Tips For A Budget Friendly Bathroom Makeover – Home In Brevard

If you are preparing your Brevard home to be put on the market for sale, you will be considering how to make improvements that will appeal to buyers. Bathrooms are one area where home buyers make decisions because it is one of the most used rooms in the house. Major bathroom renovations can consume large amounts of time and money, but every bathroom can use a little fix-up from time to time, even if you’re not selling your home. Even small changes can have a big impact so if you need to give your tired old bathroom a quick, budget friendly lift consider these renovations.

•Change out the hardware in your bathroom. Consider new knobs for the cabinets, perhaps a new towel rod, and toilet paper holder. These small touches can add a new tone and feel to any bathroom, making sure they match well and coordinate with one another will make the room come together beautifully.

•Invest in new bath faucets, it’s a great way to extenuate your style. Also, consider going green and investing in a faucet that helps lower your water usage while still giving the same flow pressure.

Read: ‘Green’ Improvements Can Help Sell Your Home – HomeInBrevard

•Updating your lighting can really brighten the room! Consider purchasing scones to replace dated strip lighting and you can coordinate the finish with your new hardware. Be sure to use a combination of task, ambient, and accent lighting.

•Paint the walls, it’s the easiest way to transform a room. Have fun and experiment a little – The color on the walls can really pull together the feel of the room and create the vibe you are looking for.

•Replace your vanity top, or go wild and replace the whole thing! Full vanities can be purchased at a reasonable price and with all the new options for vanity top materials you can create a traditional, modern, or whimsical feel simply by changing the top.

Read: Home Buyers Ready to Grab Bargains This Spring. Is Your Home Ready? – HomeInBrevard

Jay & Jewell Kaiser are extremely passionate about real estate. We make it our daily goal to strive to be the very best real estate professionals in the Brevard, and Western North Carolina area. This requires us to be the most informed professionals in our market area… In today’s market, it is so very critical to stay abreast of new technology tools, changing laws and industry rules.

“You are the most important person in our business and we don’t take it lightly!” So give us a call today Jay (828) 421-0375 or Jewell (828) 421-8376.

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Kitchen Remodeling Don'ts – HomeInBrevard

Thinking of updating your kitchen? The kitchen is one of the most utilized and functional rooms of the house. Here, meals are prepared and served, homework is done, lunches are packed, joy is celebrated and hearts are healed. There are so many directions in which a kitchen design and remodel can be taken. Avoiding these rookie mistakes can ensure that you are happy with the finished product for years to come.

Mistake #1: Designing your kitchen for form and not function. It may be true that you just found the sweetest deal on that beautiful new refrigerator, or saw some counters or cabinet fixtures that you simply must have, but stop! First consider your current lifestyle, and determine how the kitchen is or will play into your day to day living. If you have children, or are too busy to maintain certain style elements, then avoid them. Determine how you live and then get the design elements that complement that style.

Mistake #2: Going with the trend. Trendy colors and shapes can often date a kitchen as it would any room. Be wary of colors, styles, and trends that are so out there that they are gone even before you’ve finished paying for them. Those brightly colored appliances may look great now, but years from now, you may find yourself wondering how you ever got talked into purchasing them. Stick with sleeker, more modern-but-neutral tones and accessorize!

Mistake #3: Letting someone else choose your scheme. How your room looks and feels when it is finished is important… but just as important is making sure your kitchen reflects who you are! No matter how overwhelmed you might feel, don’t simply hand the project off to the contractor or the designers… their version of your vision may not meet your expectations or your budget… and that’s never a good thing. To ensure the needs of your family are met in your kitchen, stay involved in all levels of the project.

Mistake #4: Embarking on a DIY journey. Unless you are an experienced professional, it is never a good idea to try to do the work of your own remodel. Skilled, licensed, and insured professionals are a must! You need to hire multiple experts to complete the tasks: kitchen designers, contractors, and architects can’t be expected to fulfill each other’s roles. To make the most informed and cost effective decisions and for the most efficient and satisfying outcome, hire a team to work on your remodeling job, and save yourself the disappointment of trying to complete your vision with Google and HGTV help books.

Email Jay & Jewell Kaiser, at jay@homeinbrevard.comor call us at (828) 421-0375 to discuss how we can assist you in making your Brevard, North Carolina real estate experience productive and successful.

