Smart Moves from Brace and Ryan
October 2015
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 Brace Helgeson
Ryan Platzke

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Ready for Fall?

 
According to a new release from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), pending home sales have remained at a healthy level and have now risen for 12 consecutive months. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says sales this fall should be able to roughly maintain their current pace.  As your local, trusted, and experienced Realtor® and neighborhood resource, you can count on us to be here for your home buying and selling needs this fall.

In the meantime, we would like to remind you that with Halloween on the horizon, it's important to remember that if you'll be handing out candy to costumed children, you'll want to make sure your home is safe. Here are a few tips for making sure that no one is injured on your property during the Halloween holiday:

·Keep pets away from the front door.

Animals can become "spooked" by costumed kids coming to your door.  It's best to put them in another room with the door closed.

· Make sure your walkway to your door is well lit.

You may consider using holiday lights to illuminate the walkway, stairs, and front porch.

·Clear your lawn and walkway of flowerpots, garden hoses, or tools to prevent injury.

Likewise, if you have a broken step, or dangerous cracked walkway to your home, you're better off heading to the end of your driveway to hand out candy.

·Be careful with candles

If you're using candles in carved pumpkins, make sure to use tea lights, or place candles in a dish (a tuna can will work) to prevent a fire hazard.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if we can be of service to you, your friends, or your family this fall. 
 
Sincerely,

Brace & Ryan


Swing That Hammer, Sellers!
If you're selling a home that needs updating, you'll net more for your home because you're making it look closer to new. You're solving problems that current buyers don't want to take on, making your home more competitive in today's market.

According to the latest Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, home improvement spending is set to climb nearly four percent.

Among the reasons cited for the upswing are stronger pending home sales and continuing low interest rates. Other reasons may be just as significant. Purchase prices are still lower than the 2006 peak, inventories are tight, and the production of new homes has stagnated since 2007.

The 2015 Generational Report by the National Association of Realtors found that 84 percent of buyers purchased an older home, and with good reason.

The median age of homes purchased in the survey was 22 years, built in 1993, and over 53 percent of homebuyers purchased homes older than that. The median seller sold their home after occupying it for 13 years.
 
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Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

  With autumn here it is time to get your house in shape for the cooler months ahead. Fall is a great time to take care of the little things that can make a big difference for you and your home. Getting ready for colder weather means checking, repairing, and prepping your home to withstand the upcoming rain, wind, and snow.

Here are some helpful tips that every homeowner should do before hibernating this winter.

1. Stow Your Mower
With the cooler months ahead, it's time to start thinking about how you are going to stow your lawn mower. Before saying goodbye to your lawn mower for the winter season, there are a few things you should consider. First, it will be a good idea to sharpen the blade of your lawn mower to ensure that it is in tip-top shape for the spring. You'll also want to empty your gas tank before putting your lawn mower to rest. Taking simple steps like these before putting your lawn mower into storage will help increase the longevity of your equipment.

2. Perform an energy audit
Performing an energy audit is really important because it will tell you where heat is escaping, so you can correct the problem and save money on utilities. If you are doing an energy audit yourself, first make a list of all air leaks in your home by seeing where there are drafts. You can learn how to detect air leaks by following these simple steps. Seal the air leaks that you have identified by applying caulk or weatherstripping. Potential energy savings by detecting and fixing drafts can range from 5% to 30% and will make your home much more comfortable.

 
What Our Clients Are Saying
would just like to take this moment to thank you and your staff for all of the wonderful help and support you gave to us on the sale of our home. We knew we had selected the right Agent to get this thing done. By the way, we were surprised to see how close the financial appraisal was to the actual sale price. We would have been in a world of hurt had we kept the price at our earlier levels. Thanks for the sage advice! You have earned every penny of your commission!
 
~Nancy & Tom