Preparing Your Home for Sale

If you are planning to sell your home in the near future, spending some time and money on market preparation can help you achieve a higher sale price in considerably less time.

The first rule is to focus your efforts on first impression items. Walk across the street and look at your house as if you are seeing it for the first time. Does the roof look worn and discolored? If so, it may be possible to “bring it back” with a professional cleaning which is much cheaper than a new roof. Are the gutters loose or downspouts disconnected? Bent or sagging gutters or slanting downspouts can create the illusion of an unsound house. How does the landscaping look? A manicured lawn with well-defined edges sends a message that the house is well maintained. The same holds true for cleaned flower beds. Bushes, trees and shrubs should be pruned to allow the maximum amount of light into the house.

How does the paint look? Again, a simple cleaning can go a long way in improving the appearance. If touch-up painting is necessary, focus your efforts on the front porch first. Buyers will be inspecting this area at close range while their agent fidgets with the key box or waits for the owner to answer the door. Examine the walkway leading up to the porch. Is the concrete badly cracked? A very effective way of dealing with cracks is to fill them with an attractive ground cover such as Baby Tears for shady, moist areas or Green Carpet for sunny, dry locations. Potted plants lining the walkway or sitting on the porch can add color to an entrance area. Flowering cabbage and kale are good for winter months, while geraniums are excellent for warmer times.

Let’s go inside now. Before even looking around, smell the air. The sense of smell is extremely powerful, and odors remain in a buyer’s memory longer than wall colors or bedroom sizes. Mildew, cigarette smoke, and odors from food and pets are the main culprits. Fireplace smoke odors can raise questions about how well the fireplace works. Painting walls and ceilings, and cleaning drapes and carpeting will take care of most odors, however some pet odors can only be dealt with by removing the affected carpeting.
Now look at the entry, living room and dining room. Do they get plenty of natural light? Put simply, sunlight sells! Washing windows inside and out can really help. Window screens block an amazing amount of light, so it is best to remove them if possible. Light paint colors are good too, however avoid bone white or whites with bluish tones. Whites with a yellow tint will appear much warmer and sunnier. Place lights in dark corners. This will help brighten the room and make it feel larger as well. Leave these lights on at all times while the home is on the market.

A sparsely furnished room is preferable because it will also make the home feel larger. It also leaves some space for the buyer to mentally “move in” and place their own furniture. Bedrooms should also be made to appear as large as possible. Although it is often not practical to remove any furniture in a bedroom, cleaning off dresser tops will help dramatically. Placing items you use regularly in small baskets gives a clean look and is still practical for everyday living. Keeping beds made and clothes in the closet will help as well. Bathrooms and kitchens should be clean, bright, and appear well organized. Use small baskets on bathroom counters to reduce the clutter of cosmetics and other toiletries. In the kitchen, keep countertops as bare as possible. Buyers will be mentally moving in their microwaves, toaster ovens, and food processors, so leave plenty of room for them!

There is a saying in the real estate business that “the way you live in a house and the way you sell a house are two different things.” Living in a home that is prepped for the marketing “blitz” can be inconvenient at times but the hassles are definitely outweighed by the benefits you will receive.

Cost-Effective Remodeling

If you are considering a remodel of your home, take the time to think it through so that the money you spend will be waiting for you when you sell your home in the future. Quite often, owners are disappointed because they are not able to recapture their improvement costs at the time of sale. The best way to avoid this disappointment is to think in terms of net gain throughout the remodel.. What is the home presently worth to a buyer? What will it be worth when the remodel is done? What is the net increase and how does it compare with the cost of the remodel? Asking these questions during all phases of the project, from the beginning planning stages all the way through the last minute finished work will aid greatly in accomplishing a cost effective remodel.

Any time you add something to a house, whether it be a new second story addition or just a coat of paint, you are taking away something of value in order to add something of value. When a second story is added, a roof must be torn off first. If the existing roof is in bad condition, the house is currently worth less than if the roof was good, so your net gain with a remodel will be higher if the roof you are tearing off is near the end of its useful life. When repainting your house you are “taking away” the previous coat of paint. If the old paint job is a horrendous color or in very bad condition your net gain will be high. If the old paint job is okay but just not quite what you wanted, the net gain will be low, however you may still choose to do it for your own satisfaction.

By making a list of your home’s attributes and deficiencies you can develop a plan that corrects the weak links in the chain without needlessly spending money on your home’s already positive attributes. This can be challenging because it is tempting to add a related project once your house is torn up. I know a couple who had the original goal of installing a dishwasher in their kitchen, but when the project was completed their home had a second story addition!

