A good house hunters was on yesterday. It had a family looking to buy a vacation home in Hawaii moving from the other not continental US state of Alaska. What I learned in this one is that real estate and homes in Hawaii are expensive!
The first home they looked at was $400,000 and this was for a 2 bedroom condo with $800 / month condo fees! Anyways the family needed to double up their budget to $850,000 to look at the next home which they really seemed to love. Wow Hawaii, I think is a great place to visit but not one that I'm going be be buying any real estate in anytime soon.
Monday, 25 July 2011
Deck Wars - Really?
So I watched a show of Deck Wars earlier this week and was not that impressed, but I wanted to give myself some time to think about it before I blogged. But here I am several days later and my impression really hasn't change it is still "Really what's the point?".
I wasn't impressed with this show at all. It's is a spin off of "Decked Out" which is a show I liked by this one just felt to bland. I can see how "Deck Wars" is trying to become a "Cake Off" like show in relation to Cake Boss but this one just felt pointless.
Maybe somebody else can enlighten me.
I wasn't impressed with this show at all. It's is a spin off of "Decked Out" which is a show I liked by this one just felt to bland. I can see how "Deck Wars" is trying to become a "Cake Off" like show in relation to Cake Boss but this one just felt pointless.
Maybe somebody else can enlighten me.
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Selling New York - Back Again
It's been a few weeks since I watched or blogged about Selling New York and I must say that I found this show a lot more interesting. It may be that my expectations have been lowered or that the show is growing on me. In either case I enjoyed last nights show.
What was most interesting about it was the the REALTOR when home shopping for a client that was moving to NY from Los Angeles. The real estate agent found the perfect home for the buyers to rent ... good sized with a nice back yard .... so the client told the realtor to get it for them ... sight unseen ... now that is a lot of trust.
http://kathymm.freerealestateadvice.com/
What was most interesting about it was the the REALTOR when home shopping for a client that was moving to NY from Los Angeles. The real estate agent found the perfect home for the buyers to rent ... good sized with a nice back yard .... so the client told the realtor to get it for them ... sight unseen ... now that is a lot of trust.
http://kathymm.freerealestateadvice.com/
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Foreclosed Arizona Real Estate For Cheap!
I watched a real estate show this past weekend in Arizona which I haven't blogged about because it's all become a big blur at this point. However, I wanted to profile this video of a foreclosed home in Arizona, which is one of the hardest hit real estate markets. The home below is listed for only $65,000! Which would be an amazing deal around here.
Check out what you can buy for cheap in Arizona real estate:
http://kathymm.freerealestateadvice.com/
Check out what you can buy for cheap in Arizona real estate:
http://kathymm.freerealestateadvice.com/
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Current Florida Real Estate Video
Since the last House Hunters what in Florida, I figured I'd profile a nice piece of Florida real estate video with this next one.
I hope you enjoy this one!
I hope you enjoy this one!
New Real Estate Video for Eastside Ave Nashville TN
My 2nd installment of profiling some new videos and current real estate for sale based upon some of the real estate tv shows we discussed I'm profiling this video from Nashville TN.
As you can see from this video the homes are not what was seen in the show, but I think this video gives a more realistic view of current homes for sale in the Nashville area. This home looks well maintained and well price. It probably will not last that long.
In addition, the production value of this real estate video is pretty innovative and draws you into it. The time of the video is pretty good too.
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Property Virgins - Buying A Short Sale in Florida
I watched a very disheartening eposide of Property Virgins last night. The show took place in Florida with a young couple trying to by a condo. When they where shopping for a new home they found that all of the condos in their price range where short sales.
However, they probably isn't full accurate I would imagine that most homes for sale in Florida are short sales these days. In any event of the 3 homes they looked at they found one that they loved at the top end of their budget and made an offer on it.
The current condo owner accepted their offer and that is when the wheels of progress ground to a halt as now the paper work went to the bank for it's final approval. Well the show fast forwards 4 months to 5 days before the condo is set to close and we find out that the property virgins didn't get the home. It seems that at the last minute the bank decided it wasn't going to accept the deal and offer to change the loan conditions of the current owner!
There is something seriously wrong with this situation. You should have a firm deal withina week of an offer so people don't get strung along like this.
However, they probably isn't full accurate I would imagine that most homes for sale in Florida are short sales these days. In any event of the 3 homes they looked at they found one that they loved at the top end of their budget and made an offer on it.
The current condo owner accepted their offer and that is when the wheels of progress ground to a halt as now the paper work went to the bank for it's final approval. Well the show fast forwards 4 months to 5 days before the condo is set to close and we find out that the property virgins didn't get the home. It seems that at the last minute the bank decided it wasn't going to accept the deal and offer to change the loan conditions of the current owner!
