Selling your home with Susan Gaffney and RE/MAX just got better! Homes.com & RE/MAX announced this week a new major online marketing collaboration. RE/MAX has selected Homes.com to power the new REMAX.com website and the newly release suite of RE/MAX mobile applications for Apple and Android mobile devices. The two organizations will also be launching collaborative efforts to market Homes.com local advertising products and the new Homes Connect marketing platform to RE/MAX Sales Associates throughout North America.
This new collaboration will mean more web exposure for sellers; homes will showcased which will drive more traffic to the individual homes.
Just one more reason to contact Susan to sell your Orange County home.
Susan Gaffney
Irvine Real Estate
I recently read an interesting article about the benefits of volunteering. The listed benefits were enlightening, and some of the reasons to volunteer were new to me.
First and foremost volunteering allows you to have a clearer conscience, you are able to know you are doing your part to make the world a better place. When you volunteer you learn a lot about the "bigger picture", your community, your city, state, and the world.
Many people volunteer to get job experience and to explore career opportunities. How many times have we heard people say they just don't know what they want to do with their lives. Volunteering is a great way to broaden your horizons - find causes that you are passionate about, tasks you excel and tasks you are better off leaving for someone else to do. These experiences can be added to your resume. Additionally while volunteering you are making connections with people you may not otherwise meet.
There are also health benefits to volunteering:
A common objection to volunteering is not knowing where to find the opportunities - Well here is a great link that provides a wealth of options right here in Irvine! Review the list, make a call or two, and reap the rewards.
Until next time,
Susan
Woodbridge, Irvine - Announcing a NEW listing at 52 Summerfield, a 1,471 sq. ft., 2 bath, 3 bdrm 2 story. Now MLS® $509,000 - .
Property information
We have been discussing resolutions for our homes, ways to improve our homes and our lives. We have discussed energy savings and purifying the air. This week we are exploring “debt” and budgeting for home improvements.
Budget for Home Improvements
Creating a yearly budget for home improvement and maintenance helps prevent overspending, and encourages you to put aside money for major replacements — such as new roofing or a kitchen appliance — that come up every few years.
Protect your home finances by knowing how much you’ll probably spend each year. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau says that average annual maintenance and home improvement expenditures are about $3,300 per household. Leading lending institutions agree and place average costs of yearly maintenance and upkeep at 1% to 3% of your home’s initial price.
That means the owner of a $250,000 home should budget between $2,500 to $7,500 each year for upkeep and replacements. Have extra at the end of the year? Save it for more costly upkeep and replacement items down the road — you’ll probably need it then.
Until Next Time,
Irvine CA Real Estate
As we work our way through January, many of us think of resolutions for ourselves and maybe for our family, and business but what about your home? I am thinking resolutions for my home might be easier to keep throughout the year.
Purify Indoor Air
This is the resolution that is similar to “quit smoking” that so many humans make each year. The EPA lists indoor air quality as one of the top environmental health hazards. That’s because indoor air is full of potential contaminants, such as dust, mold spores, pollen, and viruses. The problem is at its worst during winter, when windows and doors are shut tight.
You can help eliminate harmful lung irritants in your home with these maintenance and improvement tips:
· Maintain your HVAC system and change furnace filters regularly. Use the highest-quality filters you can afford ($10-$20) and change every month during peak heating and cooling seasons.
· Keep indoor air pristine by using low-VOC paints when you remodel your rooms.
· Use localized ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms to remove cooking fumes, smoke, and excess humidity. Make sure ventilation systems exhaust air to the outside of your home, rather than your attic crawl space or between ceiling joists.
· In fireplaces and wood stoves, burn real firewood rather than pressed wood products that may contain formaldehyde.
· Use a portable air cleaner to help cleanse the air in single rooms. Portable air cleaner types include mechanical air filters, electrostatic precipitators, ion generators, and ultraviolet lamps.
o Note that each type of air cleaner is designed to remove specific pollutants; no portable air cleaner removes all pollutants. Be wary of air cleaners that generate ozone — a known lung irritant.
