Showing posts with label Matsu Homes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matsu Homes. Show all posts

Monday, January 6, 2014

Adding Closet Space – What to Consider Before You Start






Adding Closet Space – What to Consider Before You Start

When you have more items to store than closet space, something's got to give. Building and installing a closet is a fairly low-cost solution that the average adult is capable of doing. In a weekend's time, with a little planning and knowledge, you can transform an unused area into the most useful spot in the room.


Planning a Closet

If you're going to build a closet, you might as well build it right. It's too late, after it's built, to wish you had done something different. Taking time to plan any home improvement project will prevent regrets later.
If you want to skip the DIY process and hire a professional to build your closet, these planning tips will still help you determine exactly what will work for your space and budget.
How will you use the closet? A closet full of linens can be narrow and shallow and still work well, while a walk-in closet for clothes needs to be much deeper. Consider what you want to store and how much space it requires.
How would you like to equip it? Decide whether you want clothes rods, shelves, organizers, drawers, or any special features such as cedar plank walls or wiring for an overhead light.
Where will you build it? Perhaps you have the perfect nook, such as an awkward spot between two walls. Maybe you have a large room that can spare the area you want to use. Either way, armed with a tape measure, map out the closet dimensions exactly where you wish to build the closet. Adjust as needed, adding or taking away closet space to fit the area. Also consider clearance for nearby doors, windows, or traffic movement. If it's awkward to open the closet door, the space won't be as useful and you won't be satisfied.
What is your budget? Take a realistic look at what you can afford to spend, and price the tools and supplies you need as well as any labor cost required. If you want wiring in the closet, you'll probably need to hire a professional. Get estimates for what you need and add about 10 percent extra for a little "wiggle room." It's always better to come in under your budget than above.
Don't forget the cost of a closet door! Decide where you want your door, how big you want it to be, and purchase it before you start. This will make wall construction simpler as you can measure the pre-hung door and build the doorway to fit.
Will you use organizer systems? It's especially important to consider organizers before you build so you don't end up with a closet that won't hold the organizer you purchased. If you're a more advanced DIYer, consider designing and building your own organizer systems. Even beginners can build a simple organizer system that will be functional and much less expensive than most off-the-shelf closet organizers.
Before you begin your closet project, it might be useful to browse the Internet for closet ideas. Never be afraid to try something new. With basic DIY skills, you can generally install any shelf, paneling, or other detail once you have the bare bones of the closet framing complete.

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Location: Wasilla, AK 99654, USA

8 Simple Tips to Weatherproof Your Home






8 Simple Tips to Weatherproof Your Home

Winter or summer, one thing is almost certain – the temperature outside your home doesn't match the temperature within. But, unless your home is properly sealed and weatherproofed, the conditions outside have a good chance of affecting your comfort inside.
A leaky house also means extra energy consumption for your heating and air system, leading to higher utility bills and environmental stress. The solution is simple: Weatherproof your home with a few quick, easy methods that won't break your wallet.


1. Break Out the Caulk

If you measured every gap, crack, and air leak in your house, you would likely find you have the equivalent of a window open year-round. Perhaps the most important step you can take to combat drafts and keep the heat either inside or out is to load a caulk gun and hunt down the holes. Choose a quality caulk (you generally get what you pay for) and create a homemade draft detector to test for leaks with a hairdryer and a candle or stick of incense.
Where to Use: Start from the bottom of your home and work your way up. Look for holes in the floor where cables or wires enter the house. Run a bead of caulk along the edge of the foundation, where it meets the siding. Caulk along the subflooring, underneath the baseboard trim, whenever you have your finished flooring removed. Test windows and doors; even newer installations, if caulked with an inferior or improper product, may have caulk that's grown brittle, shrunk, or become loose. Check around any other openings in the walls, such as pipe outlets, the clothes dryer vent or incoming wires. Caulk around any protrusions through the ceiling into the attic, as well as in the attic walls or roofing.


2. Fill it With Foam

Expanding foam insulation not only insulates well, it's a natural air barrier, unlike fiberglass insulation. Sold at most department, hardware or home improvement stores, it's fairly inexpensive when used for small areas. (For wall insulation, it's better applied by a professional using industrial machines.) Use low-expansion formulas, sometimes specified as window and door formula, and follow the instructions regarding the application – a little squirt goes a long way. To remove excess, once it has cured as specified, cut it flat with a utility knife. If it gets on fiberglass, on the other hand, wipe it away immediately to prevent an almost impossible removal.
Where to Use: Expanding foam insulation works well for any hole, gap, crack, seam or other opening larger than what is practical to fill with caulk – about 1/4 inch in diameter. Look under the trim surrounding your doors inside; the area between the trim and underneath the doorjambs will often benefit from a foam job. Another practical place to squirt some foam is around your electrical outlets, which are often poorly insulated and prime areas to leak air. Foam may also come in handy underneath crawl spaces and inside basements.