There is something seriously wrong with this situation. You should have a firm deal withina week of an offer so people don't get strung along like this.
Monday, 11 July 2011
House Hunters Trilogy in Nashville
I saw an eposide of House Hunters this weekend which was set in Nashville and it ended up being the final chapter of a trilogy. Trilogy in house hunter? Yep, I was confused as well, it turns out that this was this home buyers 3 time on the show!
It seems that this home buyer was on prior with her first house hunt, buying a home after getting a divorce and now she had got married again and was looking for a new family home in Nashville.
Of the homes they looked at where 2 standard large family homes and a 3rd house that was waterfront but required a lot of work. Well the choice was pretty clear what they where going to pick it was the lake front home.
This home was a great size, had a wonderful view and lots of sunlight. The only problem in my mind was the steep slope it was on that lead down to the water and the large number of stairs that would need to be maintained.
The final section of the show had them checking in with the home buyers 4 months later and it seems that they had not actually moved in yet. They were still involved in doing a lot of painting and reno's. However the house did look great so I doubt that they'll be back for a fourth show.
It seems that this home buyer was on prior with her first house hunt, buying a home after getting a divorce and now she had got married again and was looking for a new family home in Nashville.
Of the homes they looked at where 2 standard large family homes and a 3rd house that was waterfront but required a lot of work. Well the choice was pretty clear what they where going to pick it was the lake front home.
This home was a great size, had a wonderful view and lots of sunlight. The only problem in my mind was the steep slope it was on that lead down to the water and the large number of stairs that would need to be maintained.
The final section of the show had them checking in with the home buyers 4 months later and it seems that they had not actually moved in yet. They were still involved in doing a lot of painting and reno's. However the house did look great so I doubt that they'll be back for a fourth show.
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Auto Insurance firms
Just wanted to follow up on my earlier post about auto insurance and the problems of not have it. We've seen the impacts of not having proper house insurance and the impossible replacement costs of fixing your home. Well I think that not having proper auto insurance will also be very bad on your financial health as well.
I've done some internet surfing and found the following link that may be of value:
http://www.carinsurancerates.com/car-insurance-companies.html
The text on this site reads about Home insurance instant gratification, courtesy of Car Insurance Rates. I hope that it is of value.
I've done some internet surfing and found the following link that may be of value:
http://www.carinsurancerates.com/car-insurance-companies.html
The text on this site reads about Home insurance instant gratification, courtesy of Car Insurance Rates. I hope that it is of value.
Saturday, 9 July 2011
Current Real Estate For Sale Video in Chicago
I am starting a new type of blog posts where I'm going to try to combine TV real estate with real video real estate and homes for sale. What I am going to do is highlight some current real estate videos based upon some of the cities we have seen in House Hunter, Property Virgins, My First Sale and other HGTV TV shows.
So the first feature video is from Chicago, check out this 4 bedroom home for sale in the west suburbs of Chicago I think that the home owners from the show may have had a better buy with this one.
So the first feature video is from Chicago, check out this 4 bedroom home for sale in the west suburbs of Chicago I think that the home owners from the show may have had a better buy with this one.
I hope you enjoyed this video, let me know what you think of it. And please remember to
take advantage of the social media icons below if you enjoyed this one.
Thursday, 7 July 2011
Yard Crashers - Backyard Pool in 2 days
I wanted to mention a new TV show on HGTV that I saw this week called "diy Yard Crashers". I had never seen it before but it seems to be a spin off of the show "Home Crashers".
In this show they seem to pick a home owner at random and make major upgrades to the backyard in a 48 hour period, with the home owner helping out a bit.
I was most impressed with what the show did to this house. The backyard was a medium sized backyard that wasn't maintained at all. It had no gardens and no grass, it was just an over grown mess of weeds with a concrete slab as a patio.
What they ended up doing to this place is putting in a pool in 48hrs, something that I find very impressive since you normally need at least 24hrs for the concrete to dry. But I guess they work overnight using torches to help the cement. The pool ended up being tiled with a small waterfall feature.
But the backyard improvements didn't end there. They created a huge bench table as a center piece, improved the patio with a shade and added a fire feature. Overall a very impressive upgrade. If yard crashers wants to visit my home I'll welcome them into my backyard.
http://kathymm.freerealestateadvice.com
In this show they seem to pick a home owner at random and make major upgrades to the backyard in a 48 hour period, with the home owner helping out a bit.
