House Hunting – What to Look For in Kitchens

When house hunting, and looking at kitchens and baths, a big consideration to keep in mind is kitchens and baths are usually the two most expensive rooms to remodel or update. This post from May of 2013 gives the average costs of remodeling a kitchen and bathroom. The other consideration when looking at kitchens is to look at the condition … Read More

Shingles, Flashing, and Roofing

In a previous blog post, one of the five big ticket areas to look at when house hunting is the roof and especially the shingles. If there are any leaks in a roof or the metal flashing that surrounds pipes and chimneys, water will find a way to seep in. Below is information on what to look for when house … Read More

Five Big Ticket Items when House Hunting

When house hunting, there are many aspects of a house that will be liked or disliked such as paint color, or size of the backyard. There may also be parts of the house that may need repair. Many elements can be changed or repaired with little effort such as repainting a room, the size of the backyard would be more … Read More

Road Noise

Road noise is a problem that is present from day one when looking for a house, or when the house on a quiet 2 lane road in the country becomes a 30 lane highway. When house hunting, road noise does not necessarily have to be a deal killer. Below are ways to dampen road noise to have a quiet and … Read More

Online Neighborhood Information

Browsing online is an excellent way to house hunt. Finding information on neighborhoods and nearby parks, schools, and restaurants is not as easy. Listed below are tons of online resources to discover events and ways to find all that Michiana neighborhoods have to offer. Walk Score has tons of information about parks, schools, coffee shops, restaurants, and grocery stores that … Read More

Reducing Stress Moving with Kids

Moving and Public Speaking are two of the biggest stresses that will be encountered within a persons lifetime. Moving is the one form of stress that is hardest to avoid. The stress of moving is also compounded if the move involves children. Proper planning and organization along with the tips and videos below will assist in easing the stress of … Read More

I Didn’t Think of That

Beginning to think, “this might be the house to put an offer on”, below are some aspects to double check before placing an offer. Does the kitchen have enough counter and storage space. Can all the kitchen appliances co-exist? Does the refrigerator become inaccessible when the dishwasher is open? Are there enough outlets in the kitchen to power blenders, toasters, … Read More

Home Inspection Data Gathering

Financing is all set, offer on the home has been accepted, next up is the home inspection. The Chicago Tribune recently did an article on home inspections and how to maximize the entire process. Below are highlights from the article on ways to effectively gather information, while still allowing the home inspector to perform the inspection. Bring something to take … Read More

Choosing the Right Neighborhood

There are many external factors that need to be considered when purchasing a house, and one of the biggest to be considered is the surrounding community or neighborhood. There are also other factors in the surrounding neighborhood that need to be considered. Drive around the neighborhood specifically looking at the number of homes for sale and see how many have … Read More