3. Work With Weather Stripping

Regardless of the type of weather stripping you choose, you'll find it simple to install and effective at stopping drafts. From felt and foam to vinyl or metal, you can find weather stripping at most home improvement or hardware stores. For the best results, match the type of weather stripping to the area you are working on.
Where to Use: Doors and windows are prime candidates for weather stripping – just make sure you can close them easily (although snugly) with the weather stripping in place. Don't forget your garage, either. Weather stripping windows, entry doors and garage doors can have a profound affect on your home.


4. Get "Guard" Animals

Whether you're an animal lover or prefer a pet-free home, draft stoppers fashioned into whimsical creatures such as rabbits, snakes and monkeys "guard" doors and even window ledges, blocking the heat or cold from invading your home. Alternatively, purchase and install conventional door sweeps made from rubber or metal.


5. Seal Your Attic

Unless you have a finished attic area with a regular staircase, the only thing sealing your attic entry may be a piece of drywall covering the hole in your ceiling or a bit of plywood with a pull-down staircase attached. Neither is much barrier to heat transfers, which means you're losing a lot of your heat and air through your roof. To fix it, purchase an attic stair cover at a home improvement store or make one yourself. The effect will be worth the money.


6. Treat Your Windows

Even the newest windows transfer more heat and cold than insulated exterior walls. Older windows, often single-paned and possibly glazed in place, are even worse. Of course, a house without windows isn't the solution, and upgrading windows is costly.
The Solution: During the winter, storm windows add an extra barrier between the cold outside and the warm within your home. In the summer, take down your storm windows and replace them with screens. This works well for exterior doors as well. Heavy drapes – especially insulated drapes – also help block both hot and cold weather. In the winter you can actually help warm your home by opening curtains on south-facing windows. Bonus: If you have pets, they will probably love basking in the sun.


7. Deal With Your Ducts

As long as the air flows properly, most people don't spend much time thinking about their ductwork. Leaky or poorly insulated ducts, however, can cost you a lot of money - not to mention the time spent battling to keep your home at the right temperature. The typical American home loses around 20 percent of the air moving through HVAC ducts. To seal ducts, use mastic and butyl, foil, or other heat-approved tape. Wrap ducts with duct insulation, which is readily available at home improvement and hardware stores.


8. Install Insulation

Insulation is the single most important thing standing between your family and the weather outdoors. Insulation isn't just for cold climates, either. Proper insulation levels will help keep your home cooler in the summer. It really does pay for itself.
Where to Install: Everywhere inside your home needs insulation. However, when it comes to upgrading insulation, the attic and roof are prime candidates, as is the floor and crawlspace, if you have one. Compare the insulation levels you currently have (each type has an R-value per inch of thickness) to what you should have, and add more as you can if your levels are low. Select the type of insulation that works best for your budget and installation - fiberglass and foam board are both popular choices.



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Location: Wasilla, AK 99654, USA

Understanding & Decoding Mortgage Terms





Understanding & Decoding Mortgage Terms

Ah, the home-buying process. It feels as if someone scooped you up and dropped you in a country where you don't speak the language. From your real estate agent to the lender, a lot of what you'll hear may sound like gibberish. Busy real estate professionals who use the acronyms and foreign-sounding terms on a daily basis forget that consumers typically have no idea what they're talking about.
Let's start with the basics: What is a mortgage?
Mortgage is a word that has been in the English language since the late 1300s and comes from the French "mort," which means "dead," and "gage," meaning "pledge." Therefore, a mortgage, in the true sense of the meaning of the word, means that the security pledged to the mortgagee for the debt will be taken from him if he fails to pay the debt, and will therefore be "dead to him upon condition." If, on the other hand, the mortgagee fulfills the obligation to pay the debt, the pledge is dead. Either way, something dies.
A dictionary definition is much simpler and tells us that a mortgage is a "temporary, conditional pledge of property to a creditor as security for performance of an obligation or repayment of a debt."


