuary seating areas gives homeowners a variety of design options to work around," says Mark Clement, a building expert and co-host of "My Fix It Up Life" which airs nationally on iTunes, Blog Talk Radio and myfixituplife.com. "This wood is sustainable, environmentally friendly, easy to work with, ages beautifully, and, when incorporated into an arbor or pergola design, makes a stunning visual element to the space."

In this seating space, place a bench, outdoor patio furniture or even comfortable lawn chairs to encourage family members to stop for a rest and settle their thoughts for the day. If the family is into yoga or meditation, consider keeping mats in a nearby storage container for quick and easy access.

3. Design for both night and day - Sometimes a sanctuary space is most needed when the moon is shining brightly. Plan for this with a lighting design in the backyard. Provide illumination to pathways, the deck area, and in garden clusters to give a new sense of beauty to the plants. When designing your lighting scheme, be careful to avoid creating any scary shadows. If you notice this occurring, adjust the lighting to come from a different direction, or try using a different light. Also consider what form of light you would like. Would you prefer low watt electric lights, or candlelight, which would require a person to spend time preparing?

Once your backyard sanctuary is built, your family will have a place handy where they can escape for some peace of mind.

Courtesy of BPT

jaredanthonycox.com

Crown molding - Adding a touch of glamor to your home decor

Crown molding is a great way to beautify an ordinary looking home into one that exudes class and style. Crown moldings are typically decorative strips made up of wood, plastic, or fiberboard. These are introduced to any room décor in an effort to camouflage the existing flaws and ugly blotches on the walls or ceilings. The crown molding is therefore similar to a wall decoration which adds a touch of elegance to a room, making it appear more grand and unique.

Crown molding ideas can be retraced to the Roman and Grecian culture where it became vastly popular. Wooden crown molding gained popularity later when craftsmen mastered the art of cutting, sanding, and carving wooden blocks to create masterpieces. Crown molding is affordable and can be implemented in almost any type of room. You can buy the raw materials yourself and get it made professionally by customizing it. What materials you choose for crown molding will largely determine how durable and beautiful it is going to be. Superior quality materials for home furnishing are likely to be far more expensive but are less likely to be damaged.

Home furnishing experts choose crown molding these days because it helps heighten a property's real estate standing. When a property appears visually stunning, chances are buyers will be willing to pay more for it. Simply demolishing walls to give your rooms a spacious look is not enough; instead, this is more expensive and impractical. An easier and economical alternative is using decorative columns and ceiling medallions for your home décor. These home décor ideas are easy to implement and will not cost you dearly.

Buying crown molding online can give you many advantages. This is because you can purchase your decorative columns or door casings or ceiling medallions directly from the maker without having to handle the wholesalers and retailers. They offer you the luxury of customizing your home furnishing ideas and guarantee you good quality materials. Unlike furniture, such decorative columns or ceiling medallions will not occupy unnecessary space, nor will they clutter the room. Besides, they are fire-resistant and help keep away harmful UV rays. Crown molding can be easily maintained and these products seldom rot. Installing them is never a problem and most of the products can be set up by following simple instructions, except ceiling medallions where professional assistance is recommended.

Crown molding can come in various designs like the traditionally classic designs which help add elegance and class to your home décor. Crown molding in the kitchen is similar to ceiling and wall decorations, but the installation process is different. Although challenging, using crown molding is a sure way of giving your rooms that much-needed makeover. It helps give every room a distinct flavor, an aesthetic appeal, a unique personality, and a sophisticated touch.

When choosing the crown molding for your rooms, make sure to choose the right molding depending on the room dimensions and ceiling height. Select the materials that are sturdy, dependable, and weather-proof. The world of home furnishing has undergone a revolutionary change with the advent of crown molding.

by: Walter Mitchell
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/home_improvement/article_7226.shtml

jaredanthonycox.com

Three steps to an organized garage sale

OK--you finally finished your spring cleaning. You spent days sorting and purging through your belongings. You threw a few things out. You even repaired that old clock you've had for years. But what will you do with everything else you uncovered and discovered? If you're willing to invest some time and energy, why not have a garage sale?

Garage sales are a great way to get rid of the things that you no longer want, need or cherish. But is it as easy as just dumping your stuff on the lawn and waiting for customers to drive by? Not if you want to make any money, it isn't. Besides having decent-quality merchandise, the key to a successful garage sale is being organized.