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128 Summer Hill Drive Cedar Mountain NC – Home for Sale

Your mountain cabin within a nature's paradise. This beautiful home in mountains of Cedar Mountain, North Carolina joins 500+ acres undeveloped estate. The cabin offers a Great room with custom picked  pinewood walls full of character. You will enjoy the open floor plan, free standing gas log fireplace and full basement for expansion. Relax on your covered deck with winter views. Located close to DuPont State Forest, Pretty Place, downtown Brevard, and Caesars Head only minutes away.

Cedar Mountain is a small community located along the Greenville Highway only minutes from downtown Brevard, North Carolina. Located in scenic Western North Carolina, Brevard features the very best the area has to offer, from a relaxed, rural atmosphere to the conveniences of a modern city. Its pleasant, unhurried small-town environment is rich in natural beauty, cultural heritage, and social amenities. Brevard's close proximity and easy access to major metropolitan areas like Asheville, Charlotte, Greenville and Atlanta make it an ideal place to live.

Known as "The Land of the Waterfalls," a name derived from the many waterfalls in the nearby Pisgah National Forest, Brevard is a nature lover's paradise. State and National forests cover more than one-third of Transylvania County, providing endless possibilities for hiking, backpacking, camping, and rock climbing. The French Broad and Davidson Rivers are popular for fishing, kayaking, canoeing and tubing. It's this combination of rural natural scenic beauty and urban convenience that make Brevard such a special place to live.

 

Features

• Appliances: Dishwasher, Dryer, Oven/Range, Refrigerator, Washer
• Apxhtd Sqft: 800-908
• Basement And Foundation: Bas Full Unfinished, Bas Inside/Outside Entr
• Bath 1 Size: 8.23×4.97
• Bonus Room Size: 11.8×9.8 Deck
• Construction Type: Site Built
• Cooling: Window Unit(S)
• Dining Room Size: Combo Great Rm
• Drive: Gravel
• Exterior Features: Deck(S), Insulated Doors, Insulated Windows
• Floors: Carpet, Vinyl
• Great Room Size: 23.3×17.5
• Heating: Electric, Gas, Wall
• Interior Features: Breakfast Bar, Fireplace – Gas Unvented, Home Warranty, Master On Main, Open Floorplan, Storage Area
• Kitchen Size: Combo Great Rm
• Lot Description: 2500-3000 Ft. Elev., Private, Rolling, Winter View
• Lot Size: .51

• Master Bedroom Downstairs: Yes
• Master Bedroom Size: 13.7×11.5
• Other Room 1 Size: 34×22 Basement
• Porch: Back, Covered, Front
• Road Frontage Depth: 121
• Roofing: Composition Shingle
• Sewer: Septic Approval 2br
• Sq Ft Level 1: 864
• Street Type: Gravel
• Sub-Type: Sfr
• Water: Private Well
• View: Yes, See Lot Description
• Garage: Other See Remarks
• Basement: Yes, See Basement/Foundation
• Subdivision: Summerhill
• Style: 1 Story w/basement

Jay & Jewell Kaiser are extremely passionate about real estate. We make it our daily goal to strive to be the very best real estate professionals in the Brevard, and Western North Carolina area. This requires us to be the most informed professionals in our market area… In today's market, it is so very critical to stay abreast of new technology tools, changing laws and industry rules.

"You are the most important person in our business and we don't take it lightly!" So give us a call today Jay (828) 421-0375 or Jewell (828) 421-8376.

HomeInBrevard Link: 128 Summer Hill Drive Home for Sale
Exit Mountain Realty Link: 128 Summer Hill Drive Home for Sale
Realtown Blog: 128 Summer Hill Drive Home for Sale
Activerain Blog: 128 Summer Hill Drive Home for Sale
HUBREC Blog: 128 Summer Hill Drive Home for Sale
Exit Carolinas Blog: 128 Summer Hill Drive Home for Sale
Agreatertown Blog: 128 Summer Hill Drive Home for Sale

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5 Budget Friendly Weekend Projects For a Beautiful Yard

Every Brevard NC homeowner wants a beautiful yard,  however many homeowners are under the belief that yard work can be expensive and time consuming. Whether you’re a homeowner looking to pump up your home’s curb appeal in preparation for a sale, or you’re looking to get the most out of your yard for relaxing and entertaining, here are 5 budget friendly projects to bring your yard up to a “10″, and better still, each can be done over a weekend!

1.Lighting– Adding exterior lighting to your outdoor spaces makes it possible to enjoy more time outside and are a perfect way to create mood and ambiance. Consider going green with solar lights, they are affordable, require no wiring, and are eco-friendly.

