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Letter from the Editors This month’s issue was fun because we covered many topics that should

relate to everyone! Whether you are a homeowner, buyer or seller, you’ll find

interesting ideas and suggestions to help you with your endeavor.

Would you like to know the value of your property? Even when you’re not

planning to sell sometimes it’s good to know your home’s value. This can

be difficult and truly requires the expertise of a trained professional real

estate agent, but we offer some tips on how you can go about getting an

estimation.

We offer decorating secrets that can help sell your home faster and even

enhance the feeling of your living space. These details are easy to overlook,

but when applied, can make a huge difference when showing your home to

it’s fullest potential.

Moving to a neighborhood can be daunting and exhilarating at the same

time. It’s not the time to be timid considering the size of the investment

when purchasing a home. Our suggestions help you dig into a neighborhood

before settling on the home of your dreams because the two go hand in

hand.

For many people, moving is a pain. Packing and unpacking, sometimes years

of residing at the same property, can be overbearing. Some homeowners

want to move to a new home but the fear of moving keeps them stagnated.

We help you break the moving process into pieces so it becomes

manageable.

If you think you know a lot about plants just wait until you read our article

highlighting the impact plants have in our homes. Through research and

studies, plants demonstrated how much they help us inside our house and

improve our quality of living.

Finally, we share some basics about matching color and your personality. If

you’ve been thinking of painting some interior walls consider the advice we

offer for choosing the right colors based on your personality and expectation

for that particular living space.

Feel free to contact us if you have questions or would like your friends and

family added to our distribution list.

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CONTENTS

6. 4 Decorating Secrets for Selling Your House

4. How to Estimate the Value of Your Home

8. 5 Things You Should Do Before Choosing a Neighborhood

10. 5-Step House Moving Plan Designed to Reduce Stress

12. 5 Ways Plants Make Your House Healthier

14 A Guide for Matching Your Home Paint Colors with Your Personality

This magazine is published monthly. Entire contents are copyright protected under law where applicable. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or use of content in

any manner without permission is strictly prohibited. All images are copyright protection of 123RF.com and its photographers.

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How to Estimate the Value of Your Home Finding the market value of your

home is the first step you need to

take before you consider listing your

home for sale. Unfortunately, it is

not an exact science. But the more

you come to understand the factors

involved in putting a monetary value

on your home, the easier it will be

for you to list and sell your property.

If you do a simple Google search

on how to value your home, instant

home value sites such as

www.zillow.com or http://www.

redfin.com come up. While these

sites are good for giving you a

starting point on how to value your

home, the comparisons they offer

you are not exact. That’s because

the houses they show might have

three bedrooms, while your house

has four. The homes they show

may have few amenities, while your

home has many.

In order to get the fairest market

value from your home, you need to

first learn how to adjust your price

to comparable homes based on

several factors, the first one being

square footage.

Square Footage Counts

Square footage comparisons

are important because they give

you an easy way to compare the

value of your home with similar

larger or smaller homes in your

neighborhood. Simply take the price

of the house you are reviewing

and divide it by the square feet of

the home. Then take that figure

and multiply it by the square

footage of your house and you

have completed the first step in

estimating the market value of your

home.

However, even if two houses have

the exact same square footage, the

house with three bedrooms should

be priced higher than the one with

two bedrooms. It’s a fact that more

homebuyers prefer three bedrooms.

Similarly, if two houses of the same

square footage are constructed

differently, it also affects the value.

For example, if one of the properties

is a single-story home, its square

footage value would be higher than

a two-story home because it costs

less to construct.

Age Matters

It’s a general rule that new home

values are more than the value

of older comparable homes.

However, there is no exact formula

for calculating the difference. The

easiest way to determine the age

factor on homes for sale in your

neighborhood is to go to one of the

online real estate sites, like the ones

we mentioned earlier in this article,

and review the differences between

the prices of comparable homes of

different ages.

You could find that homes 10 years

old, sell for 6% less than homes that

are only five years old. The point

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of the exercise is to get a ballpark

estimate, so that when you do sit

down with a real estate agent, you

will have a pretty good idea of your

home’s current market value.

Other Factors

In addition to square footage, the

construction and age of your home,

there are other factors that will

affect its market value – such as

amenities.

For instance, a home with a

built-in pool or sauna will have

a higher value than a home that

doesn’t have these amenities. Such

improvements as hardwood floors,

updated kitchens with granite

countertops and new appliances, or

upgraded landscapes all add value

to your home. In addition, a great

waterfront or mountain view can

increase the value. However, it can

be difficult to figure out exactly how

much value these amenities really

add.