Here are 3 steps for making your garage sale organized for happy customers and optimal sales:

Step 1 - Pre-Sale Organizing

• Select a weekend for your sale and make no other commitments on those days. You WILL be exhausted. Ask friends and neighbors if they would like to join you. It is a perk to be able to split advertising costs and have someone watch over your area while you're grabbing a snack or running to the bathroom.

• Have you ever been to a garage sale where the items had no prices on them? One way of making 'Garage Sale Day' organized is to create a pricing system. This makes the selling easy for you and the buying easy for your customers. Purchase colored, circle-shaped labels from your neighborhood drug store or office supply store. Designate each color to be a different dollar amount, for example: Blue = $.25, Red = $.50, etc. Use white circle labels to write in prices higher than $1.00. Make signs that describe how much money each colored circle is worth. These should be posted around the area of your garage sale so you don't have a constant stream of people asking you about prices.

• For making your system even easier, you can purchase a package of yellow, circle-shaped labels that already have the amounts $.25, $.50, $.75, and $1.00 written on them.

• Select one area in your home to be the staging area for pricing items and one area (most often the garage or an underutilized room) for storage of the items before the garage sale. Price the items accordingly using the colored, circle-shaped labels. Then move the priced objects into the pre-garage sale storage area. This space will enable you to see exactly what you have and allow you to group like-items together such as books, kitchenware, toys, etc.

•Start saving grocery store bags as well as heavy-duty shopping bags. Your customers will appreciate your preparedness and it will be easier for them to carry their new-found treasures.

• Some of these new-found treasures will be breakable. Start saving newspaper, old wrapping paper and bubble wrap. These packing materials will help your customer get their breakable purchase home in one piece.

• Borrow and gather card tables, crates, workbenches, and other horizontal surfaces for displaying items.

• Make signs and put them up on nearby streets facing oncoming traffic.

• Check with your town regarding permits for having a garage sale.

Step 2 - During-the-Sale Organizing

• Post your pricing system signs around the area of your garage sale.

• Wear clothing with pockets. Pockets come in handy for holding some or your garage sale supplies such as pens, markers, and extra price stickers.

• Wear a fanny pack around your waist. Your money will be close to your body without spilling out of your pockets. The pack should have a minimum of two pouches. Dollar bills go in one compartment and loose change goes in the other.

• Know exactly how much money you started the day with so you'll be able to calculate exactly what you earned.

• Set up your belongings outside by category -all kid's stuff in one area, sports equipment in another area, etc. Group items with other like items to the best of your ability. If a customer is looking for toddler toys and they're all in one place, it's very likely that they'll buy more since everything they need will be right in front of them.

• Have at least one other person working with you. It is difficult to sell merchandise, wrap breakables and field questions by yourself. Take turns helping customers, straightening up the merchandise, and taking breaks.

Step 3 - Post-Sale Organizing

• Bring everything that was not sold into the room that was used as a staging area and make final decisions on whether or not to keep unsold items.

• Throw out anything that became damaged, dirty, or broken as a result of being at the garage sale.

• Donate the 'leftovers' to a charity such as The Salvation Army or the charity of your choice. The Vietnam Veteran's Association will often pick up donated goods at your home.

• Clean your lawn/driveway of any debris from the garage sale.

• Count your money and determine your profit.

• Place your fanny pack, the colored stickers, your pricing signs and other supplies from the garage sale in a container. Label it 'Garage Sale Supplies.' Now you're ready for your next garage sale. Job well done!

by: Stacey Agin Murray

http://www.articlecity.com/articles/home_improvement/article_5108.shtml

jaredanthonycox.com

Green bathroom renovations that don't sacrifice style or luxury

(BPT) - Elegant, planet-friendly bathrooms continue to be a hot trend in home building and renovation. Bath products that respect and celebrate water have become trendier and more satisfying, proving that homeowners don't need to sacrifice comfort, beauty and luxury in order to do something good for the environment.

The secret to achieving a pleasing and environmentally friendly bathroom renovation is choosing the right combination of fixtures and accessories - and realizing that the bathroom is one room that's well worth investing a bit more in to achieve great upgrades that are modern and lasting.