2.Lawn– By fertilizing and seeding the lawn you can create lush, durable greenery. Eco-grass seed requires less watering and is over all lower maintenance, apply the seed to the areas needing grass then use a spreader to fertilize the whole yard.

3.Patio– Find an area in the yard to create a small area specifically designed for entertaining and relaxing. Brick or flagstone can help define the space and give you an area suitable for a table, chairs, and grill – what a great spot to spend some relaxing time!

4.Garden– A gardener with a black thumb? Worried about the upkeep required for beautiful plantings? No worries, plant a xeriscaped garden. These gardens are full of plants that require little maintenance and are drought resistant! Consider using such colorful plants as lavender, Russian sage, yarrow, sedum and salvia, all of which thrive in dry conditions.

5. Water– Adding a water feature to your yard provides an attractive focal point as well as a pleasurable background sound element to your outdoor space.  The addition of a simple fountain or small pond will also give birds a reason to visit, adding more sounds and beauty to your yard!

Email Jay & Jewell Kaiser, at jay@homeinbrevard.com or call us at (828) 421-0375 to discuss how we can assist you in making your Brevard, North Carolina real estate experience productive and successful.

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Top 5 Essential Repairs Before Selling Your Home

Selling your home in the midst of a depressed market can be difficult and there can be a lot of stiff competition.  One of the first things any Western North Carolina home sellers should consider before placing their home on the market is to repair the essentials.  Take some time to consider these top 5 quick repairs essential to putting your home in the best light for selling.

1. Entryway. You are trying to sell the experience of living in your home. Walk around with a critical eye, make sure the doors are freshly painted, screens are fresh, flowers are clipped, and the lawn is mowed. Be sure that the first overall impression of where the buyer will enter looks warm and welcoming.

2. Look up. Your roof and gutters should be in pristine condition. Make sure you are not missing shingles, and that there is no moss growing on your roof. Hire a professional roofer to help tidy up that end. The gutters should be unclogged and the seals should be caulked properly.

3. Patch ups. Make sure all nail holes inside of the home have been patched up and the main rooms painted with a fresh coat. This will help the home look fresh and inviting.

4. Running Water. Be sure your toilet is properly sealed. If there is discoloration around the base of the toilet, replace the seal and the flooring. The faucet is another problem area, a drippy faucet can be a major turn off for potential buyers. Most of these fixes can be done by the seller themselves if they’re willing to invest the time.  If it seems like more than you’re willing to do,  call a plumber to do the handy work.

5. The baseline. Take a look around your house, down low – the baseboards can take a beating.  Make sure to wash them down, putty any dings or markings, and repaint them. This small step can make a huge difference in how a buyer will perceive the room as a whole.

Contact Jay & Jewell Kaiser, we are the most informed professionals in our market area and we will make your Brevard, North Carolina real estate experience productive and successful.

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Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

The falling leaves and cooler temperatures remind Brevard homeowners that fall is here and winter is fast approaching – by taking a few steps now, you can have your North Carolina home and yard ready. Here are some home maintenance ideas that will get your home in peak condition for the coming winter.

Rake up leaves or finely mulch with a lawnmower: A layer of fallen leaves on your lawn deprives your lawn of critical sunlight and can lead to mold growth.

Clean out gutters: Clean out all debris and flush with water to avoid winter ice dams.

Check and replace air filters: To insure good air quality and air flow, Fall is the perfect time to check and replace HVAC filters.

Check the weather stripping around doors and windows: Be sure you are keeping the warm air in and the cold air out.

Have your heating system checked: Regularly servicing your heating system means better fuel efficiency.

Get your woodstove and fireplace in working order: Make sure the door gasket has a tight seal and chimney has been cleaned.

Store outdoor furniture: To extend the life of your patio furniture and grills, clean and then store these items in a shed or cover them with a waterproof tarp.

Inspect smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: Dust and test them to make sure both of these life savers are working properly and replace batteries in battery operated alarms.

Following a routine maintenance schedule will certainly benefit you in the fall and winter seasons.

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Contact us, Jay & Jewell Kaiser, we are the most informed professionals in our market area and we will make your Brevard, North Carolina real estate experience productive and successful.

 

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How To Protect Your Home From Fire's in the Brevard NC Area

Brevard May Insurance Tips To Protect Your Home

As you are doing your gardening and yard work getting ready for the summer, below are some suggestions to keep your home safe from a brush fire. It is also a good tip to share with customers purchasing a new home that may need a little tender, loving care. Clear branches and tree limbs a minimum of 10 feet from around any chimneys. Provide a spark arrester on all chimneys; the screen’s mesh must be ½ inch.