That’s because different buyers have

different perceptions. Some buyers

may consider new appliances or

hardwood floors as a standard fare

and not put much value in them.

So, again, the best way to determine

the value of your home’s amenities

is to review the prices of different

comparable listings selling with the

amenities to those selling without

them.

Foreclosed Homes Finally, another factor that can

affect the value of your home

that you have no control over is

the sale of foreclosed properties

in your neighborhood. According

to RealtyTrac, the median price of

a distressed residential property,

in foreclosure or bank owned,

was $110,500 in November 2013,

or 39% below the median price

of $181,500 for a non-distressed

residential property. According to

the BankForeclosureSale.com, a

distressed property sells for about

30% less than a home not in

foreclosure.

So, if you live in a neighborhood

where there are some recent

foreclosure sales, it will tend to

bring down the value of your

property and force you to price your

home lower. However, the good

news is that foreclosure sales are

slowing down and there’s a chance

your area will not be hit as hard, or

affected at all.

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4 Decorating Secrets for Selling Your House How you decorate the exterior and

interior of your home is one of the

most important factors in the selling

process, according to real estate

agents.

Moreover, it is the only factor home

sellers have complete control over

that can help a home sell quickly,

and at a good price.

Here are 4 decorating secrets that

will help you present your home in

its best light:

1.Instantly Expand Your Closet Space – If you don’t know it

by now, closet space is high on

the list of wants that prospective

homebuyers insist is most important

to them in any home they consider

purchasing. Real estate agents

can tell you many horror stories

of showing the perfect house only

to have the deal die because of

stuffed-to-the-ceiling closets. So,

the first secret for selling your house

is to remove a minimum of one-half

of what’s currently in your closet

and make sure what’s left is neat,

clean, uncluttered and enhances

the feel of plenty of closet space.

Store what you’ve removed outside

your home until you sell it. Also,

just before the house is going to

be showed, open the closet doors,

showing off all of their magnificent

space.

2. Let There Be Light – Next

to location, good light is the most

important feature homebuyers

say influences their decision to

purchase a home. Therefore, you

should maximize the light outside

and inside your house when

showing it. For example, on the

exterior make sure you have a high

wattage bulb in your porch light

and have it on, day and night. Also,

rows of solar lights outlining your

shrubbery are always good for

a dusk or nighttime showing. To

lighten the inside of your house,

take down the drapes, clean your

windows and increase the wattage

of all of your lights and keep them

turned on. It also makes sense to

change your lampshades to the

kind that let the bright light shine

through.

3. The Kitchen Is The Heart of Your Home – Many real estate

agents believe that the kitchen is

the heart of the house and every

sale is made or lost as a result of

how a potential homebuyer views

your kitchen. That’s why if you are

going to invest in upgrading your

home, the kitchen is the first place

to start. Statistics from the home

improvement industry show that

you’ll get on average 85% of the

money you have invested in adding

new countertops, appliances or tiles

to your kitchen when you sell your

home. Conversely, when a kitchen

is dated and looks like it’s a remnant

of the disco era, homebuyers will

cut $10,000 off your asking price to

compensate for the updates they

will have to pay for to bring the

kitchen up to their standards.

Still, you can add thousands

to the value of your home and

greatly improve your chances of

selling it, by making inexpensive

improvements to your kitchen

as well. Adding new cabinets,

cabinet fronts or paint will pay huge

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dividends. However, when you do

paint the kitchen, interior decorators

suggest that you use neutral

colors in order to present potential

buyers with an empty canvas they

can envision improving with their

favorite colors and style.

4. Take Yourself Out of Your House – According to real estate

staging experts, this is one of the

most important yet overlooked

decorating secrets of selling your

home. It’s called de-personalizing

your home. Here’s how it works:

Commit to getting rid of one-third

of your personal possessions,

including personal keepsakes,

photographs and any collections of

memorabilia. Put them in storage.

Why do this? Because industry

experts say the more personal

stuff you have in your house, the

more difficult it is for a potential

homebuyer to envision themselves

in it. Once you’ve completed this

step, it’s time to stage your house

to look roomier by arranging

your furniture in the best way

to accentuate the potential of

your home. You may even have

to remove some large pieces

of furniture like the credenza

grandmother left you. That way,

the homebuyer can easily imagine

themselves living in the spacious

home you are now showing.

Because of the work you’ve done, it

won’t be on the market for long!