Worth the investment

Bathrooms sell homes. An upscale bathroom remodel that costs around $50,000 will recoup more than 58 percent of its original cost at the time of resale, according to Remodeling Magazine's Cost vs. Value Report. A mid-range renovation returns even more on your investment - 65 percent.

The bathroom is one room where dollar value also meets aesthetic appeal. Considering how much time Americans spend in the bathroom, and how many of us consider the bath a restful oasis where we can close the door on the 24/7 wired world, it's easy to justify spending a bit more to achieve the bathroom of your dreams.

Eco-friendly fixtures

Life - and your morning - begins with water. So how do you create an environmentally friendly bathroom that is good for Mother Nature and your own lifestyle?

Start with upscale eco-friendly fixtures that strike the perfect balance between high-end aesthetics, high-performance design, and environmental stewardship. TOTO is the "coolest brand name" in the bathroom, says the influential real estate blog Zillow.com

TOTO product designs are distinctive but adaptable, so they work well with a wide range of styles and architectural expressions. The manufacturer's elegant 11-inch Rain Showerhead uses a water-sipping 1.75 gallons per minute to deliver a luxurious shower experience and appreciable water savings. And its Keane Lavatory Faucet consumes just 1.5 gallons of water per minute, without sacrificing an ounce of performance.

TOTO toilets have earned a reputation as the "Sub-zero of the toilet world," according to the New York Times. They perfectly marry exceptional design with EPA WaterSense-level conservation. The UltraMax II 1G toilet uses a single gallon of water per flush to effectively clear the bowl, and offers an elegant, upscale design to enhance any bathroom renovation.

Greener design elements

When it comes to other design elements in the bathroom, such as flooring and lighting, it's easy to find greener options that are also high-end and visually striking.

The cost of quarrying and transporting from point of origin to point of sale can make natural stone less than eco-friendly. Instead, consider using recycled flooring material, such as pebbled tiles made from recycled glass or plain recycled glass tiles.

Reclaimed wood can also work wonderfully in an upscale bathroom, imparting a look that is both rich and rustic. Or, if you prefer newer wood, opt for cork or bamboo; both resist mold and mildew, and repel moisture. And both are among the hottest flooring choices for savvy interior designers.

Finally, improving the electricity efficiency of your bathroom lighting is as simple as replacing incandescent bulbs with energy-sipping LEDs or CFLs. The looks and sizes available in both types of energy-efficient bulbs seems to expand every year, so it's possible to find one that will fit in any light fixture - turning even high-end luxury lights into eco-friendly, energy efficient options.

Courtesy of BPT

jaredanthonycox.com

'Summer-ize' Your Home to Look and Smell Wonderful in Warmer Weather

(BPT) - The three R's aren't just reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic. In the summer, they refer to "reorganizing," "restyling" and "reviving" your home. It's the perfect time to bring a summery, comfortable feeling to your home's interior. Luckily, you don't need to redo every room or throw out all your furniture to get a wonderful seasonal change. Spend a weekend giving your living spaces a lighter, fresher feel. At the end, you might even think you're on a summer vacation.

Home and lifestyle expert Evette Rios has some simple suggestions that can make powerful impressions throughout your house.

Reorganize

Boost the excitement and va-va-voom in your rooms by moving just a few things around. You'll be amazed at the new looks you can create. Something as simple as changing the angle of your couch and voila - new room! Try this scuff-proof method for moving heavy pieces: Fold two clean towels (dirty ones can scratch floors), place one under each end of the furniture piece, and then slide it across the floor. This might also be the time to incorporate a few white wicker pieces, which will add a summery touch.

Take some time to sort through your linen closet and remove unwanted items. Put old or unused linens into a "giveaway" bag. Store bed linen sets inside one of the pillowcases, and you'll never have to hunt through piles looking for a match. All you'll have to do is grab and go. Want a closet full of freshness? Place a few Gain dryer sheets in with your folded sheets to keep them smelling great.

Restyle

Fresh new accessories can help to brighten up each room in your home. Turn plain lampshades into fabulous ones by adding bright or printed linings that come to life when you flip the switch. You might even want to swap out the art on your walls, adding more colorful pieces that are floral or botanical. If you're feeling really ambitious, consider painting a few walls to add a clean, fresh look to your rooms. Try bold colors you've never had before to really change up the look.