Good luck with your home resolutions,
Homes for Sale in Orange County
Over the next several weeks I will suggest and explore several resolutions.
Cut energy use
Your house is a glutton, gobbling energy like a starved elephant. Gain control by trimming energy use. There are several areas where you can trim your energy use with very little effort; of course there are also some big ways to cut your energy use.
The first suggestion is also the one that will be the most work and will provide the largest decrease in energy use. Your HVAC ductwork. Ducts are notorious energy-wasters, leaking your heating and cooling air through holes and loose connections. Sealing and insulating your ductwork can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20%, saving you $200 per year or more. You’ll make your home more comfortable, and a more-efficient system helps extend the life of your furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump. Because ducts are usually hidden inside walls, ceilings, attics, and crawl spaces, sealing and insulating them may be a difficult and time-consuming DIY job. If you can’t reach all your ducts, concentrate on those that are accessible.
Use duct sealant — called mastic — or metal-backed tape to seal the seams, holes, and connections. Don’t use the confusingly named “duct tape,” which won’t provide a permanent solution. Be sure to seal connections at vents and floor registers — these are likely places for leaks to occur. After sealing your ducts, wrap them in fiberglass insulation. Most hardware stores and home improvement centers have insulation wrap products made for ducts.
If you decide this out of your DYI skills, a professional heating and cooling contractor will charge $1,000 to $4,000 for the work, including materials, depending on the size of your home and accessibility to your ducts.
Insulating your ductwork may qualify for a rebate from your state or local municipality. Check the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.
While we are on this topic don’t forget to check doors and windows to be sure they shut and seal properly. Install new weather stripping.
Some other ways to cut energy use:
· Unplug any not in use electric items – these items still “draw” energy just by being plugged in
o Computers
o TV
o VCR/DVD players
o Small Kitchen Appliances
o Cell Phone Chargers
o Night lights
o Use power strips and remember to turn them off
· Install a programmable thermostat
o Depending on the season – raise or lower your climate control thermostat by 1-3 degrees (you will hardly notice the difference in room temperature but the savings can be as much as 10%)
o Use ceiling fans instead of AC during the summer
· Air dry your dishes (turn off the dry feature on your dishwasher)
· Laundry
o Unplug machines when not in use
o Wash only full loads
o Wash in cold water
o Air dry laundry
· Change all of your light bulbs to LED – energy efficient bulbs
· Plant trees in your yard so shade is provided to windows on the south side of your home (where the sun provides the most “heat” in the summer)
· Spend one night each week in candlelight (no TV, no cooking)
Yes this list is long, and to some over-whelming but if you can pick 2 or 3 items and do them for the year you will notice the difference.
Happy 2012,
Custom Home in Popular Community
• 2,299 sq. ft., 3 bath, 3 bdrm single story - $3,900 USD Monthly
Woodbridge, Irvine - A wonderful custom home that has been updated and is ready for you now. Located in Irvine's popular Gables community. Flowing and spacious floor plan with great space for family living and entertaining options. Three bedrooms PLUS a den, formal living room and dining room as well as a family room! Great space to spread out and enjoy! Kitchen is nice sized and offers plenty of space for all the cooks in your life. Impressive formal dining room is just a few short serving steps away from well equipped kitchen. Two fireplaces! King sized master with walk-in closets features custom organizers. Additional bedrooms are nice sized and offer good closet space. Private yard with patio in back and nicely landscaped side yard. Three car garage that also offers added storage. Pet policy is negotiable. Home enjoys a cul-de-sac location and is near schools, park and lake inside loop. Fresh interior paint, the carpets have been cleaned, and the windows have all been professionally washed! Exterior trim was just painted and the gardener is planting flowers and plants. This home is move-in ready!
