Posts tagged: real estates

Bathroom suites are a must-have for every home, they add comfort and value to the overall design of the home. As you may have noticed, certain home remodeling increases the retail value of the house while others may not have as much impact, or may even have no impact at all.

Studies show that new bathroom suites add more value to the cost of a home. Well-maintained and updated fixtures do raise the value of a home notches higher. Experts claim that when it comes to selling a house, the appearance and the value of the house is a strong selling point.

There are many options available to homeowners on the many different types of bathroom suites that are online. You will find both modern and traditional varieties when you go shopping. A traditional one comes with a double side end roll top bath with ball feet designs. These outstanding tubs retain their traditional designs and structure and are made from long lasting contemporary material. Traditional suites are known for their pedestal sinks. Moreover, there toilet seats are sold differently to enable you buy and play with colors.

There are very high valued bathroom suites out in the market and online. These products come in different price ranges, color and design. Most suite sets come with other products like mirrors, basins, bidets, baths, pedestal sinks, a toilet and a toilet seat.

A beautifully designed bathroom suite should comprise of a large basin, a toilet, bidet, beautiful accessories and a pedestal sink. Many suites have different toilet seat designs and styles. Some toilets are low-level toilets while some are high. You can also add more flavor to your bathroom by providing a heated towel stand.

There are many great brand names and they are available to everyone and anyone who can afford them. Some suites are cheap while others cost more but they all serve equal functions although some are more sophisticated in features and function than others.

A good bathroom is an investment in any home, so ensure to choose the right bathroom suite when remodeling. Also ensure that you mix and match products perfectly, because of the different brands you use especially if you are not an expert interior designer. Buy products you can afford and ensure to get an expert installer to do the finishing work for you rather than do it yourself. Your home is incomplete without the presents of a bathroom suite.

There are many different types of real estate property. These include condos, apartments and single family houses. Single family houses are those that are occupied by only one family and have only one dwelling unit. This is quite different from apartments and condos which have multiple dwellings and are occupied by many families. Like other types of real estate property, these houses also have some advantages and disadvantages. These advantages and disadvantages are discussed below.

Advantages

Firstly, single family homes have more appreciation in value and are more resistant to down markets than multifamily dwellings. Thus, your investment will be protected and yield greater returns.

Secondly, such houses provide control over your space. You can renovate, remodel or revamp your home the way you want. There are no restrictions on changing the look of your home. Thus, you can make your home match your personality. However, you still have to follow city and locality rules.

Thirdly, there is more privacy in such houses. You don’t share walls with anyone and so, can enjoy the peace and quiet. You also don’t have to put up with any nonsense of other families living in the community.

Fourthly, there is no association to deal with. You don’t have to give any maintenance fee for your home or follow the strict rules and regulations of the association.

Disadvantages

Firstly, the cost of single family homes is high. They are more expensive than multifamily homes. Many people cannot afford them single family homes and so, opt for multifamily houses.

Secondly, maintenance is the responsibility of the homeowner. This can be quite a headache as everything from landscaping to plumbing has to be done by the homeowner himself.

Thirdly, amenities like swimming pool and gym will cost a lot in single family homes and are affordable only for those having high income.

Fourthly, the cost of maintenance is high in these homes since everything has to be done by the homeowner. In multifamily homes, the cost is shared and so maintenance is not that high.

Finally, it is better to have an apartment or condo in the city near facilities like hospitals and transport rather than a home in the suburbs where everything is far away. This is especially true if you work in the city and have to commute to your workplace every day.

In the end, the suitability of a single family home depends on you and your needs. So keep these advantages and disadvantages as well as your own preferences in mind when deciding whether or not to buy such a house.

Transportable Homes are Environmentally Friendly

Damage to the environment on your site is minimised compared with having a team of builders on site for 3 months. Also, when placing your new relocatable home, the impact on fora and fauna is greatly reduced. The ability to choose your building materials empowers you to make good decisions so your new home is more energy efficient and eco-friendly.