Sometimes weak areas can be corrected cost effectively with careful use of color. Many homes have ceramic tile in the kitchens and baths with questionable aesthetics. Unfortunately, they are set in concrete which makes removal and reinstallation very expensive. Hiring an interior designer to select just the right accent colors to go with those tiles can produce amazing results with very little cash outlay.

If the remodel you are planning is a major one such as adding a second story, keep the finished project in line with other homes in the neighborhood. Buyers will only buy the most expensive house on the street if they perceive it as being a real bargain. Try to retain the architectural integrity of the home throughout the original structure and additions, except for kitchens and possibly baths. Creating more modern spaces such as family rooms can be cost effective provided they blend with the original character.

The least expensive way to add square footage to a home is by finishing the basement. This can be cost effective provided that you keep in mind that it is still just a basement and does not warrant the same expense that you would be willing to pay for above ground living space. The amount of value you can add to your basement is directly related to the amount of natural light your basement receives.

If you are considering a redo of your home, whether it be an expensive second story addition or just identifying and addressing the weak links in you house’s chain, feel free to call me for advice. I enjoy helping people invest their remodeling money wisely so that it’s waiting for them down the road when they decide it’s time to move.

Fix Your Toilet, Save Water and Money

Leaking toilets are a major cause of high water bills for residential users. Unlike dripping faucets, toilets can silently leak thousands of gallons in a single month, significantly increasing your utility bill. It also wastes water and electricity, which are two increasingly valuable resources in the Pacific Northwest. Why electricity? The water we use is stored in reservoirs located at the highest elevations throughout our communities. Massive electric pumps are required to get the water to these locations.

There are several different ways that a toilet can leak, and many different symptoms to let you know there is a problem. Here’s a list of the most common symptoms:

The toilet makes sounds when it is not in use.

Water is trickling down the sides of the bowl long after it has been flushed.

The handle needs to be jiggled or needs to be held down to allow the tank to empty.

Water is running over the top of the overflow pipe.
Water is dripping from the refill tube after the tank has refilled.

Some leaks are slow enough that they cannot be observed in a matter of seconds, however there are simple and easy-to-do tests that will let you know if you have a problem.

Dye Test

Remove the tank lid and add some instant coffee, powdered fruit drink, food coloring, or other water soluable non-toxic dye to the water. Add enough to dye the water a deep color. (If you are currently using an in-tank colored bowl cleaner, remove it first and flush several times. You can then re-insert it and use the bowl cleaner to dye the water instead.)

Make sure nobody uses the toilet for the next half hour. After 30 minutes, look in the toilet bowl. If the water in the bowl has been colored by the dye in the tank, the toilet is leaking. The next test will help determine if the leak is at the refill valve or the flush valve.

Waterline Test

With a pencil, make a mark right at the waterline inside the tank. Turn off the water supply by turning the shutoff valve leading to the toilet. Again, make the toilet off-limits for the next half hour. After 30 minutes, check to see if the waterline is still at the pencil mark. If the water level is unchanged (and the toilet failed the dye test), the leak is occuring within the refill valve. If the waterline is lower, the leak is occuring due to a faulty flush valve or the valve seal beneath the valve.

To determine if the fault is in the flush valve or valve seal, keep the shutoff valve (supplying water to the toilet) closed overnight. If the tank drains to the level of the flush valve (leaving about an inch of water in the tank), the valve needs to be replaced. If it leaks below this level, it is likely that the valve seal is leaking.

If the leak is occuring within the refill valve, it is usually easier to replace it than to try fixing it. A new refill valve will cost approximately $15 and take about 30 minutes to install. If you don’t want to tackle it yourself, call a plumber. The money you save will pay for the plumber’s visit over time. Since this refill valve replacement will be well within the plumber’s minimum charge, have the plumber check the other toilets and also replace the washers in your bathroom and kitchen faucets during the service call.

If you have a faulty flush valve, you can probably replace this yourself. To make sure you are getting the right replacement, take the old one with you to the hardware store. Faulty valve seals are also easy to replace. A new seal can often be adhered directly over the old one.

When you are done with all your repairs and replacements, check to make sure the thin refill tube still is positioned directly above the overflow pipe. It is often held in place with a metal clip. The purpose of the refill tube is to refill the toilet bowl at the same time that the tank is filling.

Another Water Saver: Low Flow Toilets

Most toilets manufactured today use 1.6 gallons of water per flush, compared to 2.5 gallons in older toilets. A lot of people feel that these newer low flow toilets don’t get the job done. The answer to this problem is simple: If one flush is not adequate, flush twice. Even with this occasional second flush, a considerable amount of water and money will be saved by switching to the newer toilets. Another point to consider is that some models are much more effective than others. In my search for the “perfect” low flow toilet, I replaced one of my toilets with a Toto, manufactured in Japan. It “moves the goods” much more reliably than my old water hog . I was told by the plumbing supply salesperson that there is a full-time employee at Toto using soy products to make artificial feces for quality control tests. Wouldn’t that look good on a resume?