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5 Things You Should Do Before Choosing a Neighborhood It’s not uncommon for homebuyers

to spend months pouring over

hundreds of real estate listings until

they find the perfect home that they

can afford and that will fulfill their

quest for a better lifestyle.

Yet, the surprising fact is that by

focusing mostly on a house, many

homebuyers end up buying a

property in a neighborhood they

know little about even though they

will probably live there for a decade

or longer.

The reality is that even if you

have purchased a perfect house

with everything you wanted in it

and more, but you discover your

neighborhood doesn’t have the

amenities, recreational facilities,

schools and other lifestyle factors

you expected, then your American

dream could soon become a

nightmare.

That’s why it makes sense to

choose the neighborhood where

you want to live before you focus

in on a specific property. Here are

5 things you should do before

choosing a neighborhood that will

ensure you’ll enjoy the home you

buy there:

1. Do Your Own Research – Many homebuyers naturally

consult their friends, relatives and

co-workers when they begin their

neighborhood research. However,

the flaw in this approach is that a

widowed aunt is unlikely to know

about the schools in an area just as

a co-worker with babies in diapers

probably won’t know if the area has

a jazz club or an art gallery that has

afternoon single gatherings.

It always best to do your own

research, and if you are going to

ask someone about a particular

neighborhood, make sure the

individual’s circumstances are

similar to yours and that they are

interested in the same lifestyle

you are. You also can go online

and research neighborhoods

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on such sites as http://www.

neighborhoodscout.com/. You

can use a series of keywords like

“young families,” upwardly mobile”

and “young singles” to find areas

that make sense for you. Such sites

will also give you crime statistics of

a neighborhood and the schools in

the area.

2. Trust But Verify – While talking

to people and checking out stats

on Web sites are good sources of

information as far as they go, the

information they give needs to

be verified. After all, if someone

you spoke to hasn’t lived in the

neighborhood for five years and

the crime stats on the Web site

are a year old, it makes sense for

you to go to the primary sources

to check their accuracy. Go to the

local police station and ask to see

the latest crime stats. Are there

any upward trends? Call a couple

members of the local school

board. Most of the time they are

accessible. If not, talk to their aides

and get the latest info on area

schools.

3. Don’t Underestimate Your Commute- If you find the perfect

neighborhood in a rural area, before

you buy a house there, make

sure you didn’t underestimate the

commute. It is a common error

made by buyers that when they

view a home on a weekend or

during the day, they assume the

amount of time it took to reach the

property will be the same when they

commute to and from work. This is

never the case, because rush hour

traffic can turn a commute that is

normally 30 minutes during the day

into a 1-1/2-hour tension-filled drive.

So before you purchase a house in

a neighborhood of your choosing,

drive from your workplace to the

property during both morning and

evening rush hours. This is the only

way you can truly measure what

your commute would be like, if you

purchased the home.

4. Check Out Your Neighbors – When you move into a new home

your neighbors will have a profound

effect on your quality of life. Yet

many people purchase a house

without knowing anything about

their neighbors. Before you buy a

house in a neighborhood try getting

out of your car, taking a walk and

touring it objectively. Is there a lot

of noise? Are there a lot of barking

dogs chained to fences? If you see

someone outside working in their

yard or walking their dog, approach

them and ask them how they like

the area and tell them that you’re

thinking of moving there. Most

people you meet will be helpful and

truthful.

5. Consider The Neighborhood’s Amenities –

By this time you have decided that

the new neighborhood is great

and you fit in with the neighbors.

Now the question becomes what

amenities are in the immediate

area? Are there a wide variety of

restaurants and stores, or just a

few strip malls with sub shops and

stores selling brands you never

heard of? One good way to find

out what the area has to offer in

the way of amenities is to spend

a weekend at a motel or hotel in

the area before you purchase the

home. This way you can explore

and see for yourself everything the

area has or doesn’t have in the way

of amenities.

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5-Step House Moving Plan Designed to Reduce Stress

Moving is the most stressful life

event a person can experience

other than a divorce or the death of

a spouse.

That’s why it is critical to have a

plan of action in place that will

breakdown what can seem to

be an insurmountable task into

incremental actions that are quite

doable.

Here is a 5-step house moving plan

designed to reduce the stress:

1. Remove the Clutter - Depending upon how long you’ve

lived at your present home and how

great your propensity is for holding

on to items you don’t use or need,

removing the clutter from your

home can be a daunting job.