24/7 Wall St. has completed its first annual ranking of the best-run and worst-run cities in America. We reviewed the local economies, fiscal discipline and standard of living of the 100 largest cities by population to determine how well each is managed.
Many qualities separate the best-run and worst-run cities. But perhaps the most important is access to jobs. The economies of the best-run cities fall into two categories. They either have a booming industry or are near other major urban areas that create employment opportunities. The worst-run cities simply do not have the same access to jobs. 24/7 Wall St.’s analysis of the best-run and worst-run cities demonstrates that encouraging businesses to prosper and create jobs is the most important function of local government.
For those of us lucky enough to live in Irvine this study and the results are no surprise. Here are some quick facts about our great city: * Violent crime per 1,000 people: 0.55 (5th lowest) * Poverty rate: 12.3% (9th lowest) * Adult population graduated from high school: 95.7% (2nd highest) * Credit rating: not rated * Population: 212,982
Irvine has a violent crime rate of just 0.55 per 1,000 people, the fifth lowest among the major cities on our list. The city is also among the best 10 for home vacancy, unemployment, median income and high school graduation rates. In 2008, CNN Money rated it the fourth-best place to live in the U.S. According to Craig Reem, director of public affairs and communications, “We are seeing a gradual improvement in our local economy that allows us to move from recession ready, to recovery ready. The City Council plans conservatively: This past fiscal year (2010-2011), we outperformed our budget expectations by nearly $14 million.”
To read the full article about this study, click here.
Homes for sale in Irvine
For the fifth consecutive year, RE/MAX has been named a Top Military Spouse Friendly Employer by Military Spouse magazine in recognition of the real estate franchise company’s commitment to military families.
This year’s Top Twenty was selected from a pool of more than 5,000 large companies and RE/MAX was the highest ranking real estate company in the survey.
“We’ve always supported members of the military and their families,” said Gail Liniger, RE/MAX co-founder and its vice-chairman. “It’s part of our effort to give back to the communities where we do business. Our offices hire military spouses because they make dedicated, organized employees who work hard to get the job done right.”
Each of the companies were assessed on a variety of factors, including:• The number of military spouse employees.• Efforts and results to recruit military spouses• A firm’s willingness to find new jobs for military spouses that are relocating on orders from the military.
Operation RE/MAX has been helping military spouses and former military personnel find jobs in real estate for the past five years. Created in cooperation with the Department of Defense, the program matches members of the military community with volunteer RE/MAX brokers, who have made a commitment to coach, train and mentor military personnel.
RE/MAX is joined on the Top Twenty list by other high-profile organizations such as USAA, T-Mobile, Kelly Services and Sears Roebuck & Co.
As a result of the success of Operation RE/MAX, the company was honored with the Office of the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award in 2007. Operation RE/MAX has enlisted the support of more than 700 individual RE/MAX offices. The Top Twenty list is featured in Military Spouse magazine’s October 2011 issue.
Just another reason I am proud to be a Re/Max agent,
Gated 55+ Community
• 1,439 sq. ft., 2 bath, 2 bdrm single story - MLS® $365,000
Irvine - Live the good life in OC's beautiful tree-lined Casta del Sol, a guard-gated active 55+ community near Lake Mission Viejo and Casta del Sol Golf course. This open floor plan is single-level--no steps--and features a courtyard entrance and sunny enclosed atrium/library. Entertain gracefully with a formal dining room and living room with fireplace. The kitchen has granite counter and a cozy breakfast area for informal meals. Two spacious bedrooms each feature a full bath. Master bath has dual sinks and skylight. Enjoy plantation shutters, French doors, patio, and attached two-car garage with roll-up door. This is comfortable retirement living in the prestigious Carmel section of Casta del Sol, among trees and hills, yet convenient to parks, shops, and restaurants. The amenities are amazing, including two beautiful recreation centers, pools, tennis courts, lawn bowling, clubhouse, gym, and more! All of this plus low tax and NO Mello Roos. HOA pays for trash, exterior painting, etc.