I replaced another unit with a Caroma, manufactured in Australia. This toilet’s claim to fame is that it has two separate flush buttons. The first button is for solids, using the standard low flow amount of 1.6 gallons per flush. The the second is for liquids, using a mere half gallon per flush. Since most flushes only require button number two (or should I say number one?), this toilet uses half as much water as other low flow toilets on the market.

The ultimate in water-saving technology is the waterless urinal. These units have a Teflon-like finish shedding liquids so effectively that no water is required to rinse it. A lighter-than-water liquid floats on top of the pool of urine at its base, providing odorless operation. Although these units aren’t ideal for home use, businesses could save money and resources by installing them in new construction buildings.

Strange? Perhaps. Inconvenient? Not at all. Conservation does not have to involve sacrifice. All that’s required is an ability to think “out of the box” and a willingness to make slight alterations to our old resource-wasting habits.

In-Fill Housing

Side yard gardens are sprouting more than flowers these days due to several exceptions within the Seattle municipal code. These exceptions have allowed new homes to be built on undersized lots. The new homes are very popular among buyers because they offer modern amenities within an older established community. Many local residents are upset, however, because they feel the intrusion of modern architecture and loss of open space damage the character that people desire. Understanding the lot area exceptions within the municipal code won’t stop the development, but it can at least help people adjust to the changes before they happen.

Much of the current in-fill housing has its roots in the past, when Seattle’s neighborhoods were just getting started. It was very common for land to be platted with narrow 25 foot lots that were 100 feet deep. Usually, these lots were not purchased singly, but in bundles of two or more, being taxed as one parcel. The houses were built without any consideration of the original 25 foot lots, straddling two or more of them. Quite often though, the house would not straddle an end lot, leaving a spacious side yard.

The Seattle municipal code will recognize a side yard as a separate building site provided it meets certain criteria. Off street parking must be available for both the existing house and new building site. Also, the existing house must meet the side setback requirements that were in effect when it was built. The current setback requirement for a house is 5 feet, however prior to 1923 there were no setback requirements at all. This would make it possible for a new home to be only 5 feet from the original pre 1923 structure.

Another minimum lot area exception allows the creation of undersized building sites even if the area was platted with full size lots. A property may be subdivided provided it meets a test called the 75/80 rule. This rule requires that the square footage of these future lots be at least 75% of the minimum lot size required by local zoning. It also requires that the square footage of the new lots be at least 80% of the average lot area of the surrounding tax parcels on the same block face. Most Seattle neighborhoods have a minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet. Using the 75% ratio with this gives a minimum lot size of 3,750 square feet, so the original parcel must be at least 7,500 square feet to pass this first test.

Passing the second test is more difficult. In order for this 7,500 square foot lot to be sub dividable, the average lot size on the block face must be no more than 4,687 square feet. Since a subdivided lot is a new creation, the existing house must meet the current 5 foot side setback requirement regardless of its age. Through the use of a side setback easement it is still possible for the existing house to be closer to the new property line provided the new home is 10 feet away from the existing one.

The influx of people moving to Seattle has put side yards under increased scrutiny by builders and their agents. Having that new neighbor muscle in is not pleasant, but knowing about it in advance might help take the sting out of it.

Building Homes with Straw

Are you looking for a unique home that is energy efficient and resource friendly? Perhaps a straw-bale home is the answer.

Straw-bale homes were first built in this country around the turn of the century, mainly in the Sandhills area of Nebraska. This part of the country was opened up to homesteading in 1904 giving applicants one square mile of land, provided they lived on it and made it productive. There were few trees and no railroads to bring in lumber. The homesteaders soon discovered that bales of straw made a building material that was cheap, easy to use, and well suited to the high winds and extreme temperatures experienced there. Most of these homes were intended by the homesteaders to be temporary, to be replaced by more upscale wood houses once they could afford it. Some of these early straw-bale homes, however, are still inhabited today. Straw bales continued to be used as a building material into the 1930s, but eventually succumbed to more traditional building methods due in part to the social stigma attached with straw-bale’s “claim shanty” past.

The advantages of straw-bale homes are now being rediscovered, with homes ranging from cabins to mansions being built across the country. Insulation and soundproofing are definite plusses of straw-bale homes. Stacked bales of straw create a wall that is 18″ to 23″ thick, providing up to R-50 thermal resistance, compared to traditional new frame construction of R-19. This also provides a very effective sound barrier. There are reports of early homesteaders having a peaceful meal in their homes, unaware that a tornado was ripping through their fields. Another advantage of the thick walls is aesthetics. Covered with stucco or plaster, the thick bale walls turn windows into inviting, light-filled alcoves. The uneven nature of plastered straw bales also gives these homes a more organic feeling, as opposed to the linear, angular nature of sheet-rock and dimensional lumber.