Solar heating is an option; like with any regular home. Your ability to reduce your impact on environment and have a clean, green home is achievable with a pre-manufactured home.

In some cases, a company may use recycled building materials upon your request to embrace eco-friendly building practices.

Transportable Homes Building Material Choices

You have a wide range of different building materials to choose from to customise your relocatable home. Everything from the cladding to the roofing; flooring to paint for your walls. You have as much choice and freedom to individualised your house as building a home in the traditional method.

Transportable Homes are Well Insulated

Relocatable homes are traditionally smaller and therefore heating a compact area costs less. Also, the insulation standards of new homes is high in Australia; regardless of building on or off site.

Heating a well insulated home is going to save you money. Whether you decide to heat your new house with electricity, gas or fireplace; your costs are reduced when heating and cooling a well insulated, energy-efficient home.

Transportable Homes are the Best Value for Your Money

Because your relocatable home is manufactured off-site, the materials are purchased in bulk and the savings are passed on to you. There is less waste during manufacture in a controlled environment. Also, all the Tradesmen are in the on location and following a system which makes relocatable homes a very cost effective housing option.

Because all the electrical wiring and plumbing is laid out and tested during the building process; your costs are greatly reduced when hooking up to power, gas, water and plumbing on your site.

Transportable Homes are Stronger

In most cases, buildings that are going to be transported (sometimes hundreds of kilometers) have to have extra reinforcing to stop damage during transit. Pre-manufactured homes on the other hand are built stronger to cope with the flexing, wind and movement; heavier reinforcement is part of the normal construction.

Transportable Homes are Hassle-free and FAST.

When you decide to have a relocatable made to your liking; you pass over all the tedious and frustrating elements to your contractor. No waiting for Tradesmen to turn up late or praying the weather stays fine. Everything is taken care of by your manufactured home supplier; who may construct your new home in a massive shed. In a production-line where the weather is not a reason for any building delays. The average building time for a manufactured home is 12 weeks in Australia.

When you compare this to waiting 12 to 18 months for a builder to even start building on your block; transportable homes look very attractive.

The beauty of a relocatable home is seeing your empty land become a property with a home on it in 24 hours. FAST and convenient.

Transportable Homes Using Your Design and Floor Plan

Companies that manufacture relocatable homes have a standard range of floor-plans to choose from. However, they can be modified to suit your lifestyle. Or, you can send the company a sketch of your dream home and they will be able to help you bring it to fruition.

In the past 10 years, technology has advanced to such an extent that architects have been enabled to design fabulous luxury homes constructed in modules within the pre-manufactured building sector.

Transportable Homes can be Moved in the Future.

Relocatable homes are built on a chassis and easily moved. So, if you decide in 10 years time to relocate to another property,… you can.

To learn more about relocatable homes in Australia, visit Transportable Homes Specialist and Get Your FREE Information Guide.

The Day-Taylor House was built in 1857 in a beautiful Italian Villa style architecture at the same time that Samuel Colt, the creator of the Colt Revolver built his Armsmear estate directly across the street. Located at the center of the Colt Architectural legacy at 81 Wethersfield Avenue, it has been a residence of several prominent Hartford, Connecticut families.

The Day-Taylor House was built by Hirim Billel, the highly esteemed Hartford builder who also built Connecticut’s State Capitol and the Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park. It was influenced by the ideas of Andrew Jackson Downing who wrote treatises on landscape design and architecture that were widely popular at the time. It is an example of a style that Downing called “Italianate” based on Italian farmhouses that were also being depicted in popular landscape paintings of the period.

The three story red brick masonry and white trimmed building has an asymmetrical facade dominated by floor-to-ceiling arched windows at every level, balconies, cast-iron lintels and a flat-roofed cupola. The brackets lining the low-pitched roof and cupola are particularly detailed and ornate. The three-part veranda of the front facade is supported by elaborate Corinthian columns. The front facade has remained unchanged since its original construction.

