June, 2009

When we asked REALTOR® Elizabeth Blakeslee what exactly a Home Owners Association was her answer was simple: “A system of communal living.”

An HOA can take care of small things, like yard maintenance at your townhome, to big things, like paying for your subdivision’s pool, or mediating disputes between neighbors. And while we’ve heard horror stories about overzealous HOAs, they are a good thing. Without them, you might wake up one morning to find your neighbor’s house painted purple!

Elizabeth says that if you’re buying a home and are concerned about restrictions, make sure you read the rules! If you’re looking at a home in a neighborhood with an HOA, they are required to give you a list of regulations and fees associated with the group. For example, Elizabeth says in Washington, DC, you’re allowed three business days. Take a close look at their budget, as well, to see what they spend your money on. If you don’t like it, or don’t like the rules associated with it, look elsewhere for a home.

Every association has a different level of governing depending on where you are. Some associations in subdivisions watch over everything from how you mow your lawn to the color of your home to the height of your fence. They also take care of common areas, including playgrounds, tennis courts and pools. Smaller communities generally have less oversight. Elizabeth also notes that the more there is in your community, the higher your HOA fees are likely to be. Make sure you take that into account when you’re shopping for a home!

Elizabeth Blakeslee is NAR’s 2008 Regional Vice-President for the Mid-Atlantic Area, and a REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Washington, D.C.

Our advice to Ben was “talk to your neighbors”. We felt it would be better for Ben to talk with them first and try to reason with them, before getting the authorities involved.

Ben says this worked with one of his neighbors — the one with the truck. He says he mentioned it as nicely as possible, saying that he didn’t have anything against them, but it was making it tough to sell his house. As a result, the next day the truck was gone, and the yard looked much better. Ben says his neighbors actually seemed a little embarrassed, and were more than happy to help him out.

Ben didn’t have as much luck with his other neighbors. While he did try talking to them, he says they pretty much ignored him for two weeks. Finally, Ben decided to call the city. His neighbors ended up being fined, and shortly thereafter, got rid of the Jeep and cleaned up the yard.

Ben says he doesn’t think that it’s a coincidence that a week after his neighbors ditched the Jeep, he sold his house.

And what does Ben think he learned most from this experience?

First, that it’s important to talk to your neighbors, and maintain a good relationship if you can. But failing that, it’s also worth burning a bridge or two if you need to in order to sell your house.

Shane Tallant knows a thing or two about getting homes ready to sell, since he’s the host of HGTV’s Designed to Sell, a show that’s all about sprucing up homes to sell them faster.

Shane says it’s easy sometimes to get lazy over the winter, but now that the sun is shining, there’s no excuse to let things go!

One of the most important things for summer is your air conditioning unit. As Shane says, it’s probably been a while since you’ve had it on, so check it out before you really need it. Sometimes all it needs is a good cleaning and a filter change, other times, you may need to call in a repairman for service. Either way, if you’re A/C isn’t working, people will notice when they visit your house in July, so take care of it now!

Shane says that while you’re doing the usual sprucing of your home on the outside, don’t neglect your driveway and walks. Nothing says neglect more than cracked concrete. It’s also a safety hazard, and something an appraiser will notice straight away. It could stall your sale, so take care of it quickly.

Following that, make sure you give your house a good cleaning, and Shane doesn’t just mean inside. Dirt and grime on the outside of your house makes it look older, so rent a pressure washer and spray it down. Don’t forget to wash your windows, too. While you’re at it, inspect the gutters as well. Clogged gutters can lead to water damage, both on your roof and on the foundation of your home, which is another red flag for home inspectors.

Lastly, take your curtains down and clean them, and wash your blinds. It’s something we don’t often think about, since we live with our window treatments every day, but people coming to see your house are going to be pulling those curtains and blinds open, and you don’t want them to be dirty! It may cost a bit, but it’s worth taking down those drapes and sending them to the cleaner. Not only does it make your house look better overall, your potential buyers won’t get any nasty surprises like a face full of dust bunnies when they touch them!

Shane Tallant is the host of HGTV’s Designed to Sell, which airs weeknights at 8 p.m. You can also follow Shane on Twitter at http://twitter.com/stallanthgtv

The softer side of Joan?
She may be known for her sharp-tongued fashion critiques on the red carpet, but Joan Rivers apparently has a softer gentler side…and it’s called French Neo-Classical. That’s how her 52-hundred square foot duplex condo is decorated, and now it’s on the market.

Rivers often jokes about the number of times she’s gone under the knife, but her home has seen just as much reconstruction, including the restoration of what had been a double-height ballroom. The New York Times reports the condo sits atop what was once a 42-foot wide mansion, built in 1903 just off Fifth Avenue, and has a terrace with Central Park views. Rivers has owned the place for twenty years.

And while she isn’t saying how much the restoration has cost, the home is currently on the market for 25 million dollars. Oh, and buyers shouldn’t have any problems with the condo board: Rivers has served as the president for years, and is still listed as the head officer on the building’s city registration filing. (NYT)

Maybe “extreme” wasn’t enough
It may have been an “extreme makeover” for their house, but now one Kentucky family is looking to sell.

The Hassall family of Berry saw their rural home replaced by the ABC television show in 2006. Brian Hassall was a police officer who had been wounded on the job, while his wife, Michelle, was a high school music teacher who had battled with cancer and a blood disorder. The couple also have two adopted children, one with special needs.

But like some other recipients, their story isn’t ending as happily as the show. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Hassalls still have a mortgage on their property, as well as larger utility and tax bills to go along with their new larger house. So the family has decided to sell.

It’s not the first time an Extreme Home Makeover family has been faced with adversity after getting their new home. A Michigan family is facing foreclosure on their dream home, while a Georgia family used their new home as collateral to finance a construction business that ultimately failed. A Florida woman who receive a new home, also found herself facing numerous code violations that resulted in her being slapped with a 29-thousand dollar lien. (WSJ)

Before World War II, before the Civil War, even before the Revolution, the Ipswich house was sheltering a family in Massachusetts. Built in 1760, it is now on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The entire house.

The exhibit, called “Within These Walls”, is sponsored by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, and Curator Bill Yeingst was nice enough to give us a tour. The display charts the five families who have called the house home overt the last 250 years or so, from the first family up through the second World War.

It was built by Abraham Choate, a businessman who wanted a fine home for his family. And for the times, the house was very impressive, with 2300 square feet and six heated rooms.

The next family, The Dodges, were revolutionaries, with the family patriarch taking part in the battles of Lexington and Concord. It is ironic that the Dodges apparently owned a slave, because the next family to occupy the home were abolitionists.

In fact, Lucy Caldwell used to hold meetings in the parlor of the house!

There are also exhibits about Catherine Lynch, a laundress who rented a room in the house for thirty years, as well an exhibit on the Scott family, who lived in the house during World War II.

As Bill Yeingst says, the whole display is about how the ordinary mixes with the extraordinary, and how we touch history through our homes.

If you’re in Washington, make sure you visit “Within These Walls” at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, sponsored by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®!

For more information visit:
www.americanhistory.si.edu/house/