The Players

It may feel as if you need a program to keep track of all the folks who play a part in your mortgage drama, especially if this is your first experience with this type of loan. Let's take a look at just who these players are and what their roles are.
Mortgagee
More commonly known as "the lender," the mortgagee is the lending institution that provides the mortgage.
Mortgagor
The mortgagor is more commonly known as the borrower or debtor - the person who receives the mortgage loan.
Mortgage Broker
A mortgage broker is a person who acts as the middleman, brokering loans on behalf of borrowers. Like a travel agent, the mortgage broker is an intermediary who shops a number of lending institutions, pledging to obtain the best rates and terms for the borrower.
Loan Officer
If you don't use a mortgage broker, but deal directly with the lender, the loan officer is generally the first person you'll meet. She is the person who will help you obtain a loan preapproval and compile all the documents you will need to obtain a mortgage. This person is the lender's point of contact for you, your real estate agent, and the other folks involved in your home purchase.
Loan Processor
After you fill out all the paperwork, the loan officer sends it to the loan processor who then follows your mortgage from preapproval to closing. He checks all your information for accuracy and verifies your credit and income. He then inputs your information into their in-house system, and packages everything for the underwriter.
Underwriter
The underwriter is the one you would wine and dine if you knew who she was. She is the person who determines the lender's risk in lending to you. She'll analyze your income to determine if you can pay for the loan. She will look at your payment history to figure out if you're the type of person who meets his financial obligations. Finally, the underwriter will evaluate the home you want to purchase to ensure that it's worth the amount you are borrowing.
Appraiser
The appraiser is the underwriter's tool to determine how much the house is worth. All lenders subcontract or employ licensed appraisers who use a number of methods to determine the home's market value.
Escrow Company
The escrow company's primary duty is to receive and disburse funds based on what is mandated in the contract. Escrow companies are independent third parties and can do nothing unless both parties to the transaction are in agreement.
Title Company
Title companies check the chain of title on the home. This is a list of everyone who has ever owned the home - the historical transfers of title. The title officer checks to ensure that the person who is selling the home actually owns it and whether or not there are liens on the property. The title company also orders the survey and reviews it for any problems, verifies that property taxes and HOA fees have been paid, and prepares the title insurance policy.
Now that you're familiar with the players, let's take a look at some of the more common mortgage terms you may hear during your home purchase.


The Loan

Amortization - The amount of time you hold the loan, amortization is sometimes called the repayment period.
Principal - The amount you originally borrow.
PITI - An acronym for principal, interest, taxes and insurance. This is your monthly mortgage payment.


The Disclosures

Good Faith Estimate - Also known as the GFE, the "good faith estimate" is a form that the lender is required to provide to borrowers. It itemizes all of the loan fees and miscellaneous charges to make it easier for the borrower to compare different lenders' offers.
HUD-1 Settlement Statement - An itemized list of services and fees charged to the borrower by the lender. By law, the borrower is given at least 24 hours before closing to inspect the HUD-1.


The Fees

Closing Costs - Expenses incurred in financing the home. Closing costs vary and some are negotiable.
Point - What the lender charges for originating the loan. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.
Escrow Impounds - You will be asked to prepay taxes and insurance when escrow closes. This money goes into an escrow account and is used to ensure the timely payment of these bills. The lender may require up to two months of payments to be impounded.
Private Mortgage Insurance - Called PMI for short, this is an insurance policy that the borrower pays for, but it benefits the lender in the event the borrower defaults on the loan. Lenders typically require PMI when the loan-to-value ratio exceeds 80 percent.

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Location: Wasilla, AK 99654, USA

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Condos In Anchorage Alaska Under $200,000


WHY A CONDO? (See Condo Listings Below)

A condominium is a form of ownership in which owners share an interest in common areas, such as parking structures and shared yards, and hold title separately to their individual units. Owners are members of a homeowners' association, or HOA, which enforces and amends the association rules and regulations. Depending on your personal preferences, there are advantages to buying a condo instead of a house.

Costs

A condominium generally costs less than a similarly located and sized single-family home. Because the overall cost is lower, both the monthly mortgage payment and the property taxes will be lower. Even with the HOA fees, which are used for maintenance of shared features like landscaping, your total monthly carry costs may be lower.

Mortgage Requirements

Lenders will actually help you understand whether a complex you want to buy into has a stable financial environment or not. They will look at the HOA reserve fund and the percentage of units occupied by owners as opposed to tenants. They will also look at the insurance coverage if it is maintained by the HOA instead of individual condo owners. If any one of these areas is not up to their standards--usually requiring a reserve fund consistent with the HOA rules, more than 50 percent owner occupancy and insurance that will at minimum repay all unit mortgages, they will not lend for a unit there. This is a good thing. It will help ensure that when you do buy a condo, it will be in complex that is economically viable.

Amenities and Maintenance-Free Living

If you do not like the responsibility of keeping up the grounds around your home but enjoy lush landscaping, the HOA yard maintenance will be a feature you like. If your condo complex has a pool or other amenities you enjoy but could not afford for yourself in a single-family home, a condo may work for you. You won't have to clean the pool or check the hot tub chemicals. It will all be done for you.