The first owner and resident was Albert F. Day, a descendant of Robert Day who was one of the original colonial settlers of Hartford. The house was later occupied by his father, a Connecticut Attorney General. Later owners included Mary Borden Munsill of the Borden Milk company and Edwin Taylor. In 1928 the house was bought by the Fraternal Order of Eagles who used it as a meeting house, and headquarters. In 1974 it was bought by the Hartford Redevelopment Agency.

The Day-Taylor House is also significant located in Hartford’s Colt architectural legacy which stretches along both sides of Wethersfield Avenue for two blocks. The area has become designated as the Coltsville Historical District.

The Day-Taylor House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It had a significant restoration in 1979 and the building now serves as offices. The combination of it being built by one of Hartford’s most distinguished builders Hirim Billel, that it was built the same year and directly across the street from the Samuel Colt Home and the Armsmear Estate Park, and that it has been owned and occupied by so many notable Hartford residents makes it one of Hartford, Connecticut’s most important historical homes.

Not every person likes to buy an existing home when shopping for that dream spot on earth. For those who want to be the first one living in that new home, a home builder will pose the first obstacle in the building project.

In order to choose just the right builder for your project, you will first need to decide which type of house you will want to have constructed. There are two types of builders. The production builder and the custom builder.

The Production Home Builder

The production home is one that is designed on a large scale and mass produced as a “model”. These models are often changed up a bit with available customizations and upgrades to the home. These upgrades are offered as part of a package added onto a base model home.

Production homes are often offered at a base price with additional costs being added to the final price for those last minute touches. When choosing a production home builder, it is best to buy the home as a package with all of the appliances and upgrades included. Adding these items individually can drive the price up higher than the market value may allow; leaving the owner with immediate negative equity in the home.

The Custom Builder

For the potential home owner who wants to build a home from scratch, a custom home builder will be able to help you along the process of planning the home and attaining all of the permits needed for the build. The potential home owner will have to purchase a plot of land, have the land surveyed and choose a set of plans for their home.

When choosing custom plans for a home, remember that these plans are only a guide. A custom home builder will be able to adjust the plans to your specifications before the final plans for the home are set in stone.

As the home progresses, the extra costs associated with incidentals will need to be taken into consideration when pricing the home and staying within budget.

Real estate is an investment and while many people love the immediate nature of buying an established home, for those who want to own a home of their own that is customized to their wants and needs of a builder is one of the best options.

A 1986 study conducted by the Institute of Medicine concluded many residents of nursing homes were being subject to ill treatment. This study fueled the efforts for reforms which became law in 1987. The Nursing Home Reform Act was passed as a portion of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987.

The objective of the reforms was to ensure patients received the highest practical care to foster their mental, physical, and psychosocial well-being. The act established a Resident’s Bill of Rights and specifies services which should be given. Medicare and Medicaid payments will be halted if the facility does not comply with the reforms. As nursing homes rely on the majority of their expenses to be funded from these sources, the facilities are forced to make sure their care is up to standards.

Required resident services include: comprehensive care plans for each individual resident, periodic assessments by professional, nursing services, rehabilitation services, social services, pharmaceutical services, dietary services, and if the facility houses more than 120 patients, it must employ a social worker full time.

The Residents’ Bill of Rights gives patients the following:

-The right to freedom from abuse, mistreatment, and neglect;

-The right to freedom from physical restraints;

-The right to privacy;

-The right to accommodation of medical, physical, psychological, and social needs;

-The right to participate in resident and family groups;

-The right to be treated with dignity;

-The right to participate in the review of one’s care plan, and to be fully informed in advance about any changes in care, treatment, or change of status in the facility; and

-The right to voice grievances without discrimination or reprisal

To asses whether nursing homes meet the criteria as designated by the Nursing Home Reform Act, the law established a certification process. It requires the state to conduct unannounced surveys and resident interviews at random times. However, the government did not issue regulations for the process until 1995. If there are specific complaints filed against a nursing home, the residents will often be surveyed accordingly so if a problem exists it can be detected.