Want to get the kids involved? Turn some drab kitchen aprons into fun "cleaning armor." Give each child his or her own apron to decorate with markers or stickers to wear, and send the kids on their mission to dust, clean windows, organize, etc. They'll love wearing something they decorated themselves. Don't forget to ask their opinions on the changes you're making - you might be surprised at their great suggestions.

Revive

If you're packing away heavy clothes or quilts for the season, ensure they maintain a fresh scent by using new Gain Original Fireworks In-Wash Scent Booster in the wash before you store them. It's safe for use on all colors and fabrics and the freshness lasts up to 12 weeks in storage (just in time to take them out for the fall).

Make your laundry room a place you're not afraid to enter. De-clutter the room by installing a tension rod to hang spray bottles, cleaning supplies and more. You can also decorate the room with your kids' artwork to make it a fun space.

Your summer home makeover doesn't need to be expensive or time-consuming. Ambitious projects might take a little longer, but you'll be pleased at how simple it is to transform some of your rooms from drab to wonderfully fresh. Just don't wait too long - summer doesn't last forever! For more inspiration, visit ILoveGain.com or facebook.com/gain.

http://www.jaredanthonycox.com

#Houston #Galveston #Realestate #Home #Summer #Fun #Homes

Get the Skinny on Small Spaces

(NC) While your dream bath may be a sprawling space, the reality is that the typical bathroom is 100 square feet or less. But, a large bathroom footprint isn't always the answer to a better bath. Focusing on quality products can create a luxurious look, even in a small space.

Free-up Floor and Counter Space

You may not be able to create more space, but there are many ways to create the illusion of more space. Adding a pedestal sink or a furniture-style vanity with legs gives an increased line of sight, making the space appear larger. Similarly, clutter takes up valuable space. One way to free up extra room on the countertop is with a single-handle or wall-mount faucet. Doors can also make a room feel constrained. Rather than a traditional swing or hinged door, opt for pocket doors; which frees up approximately ten square feet of floor space.

Focus on Fabulous Fixtures

We all need storage in the bath, but don't limit yourself to the horizontal surfaces. Make the most of your vertical space by adding bath accessories, as well.

Adding a hotel shelf, which combines a towel bar with a shelf, offers an excellent storage spot for towels. A wall-mount hair dryer holder, a pivoting wall-mount makeup mirror, a curved shower rod and robe hooks are all excellent hotel-inspired accessory options.

Dominate with Dual-Function

Dual-function products are perfect for smaller baths because they offer added benefits without taking up more space. Update your current toilet paper holder, towel bar and in-shower shelves with newer versions that integrate a grab bar. Moen Home Care® offers stylish grab bar designs featuring a paper holder, a towel bar and two shelf designs; all in a variety of finishes to help you update these bathroom basics while adding storage, safety and style.

Swap Soaking for a Sensational Shower

Since we tend to shower more than soak, creating one sensational showering space, and possibly eliminating the tub, is a wise use of surface area. For an easy upgrade, swap your current showerhead with a new, high-quality model. Or, for a more luxurious remodel, install a vertical spa complete with components like body sprays and a hand shower on a single wall to surround yourself in blissful exhilaration.

And, no matter how large or small your shower, there's always room to add seating, which increases safety and ease while shaving and washing. The fold-down teak seat from Moen Home Care is a great option since it features a unique wall-mount design that folds down for a comfortable and secure shower seat to avoid slips and falls. When not in use, it folds up to a thin, compact profile.

It's All Smoke (and Light) and Mirrors

There are more benefits to mirrors in a bathroom other than a place to check your hair and makeup. They can actually make a room appear twice as large as the actual size. In addition to your vanity mirror, consider hanging a full-length mirror on a door. Similarly, bringing in more light will open up the space and make your bathroom come to life. A skylight is a unique addition, since it utilizes the often unused ceiling space. Lighting fixtures are also an ideal way to brighten the space, but don't settle for boring basics. Try more stylish options, like sconces, which can add a more designer, upscale feel. Moen offers a variety of lighting fixtures available in one-, two-, three- and four-light configurations to fit your space constraints and will perfectly match your faucets and accessories in style and finish.

Remember to shop for quality over quantity when updating your bath, and soon you'll enjoy the serenity of a stylish and organized space.

http://www.jaredanthonycox.com