But if you approach it systematically

by (1) gathering all the stuff together,

(2) auctioning the best items off on

eBay and/or holding a garage sale

and (3) either hauling off or hiring

someone to haul off what’s left to

the second hand stores or county

dump, then you can complete the

first step in a weekend or two.

2. Packing and a Packing List – Decluttering your home is

easier than packing up all of your

belongings for a move. But the

principles behind them are the

same. You must be systematic and

organized.

You can usually obtain free boxes

at a local food store, or you can

order them online for a reasonable

price. Either way, it’s important to

have enough boxes, magic markers,

tape and labels to complete the job,

once you get started.

Whatever you do, don’t wait to

the last minute to pack. This can

fuel unnecessary tensions and

also cause you to make packing

mistakes. Give yourself plenty of

time and make sure you pack the

items you don’t use very often first.

It makes sense for you to pack the

items you use daily last.

Some boxes might only need a

general label such as “books,” while

others may require you to be more

specific, such as kitchen coffee pot

and kitchen tool box. In addition

to labeling the boxes they should

also be numbered. To make sure all

is accounted for, it is important to

create a separate packing list that

describes what is packed in each

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numbered box. That way on moving

day, you can unpack the essentials

first when you arrive at your new

home. Tip: Make several copies of

the packing list.

3. Choose and Schedule a Mover – Once you have finished

packing your boxes, you should

take a couple of days and shop for

a reputable and insured mover. The

Internet is a perfect place to start

your search. When you narrow it

down to three movers, contact

each of them and solicit a quote.

Compare all the variables in order to

make the best choice for you. When

you do, call them and schedule the

move.

4. Cancel and Transfer Your Utilities – A minimum of three

weeks before you move, you should

contact your cable company,

gas-and-electric company, water

department and telephone

company to notify them of your

move. If you don’t, you could be

getting bills for months to come,

which is not only confusing but

expensive. If you are not moving

out of an area being served by these

utilities, this is also the time you

should schedule these services to

be turned on in your new home.

5. Change Your Postal Address – Last but not least, one to two

weeks before you move, you

should contact your friends and

relatives, the banks and companies

you do business with and advise

them of your new address. This will

give them time to make sure your

important snail mail continues to be

delivered to you once you move.

Finally, you should go to your

local post office and have any mail

that might fall through the cracks

forwarded to your new address.

While there is no guarantee that

your move will be totally stress free,

if you follow these five steps you

will keep it at a minimum.

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5 Ways Plants Make Your House Healthier In addition to the aesthetic value

of having lots of plants in your

house, they also contribute to your

emotional and physical health,

according to recent scientific

studies.

Here are just 5 ways plants make

your house a healthier place in

which to live:

Plants Purify the Air

According to NASA research, plants

in the home actually remove up to

87% of volatile organic compounds

every 24 hours. These include

such harmful substances as

formaldehyde found in carpet and

grocery bags and trichloroethylene

and benzene both found in paint

and printed paper in books.

Homes today are pretty air tight, so

these types of harmful chemicals

are trapped inside with you and

your family. A NASA study found

that plants purify such air by

capturing contaminates and pulling

them into their soil.

Make Breathing Easier

You probably know that when

you breathe in, your body takes in

oxygen and releases carbon dioxide

when you exhale. Through the

process known as photosynthesis

plants absorb harmful carbon

dioxide and return oxygen to the air.

That’s why adding plants to areas in

your home increases oxygen levels

and makes breathing easier.

But did you know that at night

photosynthesis ceases and most

plants become like humans in that

they absorb oxygen and release

carbon dioxide? Still, there are some

plants like succulents and orchids

that continue taking carbon dioxide

out of the air and returning it with

oxygen even at night. These are the

kinds of plants you should place in

your bedroom to make breathing

easier, day and night.

Improve Your Physical Health

Did you know that studies show that

plants actually improve your health

and overall well-being? According

to researchers at Kanas State

University, placing plants in hospital

rooms improves recovery rates of

surgical patents. The study showed

that patients in rooms with plants

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had lower heart rates, lower blood

pressure and asked for less pain

medication than patents in rooms

without plants.

Moreover, adding plants to offices

and other work environments

lessened the number of colds,

headaches, sore throats and fatigue

being reported by employees,

according to a study conducted

by the Dutch Product Board for

Horticulture. In a similar study

conducted by the Agricultural

University of Norway, rates of

employee sickness dropped by

more than 60% in offices with

plenty of plants.