If a nursing home is found in violation, it might have the opportunity to correct deficiencies before discipline is imposed. However, the following sanctions have been imposed for facilities which do not pass: directed in-service training of staff, directed plan of correction, state monitoring, civil monetary penalties, denial of payment for all new Medicare or Medicaid admissions, Denial of payment for all Medicaid or Medicare patients, temporary management, and termination of the provider agreement.

Most people define luxury majorly in terms of price but there is so much more to luxury than just the amount of money you spend. It is very hard to define luxury homes in an exact way because this is something made up of several factors. If you are looking for a posh home to buy, there are some general qualities expected within it and they are what together create the luxury that is the home. Below are some of the features that such homes tend to have in common.

Prime location

Luxury homes tend to in coveted locations like on the beach or overlooking a sea for that matter. Others are in secluded mountainous areas or atop one while others may be overlooking a beautiful city. It all depends on whether you wish to have your home in the city or the country but generally they will be prime located attracting high end buyers for that reason.

High price

Like mentioned earlier price does interpret luxury and most homes under this category will be highly priced. Different areas attract different prices but you cannot expect to pay anything lower than half a million when looking for a luxurious home to and the prices can go way up into tens of millions depending on the magnitude of the property.

Exquisite amenities

Luxury home carry the most exquisite amenities in that you can conduct your life right from your home without needing other services out of it. Most will have a gym, spa, swimming pool, Jacuzzis, arcade rooms, movie theaters and even decontamination rooms. Some luxury homes come with outrageous amenities and they are what attract the buyers because they make the property unique, self-sufficient and convenient in every sense. They are some of the factors commanding prices apart from location.

Premier quality

Luxury homes have everything selected with care from the appliances, finishes, design and even materials used for construction and décor. They are all cut above standards so you the buyer can have something to pride yourself in. Hardwoods, marbles, crystals and Venetian plasters among others are common components in the homes.

Exclusivity

High end buyers including high profile individuals and celebrities treat their homes as serene refuges hence privacy is given center stage in luxury homes. If the home is not located in a secluded land large in size, then privacy will be achieved using foliage covers, high walls and tightly gated entrances sometimes complete with guards to keep the peace.

Luxury homes without doubt have so much to offer to buyers; as long as you can buy it, you can enjoy it. Some buyers actually look for homes that have interesting stories or histories behind them to give them that edge that everyone yearns for. Whatever the choice you make, you can definitely expect much more from a luxury property than a standard normal home. The choices are numerous so finding your ideal luxury home should not be too much of a task.

INTERIORS FOR YOUR LIVING ROOM

A house has many arenas as we discussed earlier. We shall discuss about some most essential areas in the house. Starting with the living room, we can say that it is the most occupied room in the house.

Designing living room for comfort and relaxation.

Generally when a visitor enters the house, the living room is the first area which comes to sight. Obviously the designing of this arena shall create a first impression of your house. Attraction and envy will prove the success of the interior designing. A living room should look bright, rich and bold.

Avoid colors which are dull or too much harsh on eyes. Your living room must look simple but yet stylish and welcoming. It must turn out very glamorous and attractive with ample of comfort and relaxation. Avoid clumsy and large furniture which would occupy most of the place in the room. Select fixtures per your taste but which would show elegance with other materials in the living room.

Add frames and flower pots as per your taste and designs. Just avoid over sizing in any of the arenas of living room. Living room is the most authentic situate of a home used to entertain your guests. It is a place where you occasionally tranquil. So all the home owners attempt to redefine this arena of their home. Home decorating ideas are not all about decorating belongings in your environment, but they are certainly the techniques you use to decorate your space in exact style.