• Clear all leaves, pine needles, and debris from the roof and gutters. Be sure the street address is clearly posted, in a color that contrasts with the background.
• To protect against unusual hazards, such as hot winds, clear away all dry weeds, brush, rubbish, dry leaves, and dead trees on your property a distance of 100 feet or more from all structures.
• Maintain at least 10 feet of clearance around liquid propane gas tanks.
• Install protection posts around liquid propane tanks if the possibility of vehicle damage exists.
• Comply with requirements for approved spark plug arresters on the exhaust systems of off-road vehicles, tractors and other equipment used around the home.
• It is important to have a FIRE BREAK around your property as Brevard NC and the Western North Carolina area mountains are heavely wooded, it is critical that we pay attention to the homes exterior to prevent a fire. Avoid landscaping with natural vegetation. Rhododendron, azaleas, laurels, hemlocks and other resinous evergreens including the pine needles we use for ground cover are all flash fuels. If you live on the side of a mountain, you are even more vulnerable. Upwinds and downdrafts help spread a fire. You should have at least a 30-60 foot area around the house for a FIRE BREAK. Use hardwood mulch instead of pine needles. When you plant, intersperse deciduous trees with evergreens.
• Make sure your hoses and connectors are in proper working condition.
• Keep firewood piles away from the house.
• Dispose of fireplace and grill ashes in a metal bucket and soak with water. And MOST Important have an escape plan, and practice it so all know what to do instinctively

These important tips are from Priscilla Tinsley For your Brevard, Hendersonville and all of Western North Carolina Insurance, be sure and let them give you a quote!

Thank you and be safe!  Priscilla Tinsley; CIC, CISR

Morrow Insurance Agency, Inc   800 Beverly-Hanks Centre   Hendersonville, NC  28792

800.228.3132 x135 – office line   828.694.5135 – direct line   828.693-1834 – fax

ptinsley@morrowinsurance.com     www.morrowinsurance.com

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HomeGain Releases 2011 Home Improvement Survey Results

By Michael, on January 29th, 2011

Emeryville, CA (Vocus/PRWEB) January 19, 2011

HomeGain.com, the first website to offer web-based free instant home values, today announced that it has released the results of its nationwide home improvement and home staging Home Sale Maximizer™ survey.

HomeGain surveyed nearly 600 real estate professionals nationwide and configured a list of the top 10 do-it-yourself home improvements that cost under $ 5,000 and benefit sellers most when they sell their homes. 

According to the HomeGain survey, the top five home improvements that real estate professionals recommend to home sellers based on average cost and return on investment (from highest to lowest ROI) are: 

1. Cleaning and de-cluttering ($ 290 cost / $ 1,990 price increase / 586% ROI)

2. Lightening and brightening ($ 375 cost / $ 1,550 price increase / 313% ROI)

3. Home staging ($ 550 cost / $ 2,194 price increase / 299% ROI)

4. Landscaping ($ 540 cost / $ 1,932 price increase / 258% ROI)

5. Repairing electrical or plumbing ($ 535 cost / $ 1,505 price increase / 181% ROI) 

Cleaning and de-cluttering continues to rank as the top suggested home improvement (since the survey was originally conducted in 2000), recommended by 99 percent of real estate professionals, costing less than $ 300 and returning a value of nearly $ 2,000 to the home’s sale price, or a 586 percent return on investment. 

“Sellers need to prepare their homes for sale before putting them on the market,” said Louis Cammarosano, General Manager at HomeGain. “Homes that have initial appeal have a better shot at selling faster and closer to the asking price than homes rushed to the market with no improvements.” 

Rounding out the top 10 low cost, do-it-yourself home improvements includes: updating electrical systems and/or plumbing, updating the kitchen and bathrooms, replacing or shampooing carpets, painting interior walls, repairing damaged floors, and painting the outside of the home. 

The home improvement projects with the highest price increases to a home’s resale value are updating the kitchen ($ 1,265 cost / $ 3,435 price increase), followed by painting the outside of the home ($ 1,467 cost / $ 2,222 price increase) and home staging ($ 550 cost / $ 2,194 price increase). 

To see the complete survey results, visit the HomeGain Real Estate Blog. 

HomeGain’s Home Sale Maximizer online home improvement tool, based on the results of our home improvement surveys of real estate professionals, is designed to provide home sellers with the most cost-effective improvements to best increase the saleability of one’s home. 