Add Moisture to the Air

Through photosynthesis plants add

moisture vapor to the air, which

Suggested Plant Plans

• For air purification, plant experts

suggest using 15 to 18 plants in

pots with 6-to-8-inch diameter for

a 1,800-square-foot home. That

works out to about one plant for

every 100-square feet.

• To reduce fatigue, improve health

and lower stress, plant experts

suggest one large plant for every

129 square feet. The plants should

be placed in such a way that

everyone in the home can see

some greenery.

5 of the Best Plants for Indoor Use:

1. Boston fern

2. English ivy

3. Gerbera daisy

4. Dracaena marginata

5. Spider plant

increases the humidity of a room.

In fact, did you know that plants

actually release into the air 97% of

the water they take in? When you

put a couple of plants together in a

room, you significantly increase the

moisture in the air, which means

there will be lower incidents of dry

skin, colds and dry coughs.

Improve Your Focus

Of all living things, plants rank up

there as being helpful to humans.

For example, a recent study by

the Royal College of Agriculture

in the United Kingdom, found that

students are 70% more attentive

when they are instructed in plant-

filled rooms. In addition, the same

study found that attendance was

also higher in lecture halls with

plants.

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A Guide for Matching Your Home Paint Colors with Your Personality Colors make the world come alive

from the drab and dreary universe

of black and white.

Different colors and their shades

can strike an upbeat mood in a

room, or a reflective, calm feeling in

a foyer. Colors definitely influence

and can be tied to different

personality types. Before you decide

to repaint a room or your entire

home, why not consider matching

them with the colors of your

personality, or what you’d like your

guests to feel when they enter a

specific room?

In order to explore the relationship

between colors and personalities,

we have to go back to the origin

of such theories, which were

discovered by Galen, the ancient

Greek physician.

Personalities First Linked to Colors of Bodily Fluids

Galen came up with four different

types of personalities based on,

believe it or not, the following

bodily fluids:

• Sanguine (upbeat, positive) - Based

on blood.

• Melancholic (sad, melancholy) –

Based on black bile.

• Choleric (cranky, bad-tempered) –

Based on yellow bile.

• Phlegmatic (calm, cool) - Based

on phlegm.

Modern Theory Linking Colors to Personalities

Let’s fast forward to modern

times. One of the most popular

color-connected-to-personality

theories of today is the Hartman

Personality Profile, or Color Code.

It, like Galen’s, puts people into four

different categories, which identify

certain common traits of each color

personality profile.

They are as follows:

• Blues – Do-Gooders.

• Whites –Peacekeepers.

• Yellow – Fun Lovers.

• Red – Power Brokers.

Use Colors to Show off Your Personality

You can put these theories to work

in revealing your personality in how

you decorate your home. If you

are an independent thinker and

have a will of your own, then you

might like bolder shades. While

most people won’t paint their living

room red, why not try a wine color

instead?

If you happen to like serene and

placid surroundings, try earth tones,

such as rich greens, light blues

or lush browns. If you have an

energetic and upbeat personality,

display a color choice of yellows

and various shades of orange. Such

warm colors are a way you can

show your outgoing personality,

while cooler colors underscore your

more reserved and calmer self.

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Consider How Colors Affect Moods

When you are selecting colors for

rooms, start by figuring out how

much time you’ll be spending in

each of the rooms. Different colors

have the power to inspire you,

increase your focus – or even make

you sleepy. That’s why it makes

sense to match the color of each

room with what you will be doing in

that space.

For example, lemony colors would

not be good for your home office

because they tend to distract your

attention. For productivity, use light

blue. That’s because blue generates

a sense of calm and purpose, which

some color experts claim can even

curb appetites. Pale yellows work

well for kitchens, because they

tend to invoke feelings of warmth

and cheerfulness. Yellow is also

credited with making people feel

more energetic, so it would be great

color for your exercise room. On

the other hand, lavender is a perfect

color for living rooms or dens

because it creates and atmosphere

of relaxation and informality.

5 Tips on Decorating With Colors

1. Red walls bring down the

brightness of a room’s surroundings.

They make neutral furniture stand

out.

2. Dark to medium colors make a

room look larger not smaller.

3. The secret to painting walls

bright yellow is choosing upholstery

and accessories that match the

walls.

4. Dark green walls blend well with

mahogany chairs and tables. These

contrasting colors work because

they’re found in nature.

5. To see how a color will look in

a particular room, paint big pieces

of cardboard and prop them up

against the walls of the room in

question. By doing so, you can

decide whether the color will work

well for the room before making a

commitment.