Environmental concerns are also behind the straw-bale surge. A recent U.S. Forest Service report states that “For the first time in history the United States does not have a large reserve of high-quality softwood saw timber available for harvest.” Although lumber is still required for a straw-bale home, there is enough of a reduction to take some of the pressure off our forests. It takes decades to produce building grade dimensional lumber. Straw is a truly renewable resource, taking only one year to grow. The main environmental advantage, however, may be felt in our farming communities. Straw is agricultural waste generated from grain crops such as flax, wheat and rice. The most economical way to get rid of this waste has been to burn it, but this practice has caused enough pollution to prompt some states to ban burning. Turning this waste into a commodity creates a win-win situation for the farming industry and the environment.

It is too early to tell whether straw-bale houses will become commonplace. Most of the homes so far have been custom built, usually with the owner doing a significant amount of the work. Local authorities are hesitant to grant permits, which adds to the cost of construction. Until this and other obstacles are overcome, straw-bale homes will continue to be unique and special.

The use of straw in housing will probably find faster acceptance as a raw material for more traditional products such as acoustic ceiling tiles, particle board, and medium density fiber board. Some factories are now being built to produce these products, and it is very likely that by this means straw will find its way into the structure of our homes.

Building a House in Mexico

I recently visited a home construction site just outside Mexico City. If I had to sum up my observations in one word it would be CONCRETE. The structural aspects of the house are similar to a well built commercial building in the United States, with steel reinforced concrete used for the walls, upper floors, and roof. The difference lies in the finish work and the low tech, labor intensive way that the work is completed. Steel scaffolding and aluminum ladders are nowhere to be found. Instead ladders are pieced together on site with scrap lumber that is used and reused as the need arises. Most of the construction and finish work is done with hand tools, many of which are made by their owners. I saw leftover scraps of re-bar that had been fashioned into chisels, crowbars, and even a hack-saw!

Building regulations are foreign to Mexican residential construction. Even in the more expensive homes the waste plumbing is often unvented allowing sewer gases to enter the house. Electrical wiring is usually ungrounded and heating systems inadequate. Structurally, however, most of the better homes are far superior to a typical upscale home in the Pacific Northwest.
While I was visiting the site, workers were busily adding plaster detailing to the perimeter of the ceilings and cupolas. When finished, the look is similar to ornately milled cove molding found in some of Seattle’s finer homes. The plaster is applied (thrown) onto the ceiling, then scraped over with a tin template held in place by wooden guides. It takes many passes to get the full ornate detailing, but the speed and skill of the workers transformed the room as I watched. The tin template was made on site to the owners’ specifications, with a test sample immediately made for their approval. If the design was not quite right, no problem. The tin snips were back at work creating a new template. More ornamental detailing is created by first carving the design in wood, making a latex mould, then filling it with plaster. These sections are then inserted into a channel in the coving, creating a rich floral band around the perimeter of the room.

While I was marveling at the centuries old technology and artistry that was taking place, Carlos the landscaper appeared with some plans for the owners’ approval. He pulled out a photograph of the front of the house that had been taken several days before. Something was different. This photo did not show the construction shack, the workers’ cooking pit, or the tangles of rebar in the front yard. Instead there was a reflecting pond, a stone archway, and flowering trees screening the view of the neighboring home. Oh, the wonders of digital technology! The reflecting pond was not to the owners’ liking, so Carlos invited us to his ofiice to try out some other possibilities. Looking out the car window on the way to his office I noticed a large hand-made sign with the word “ASBESTOS” printed on it, with an arrow pointing down the road. It would be interesting to see the reaction this sign would cause in Seattle.

After making a few modifications to the virtual photo on his computer, Carlos invited us to tour another part of his business. He and his partner, Alejandro, led us into a room where three women donning surgical masks were carefully placing flea sized plant segments into jars containing a nutrient-rich agar culture. These tiny plant segments all came from a mother plant having physical properties desirable to customers. The jars are then sealed, and stored in a temperature controlled room. Here they grow, without the aid of roots, until they are ready to be transplanted into soil and moved to a greenhouse. They will then mature into clones of the mother plant, all having just the right characteristics.

Most of these plants will be sold to farmers for growing crops. Some of these hi-tech plants, however, will be used in landscaping. They will adorn the houses built with home-made hand tools, outdated technology, and centuries old craftsmanship.