About HomeGain 

HomeGain is a leading provider of online marketing solutions that connect real estate agents and brokers with home buyers and sellers. HomeGain offers free services to find and compare real estate agents, research home values, and view homes for sale. Since 1999 REALTORS® have used HomeGain’s real estate marketing programs to connect with consumers, promote their services and grow their business. HomeGain.com has been a top visited real estate website since 1999. HomeGain is your real estate connection.

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Easy Ways to Organize your Office Desk and Give it a New Look

De-stress your life just a little bit by getting your desk area organized and give it a whole new look at the same time!  Having that space in your home (or at the office) to do things like write bills, sort mail, house your computer, or store paperwork seems to become a catch all for junk, usually due to a lack of storage or fun ways to stay organized.

While searching for ways to not only add storage to a desk area, but to improve it’s overall look, I came accross a few great ideas!  The first is from Home Made Simple, with 3 Easy Repurposed Desk Organizers.  One of their ways to create an organized space is with the use of clipboards and decorative paper.

Clipboard + Pretty Paper = Mini Bulletin Board
Whether it’s organizing loose papers or displaying artwork that brightens up your space, personalized clipboards are the perfect, fuss-free solution.

MATERIALS
Clipboard
1 sheet decorative paper, 8 1/2” x 14” or larger
Craft knife
Pencil
Decoupage glue
Paintbrush

INSTRUCTIONS
1.Lay your paper, pattern side-down, on a clean work surface, then place your clipboard on top of it and trace its shape with your pencil.

2.Cut along the lines with your craft knife.

3.Use your paintbrush to apply a smooth, even layer of decoupage glue to the front side of your clipboard.

4.Attach the paper to the clipboard, smoothing away wrinkles with clean hands. Cut away excess paper around the metal clip with your craft knife.

5.Apply a second thin coat of glue on the top of the paper to create a seal. Let dry, then hang the clipboards on large nails or hooks.

Tip: Try hanging four or five clipboards in a row over your desk, mixing and matching paper patterns and colors to make a statement.

Keeping your office desk organized will allow you to be more efficient, get your work done quicker, and will keep you at a least a little less stressed!  What ideas do you have for staying organized at your desk?

Article by Lori Thomas

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Ten Household Items You Can Use to Garden Naturally

New Leaf Garden Tips for your recycling

Ten Household Items You Can Use to Garden Naturally
By Yolanda Vanveeen

Most gardeners do not realize that they have a treasure chest of natural alternatives to chemicals in their kitchen. Many of these items can be found in unexpected places such as in taco seasoning, pancake mixes and soy sauce. There are many more uses for these items but here is a quick list of all the ingredients you will need to garden naturally:

#1 Hot Spices- Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cayenne, Black Pepper, Curry- Sprinkle around garden or add to water in a spray bottle and use as insecticide. Most Mexican and Cajun spice mixes have a great combination of these spices.

#2 Used Coffee Grounds-Repels slugs and other bugs in the garden.

#3 Baking Soda-Controls powdery mildew on your plants. Pancake and cake mixes contain baking soda.

#4 Oils-Olive, Vegetable, Pear-Easy insecticide for aphids, ants and other smaller insects in plants and trees. Don’t DEET. Rub oil all over your body (my favorite is olive) and mosquitoes will not bite you.

#5 Garlic-Plant as a companion to repel insects or use garlic mixed with water as a spray. Repels Dracula too.

#6 Rosemary-Sprinkle in flower beds or mix with water or oils as a spray to make a great insecticide. Thyme, clove, lavender and mint also work.

#7 Salt-Sprinkle on slugs or make a salt barrier. Soy sauce has lots of salt in it.

#8 Cinnamon-Great to repel squirrels, rabbits and neighbor cats from your garden. Add to water and use as an insecticide.

#9 Vinegar-Natural herbicide. Kills weeds in your driveway and any other plant it touches. Use carefully.

#10 Water-Most insects will wash right off with water. Spray the top and bottom of the leaves in the shower or with a hose outside. If you have a wasp nest, don’t spray with chemicals. Stand ten feet back and spray with water. Do this three days in a row and the wasps will find another place to build their home.

Once you start looking at the ingredients in many items in your kitchen you will realize you can improvise easily. Remember, all natural items can still be dangerous when used in large quantities so use sparingly. They are still a better choice than the chemicals. The bonus is that they are less expensive and now that you know, the next time you see any type of seasoning packs in the clearance bin at half price, grab them up!
Article by American trends

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