INTERIORS OF A BEDROOM

The most important part of your house is your bedroom. May your house be an apartment, row house or a bungalow, what is vital is the need for a cozy and comfortable sleep. Turn your bedroom into a beautiful, romantic and quiet place so that the couple may feel at home and relax from the day stress. It should also be warm, welcoming and stylish.

Creativity changes as per the size of your bedroom. If your room is small it needs more creativity. Compact furnishing and bright colors add to the look of small bedroom. Simplicity in designing will make the room look artistic and sophisticated. Curtains, walls and floors cool and warm color. Avoid light and dull colors for curtains, bed sheets, pillows and wall hangings or drapes. Design them to match up with furniture and fixtures in the room.

Flowers and perfumed candles are the best way to keep this space look attractive and full of romance. Integrate with nature if you like to make this arena more attractive. Plants either real or artificial would also add to the look. Create bedroom lighting more artistic to add fascination to your life and moments you spend together in your bedroom. Put together stylish lighting stuffs in the bedroom. They will add a dramatic effect and light up your moments.

Home interior design has a foremost effect on how spacious it looks. Even though you have not essentially hard-pressed out the walls or raised the ceiling, you can use color, texture and pattern to fashion that outcome.

INTERIOR FOR THE KITCHEN

Kitchen is the heart of a home. Before designing this space please think of how you live and move around this space. The kitchen decorations and designing should show your internal self, your style and essence. Kitchen interiors involve knowing about the common design, setting up of specific fixtures and deciding on decorating idea.

Modern Kitchens are miniature kitchens as their furniture designs are modular and simple. With glass cabinets, sleek counter tops, in-built cabinet lights and easy to use kitchen counters, the furniture looks stylish and luxurious. Luxurious interior design goes hand in hand with modern interiors. If your kitchen space is large then you can take pleasure in designing your Kitchen luxuriously.

Luxury does not mean waste of money but, it just means that you can now carry out a lot of more ideas and dreams inherent in you. Luxurious interior designs create an ambiance more charming, captivating, stylish and attractive.

Log Homes and Timber Frame Homes may have the lowest carbon footprint of any other type of construction. A carbon footprint is the measurement of carbon dioxide released as a result of using a particular product or other human activity. Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere and major contributor to global warming.

A report prepared by the Edinburgh Center for Carbon Management (ECCM) compared the carbon dioxide footprints of three structures and the benefits when more timber was introduced into the construction. The results were astounding. ECCM estimated that there could be up to an 88% reduction of greenhouse gases by using log or timber structural elements wherever possible rather than other conventional building materials. The reduction of greenhouse gases was achieved by replacing materials high energy, high CO2 production values, such as steel and concrete, with solid wood. The report states that the production of steel and concrete materials accounts for 10% of the total global emissions of greenhouse gases. These materials have a high CO2 output created during the extraction of raw materials, refining, processing and manufacturing of the finished product. As reported in a study published by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, the energy consumed to process a tree into a finished sawn timber is about one-tenth of steel production.

In another report prepared by The Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM) compared four different structure using different wall systems – two woods, one concrete and one steel. The report found that the steel wall system generated 33% more greenhouses gases than wood and the concrete wall generated 80% more greenhouse gases than wood. The study also reported that the wood structures out-performed the steel and concrete houses in energy use and the impact on air and water quality.

Wood walls are typically framed or solid. Conventionally framed walls use a combination a several materials including processed wood products such as plywood or other laminated wood products, fiberglass insulation, exterior siding, interior sheetrock and some type of wall covering. Solid wood walls using logs or timbers have basically one product – the log or timber. The energy consumed and the CO2 produced in the production of logs and timbers is a fraction compared to the production of all the various materials in a conventionally framed wall.

Consumers are much more aware the environmental impact of using different materials and are being increasing sensitive to the hazards of exposure to chemically processed materials. Logs and timbers are 100% natural. As a natural product, they do not emit VOCs or other pollutants into the outdoor or indoor space. Trees are produced from soil, water and air combined with the energy from the sun, in a miraculous process of photosynthesis. Ecologically and environmentally, solid wood is the only building product that is renewable, biodegradable, recyclable, energy efficient and extremely beautiful.