Convenient Locations

If you want to live in the heart of a densely populated urban area, in close proximity to a wide array of commercial uses, a condominium may be your only choice of housing. Land values in many downtown locations are prohibitively high for the construction of single-family homes. Living in a downtown condominium will open doors to cultural and sporting events you might never consider commuting to on a regular basis.

Other Considerations

Condo complexes often have security features that very few single-family home owners could afford--everything from a gated entrance to 24-hour security guards. Additionally, because each unit is in such close proximity to others, your neighbors can serve as eyes and ears even when you're away.

 
  • Featured picture for the property 13-16011View Photos

    2804 W 34th Avenue

    Anchorage, AK 99517

    $200,000

    • 3 
    • 2 
    • 1232 
    •  Active
    •  13-16011
    Great Turnagain Area 3 BR,2 full BA Condo w/ 2 car garage. Step out to a deck & fenced yard. Heat included in dues. Fireplace & open LR/Kitchen w/ din...
    Listing Office: RE/MAX Dynamic PropertiesAlaska
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    13216 Old Seward Highway

    Anchorage, AK 99515

    $199,500

    • 2 
    • 1.5 
    • 1421 
    •  Active
    •  13-16449
    Searching for a great S. Anch location? Check out this townhouse style condo in sought-after Cedar Park: numerous upgrades in recent yrs, including ...
    Listing Office: Jack White Real Estate Eagle RiverAlaska
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    1621 Elcadore Drive

    Anchorage, AK 99507

    $199,500

    • 3 
    • 2 
    • 1224 
    •  Active
    •  13-13137
    South Anch. T/H with vaulted ceilings done in tongue & grove pine, lots of light, stunning mountain views, open bar from kitchen to living area. 2 bed...
    Listing Office: Jack White Real EstateAlaska
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    1241 Denali Street

    Anchorage, AK 99501

    $199,000

    • 2 
    • 2 
    • 972 
    •  Active
    •  13-12410
    You won't want to miss this super Chic condo within walking distance of downtown Anchorage. Every surface in this condo has been updated from the clea...
    Listing Office: Keller Williams Realty Alaska GroupAlaska
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    1200 I Street

    Anchorage, AK 99501

    $199,000

    • 1 
    • 1 
    • 858 
    •  Active
    •  13-16107
    Downtown Living Without The Price.Nicely updated south facing condo across from New Sagaya.Elevator building for your convenience.Large one bdroom con...
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    1946 Beaver Place

    Anchorage, AK 99504

    $197,000

    • 2 
    • 1.5 
    • 1218 
    •  Active
    •  13-15802
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    10191 Nantucket Loop

    Anchorage, AK 99507

    $192,500

    • 2 
    • 1.5 
    • 1080 
    •  Active
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    1114 Latouche Street

    Anchorage, AK 99501

    $192,000

    • 2 
    • 2 
    • 1074 
    •  Active
    •  13-16236
    Live close to downtown in this beautiful Town home with an Open floor plan, custom, high end finish work throughout. Hand laid tile and laminate wood ...
    Listing Office: RE/MAX Dynamic PropertiesAlaska
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    238 Deerfield Drive

    Anchorage, AK 99515

    $191,000

    • 3 
    • 2.5 
    • 1424 
    •  Active
    •  13-16891
    Wonderful 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bathroom property off Klatt Road in South Anchorage. The warm and inviting floor plan offers lovely laminate floors, and a w...
    Listing Office: Keller Williams Realty Alaska GroupAlaska
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    5235 E 26th Avenue

    Anchorage, AK 99508

    $190,000

    • 3 
    • 2.5 
    • 1664 
    •  Active
    •  13-16053
    Short Sale Oppurtunity! 3 story townhouse located close to JBER! Oversized garage with storage closet, open living area with gas fireplace with back...
    Listing Office: Keller Williams Realty Alaska GroupAlaska
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Alaska Multiple Listing Service The listing content relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the IDX Program of Alaska Multiple Listing Service, Inc. (AK MLS). Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than Malcuit Duo - Keller Williams Realty Alaska Group are marked with either the listing brokerage's logo or the AK MLS logo and information about them includes the name of the listing brokerage. Malcuit Duo - Keller Williams Realty Alaska Group does not display the entire AK MLS IDX Listing Content Database on this web site. The listings of some real estate brokerages have been excluded. Last Updated Dec 7, 2013 4:00:am. All information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified for accuracy. Copyright 2013 Alaska Multiple Listing Service, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Location: Anchorage, AK, USA
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