Welcome to CENTURY 21 Elevated Real Estate

With winter approaching we all start thinking about our heating costs going up. There are some inexpensive and easy things you can do to improve your homes energy efficiency. One of the simplest things you can do it to switch out all you incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. Yes they are more expensive then incandescent bulbs but you could be saving on average up to $40.00 a month on your electric bills. Also, to the benefit of many, most electric companies offer incentives for purchasing LED bulbs. DMEA offers up to $8.00 a bulb. Click on the link for more information http://www.dmea.com/content/residential-rebates#lighting.

The biggest expense in winter are your heating bills. 7 to 12% of a home’s heat loss is through windows and doors. Weather stripping around doors, and caulking around doors and windows, can cut down on drafts. Installing insulated curtains will also help keep the cold out. Make sure you change the filter for your furnace as well. This will help reduce energy bills, extend the life of your furnace and improve indoor air quality.

For those who are tech savvy a great way to lower heating costs is to install a smart thermostat.  Programmable thermostats let you set the temperature and have the thermostat change the temperature based on the time of day. What makes most smart thermostats so “smart” is that they learn from your behaviors, allow you to control the climate in your home remotely. It also shows you energy consumption in real-time, and can even adjust themselves based on ambient conditions like humidity. The EPA’s Energy Star program concluded that homes with programmable or smart thermostats can save up to $180 per year on heating and cooling

Incorporating these ideas will help lower utility bills, improve health and comfort and minimize the impact on the planet. For more information contact a local Realtor with NAR’s Green Designation at GreenREsourceCouncil.org

“The future depends on what you do today.” Gandhi

Lydia Denworth (2014) has said, “Our eyes, ears, skin, nose and mouth are all receptors. Everything that comes into the brain enters through one of these doors.”  that awareness through our senses is perception. She also said, “Perception is an active process of constructing a reality,” With the goal being to sell your home, let us look at how you can ensure that your home is appealing to all 5 of the senses.

Sight: This is such a huge area for first impressions. Curb appeal being the first area to focus on. Make sure that the yard is freshly mowed, hedges trimmed, clean up any debris, and have some potted plants by the door for a welcoming feeling. Paint is a great way to add more visual appeal. Did you know that you could gain $5 for every $1 you potentially spend on painting your home? According to Consumer Reports, tones of light grey for the living room and common spaces, beige or pale greens for the bedrooms, a sunny yellow or wheat tones for the kitchen.

Touch/Feel: is where we will talk about clutter. Make sure that carpets are freshly vacuumed, floors are moped and streak free. Counters are clear. Pack up personal photos and taste specific décor. You want all of the potential buyers to feel like they can live within your space. Preferably that is an upgrade, and how they truly deserve to live.

   Sound: Make an effort to minimize noise within the home, have pets stay off property if possible, consider insulating your garage door to minimize street noise, explore insulating your dishwasher so it is quieter.

Smell: Such an important area. Make sure that the home does not smell like any bio accidents from pets, is clean and fresh, but not loaded with chemicals. Consider baking a batch of cookies or bread, before leaving for a showing. Even looking into diffusing essential oils. The smell of orange is reported to reduce anxiety and encourage feelings of happiness.

Taste: I am not going to ask you to feed anyone, but instead we will focus on the kitchen here. This is an area that can yield a high return. Explore if cabinets need to be repainted, or if simply replacing knobs and drawer pulls could update the look. The cheapest thing you can do to upgrade your kitchen is to minimize everything in it. Clear out the counter tops and leave nothing but the coffee pot on the counters.