Sustained and plantation forest growth actually reduces greenhouse gases by consuming CO2 out of the atmosphere while the trees are growing. Political pressure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, such as the Kyoto Protocol, is sure to continue and it will become increasingly important to find solution. The use of solid wood construction such as log homes and timber homes can make a positive contribution.

Dunwoody offers typical North Atlanta homes in the plantation style that is recognized as typical of the Southern States, and also of the more modern style of housing. At one time you wouldn’t expect to find condos in Dunwoody, but it is now being heralded as the potential new Buckhead and now apartments and high rise condos are becoming more common.

This is in conformation with the increasing prominence of Atlanta in the commercial and business world in general, and to be truthful you will find that house prices in this part of the South will not hold for long. As the recession in the USA deepens, the prices in Atlanta seem to be unaffected, and this is one area of the USA where property speculation has not yet died.

Investors still purchase Atlanta properties, and Dunwoody is beginning to attract their attention. If you have a need for a home in this area by virtue of your work, then take the step now because it might soon be too late to secure a reasonable property at a realistic price for you. Demand raises prices, and demand is starting to increase in Dunwoody.

The home of R&B artist Usher, Cindy Wilson of the B-52s and rapper Khia, Dunwoody would appear the place to be if you are of a musical nature, but there is a lot more to this district of Atlanta than just popular music. Due to its ‘close in’ location, and the reasons already stated, property prices are soaring, and now is the time to buy. Leave it too late and you might have problems since many property investors are becoming interested in Dunwoody.

There is now a wide range of properties available in Dunwoody, including family homes, apartments, condos and even land on which to build your own home. Whether you wish to purchase or rent, you will find a good choice of available properties here. If you are familiar with the panhandle of Sandy Springs, then that is practically surrounded by Dunwoody, of which many Sandy Springs residents believe themselves to be part.

Residents of this town have a strong feeling of community spirit, and the Dunwoody Homeowners Association is one of the most influential and powerful in the whole of the USA. The town itself (it has not yet been awarded city status) is thriving, and new schools are being built to cater for the increasing population of new and young families. Because of the expansion of the city of Atlanta into the suburbs, Dunwoody is now one of the most desirable residential areas in the whole of the city.

Without the commercialism of Buckhead, Dunwoody is only minutes from the business areas by public transportation, and has its own shopping and dining areas, thus rendering it extremely attractive to employees of the many corporations that have centered their head offices in Georgia. With a low crime rate and excellent recreational facilities, the demand for family homes in Dunwoody has never been greater, and also has never been better provided.

Homes in Dunwoody range in price from around $200,000 to about $4 million, with an average of around $300,000 – $400,000 for a good family home with 4 bedrooms and a good garden and backyard for these fabulous summer barbecues you will be hosting. Quite frankly, if you work in North Atlanta, then Dunwoody is for you, although, the transportation system is so good that Dunwoody is good wherever in Atlanta you have to travel to.

If you are not familiar with Atlanta, Dunwoody sits to the north, and is practically devoid of crime. It consists mainly of single family homes, with no sharing, and one or two condos and apartments that are rapidly increasing due to the increase in the commercial properties bringing more jobs to the area.

Basically it is one of the most prestigious areas of Atlanta housing single professionals and professional families. There are several good private and public schools and this is definitely the place for young executives with families that like eating out at good restaurants and can afford good housing. Public transport is excellent and appears to be designed for urban professionals that commute to work by train rather than by car.

The housing is improving and if you intend to purchase a home in this part of Atlanta, make your mind up soon, because prices are rising and the town of Dunwoody is rapidly becoming the place to live. Affordable homes in Dunwoody are becoming scarcer and more expensive by the day.