I was most impressed with what the show did to this house. The backyard was a medium sized backyard that wasn't maintained at all. It had no gardens and no grass, it was just an over grown mess of weeds with a concrete slab as a patio.
What they ended up doing to this place is putting in a pool in 48hrs, something that I find very impressive since you normally need at least 24hrs for the concrete to dry. But I guess they work overnight using torches to help the cement. The pool ended up being tiled with a small waterfall feature.
But the backyard improvements didn't end there. They created a huge bench table as a center piece, improved the patio with a shade and added a fire feature. Overall a very impressive upgrade. If yard crashers wants to visit my home I'll welcome them into my backyard.
http://kathymm.freerealestateadvice.com
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
House Hunters in Chicago
Interesting show of House Hunters on HGTV last night this one was in Chicago, which is actually a city which I visited once many many years ago.
In this show the home buyer where looking to spend in the $500,000 to $600,000 range and where looking at condominium townhouses. Now for the that sort of money I would hope to get something more than a townhouse but given a lot of real estate prices we've seen lately I'm find that it's not very cheap (ie Florida) nor very over priced like New York or some of the international cities.
In any event for that sort of money the home buyers were looking at 3 bedroom towns homes with the final town home being slightly larger with 4 bedrooms. Personally all of the buildings looked very similar to me, 3 storey buildings.
In the end the Chicago home buyer purchase the 4 bedroom home which gave them additional options.
In this show the home buyer where looking to spend in the $500,000 to $600,000 range and where looking at condominium townhouses. Now for the that sort of money I would hope to get something more than a townhouse but given a lot of real estate prices we've seen lately I'm find that it's not very cheap (ie Florida) nor very over priced like New York or some of the international cities.
In any event for that sort of money the home buyers were looking at 3 bedroom towns homes with the final town home being slightly larger with 4 bedrooms. Personally all of the buildings looked very similar to me, 3 storey buildings.
In the end the Chicago home buyer purchase the 4 bedroom home which gave them additional options.
Monday, 4 July 2011
House Hunters in LA (Santa Monica / Brentwood)
As a big contrast to the 2 shows of House Hunters international I watched House Hunters in LA this weekend as well. In this show a couple had $500,000 to spend on a condo in the Santa Monica beach area of Los Angeles. It seems that their money doesn't go as far in this area of the US as it does in other area.
$500k for a condo 11 blocks from the Santa Monica beach got you a small condo with a view of the alley. The home buyer actually said that this unit gave them a dorm room feel. Ya I'm thinking that they are going to be passing on that one.
As a result they moved farther from the beach to the Brentwood area and saw 2 homes. One was a townhouse style and the other was an apartment condo. I was thinking that they would take the townhouse but I was surprised when the picked the aparment condo. I guess that the roof top swimming pool is what did it for them.
$500k for a condo 11 blocks from the Santa Monica beach got you a small condo with a view of the alley. The home buyer actually said that this unit gave them a dorm room feel. Ya I'm thinking that they are going to be passing on that one.
As a result they moved farther from the beach to the Brentwood area and saw 2 homes. One was a townhouse style and the other was an apartment condo. I was thinking that they would take the townhouse but I was surprised when the picked the aparment condo. I guess that the roof top swimming pool is what did it for them.
House Hunters International in Greece
I watched another show of House Hunters international this past weekend this one was set in Greece. The home buyers where locals who lived in a small apartment in Athens but wanted to purchase a beach vacation home.
The price point for this purchase was $350,000 so it was a reasonable amount of money to look for a vacation home in my opinion, plus they where looking in a beach area 4 hours from Athens. Athens I was surprised to learn is where half the population of Greece actually lives. So I would expect prices to be very reasonable else where in Greece.
I don't recall the name of the beach town the home buyers where looking in with their REALTOR but what I do remember is that background noise of all of the bugs. They commented on the noise in the show but the back ground sound on the TV was enough to drive me crazy! I would hate to actually have to go there or need to buying real estate in the area.
The price point for this purchase was $350,000 so it was a reasonable amount of money to look for a vacation home in my opinion, plus they where looking in a beach area 4 hours from Athens. Athens I was surprised to learn is where half the population of Greece actually lives. So I would expect prices to be very reasonable else where in Greece.
I don't recall the name of the beach town the home buyers where looking in with their REALTOR but what I do remember is that background noise of all of the bugs. They commented on the noise in the show but the back ground sound on the TV was enough to drive me crazy! I would hate to actually have to go there or need to buying real estate in the area.
House Hunters International in Jerusalem
I watched the show of House Hunters in Jerusalem with a lot of interest. Not so much from the house hunting point of view but rather from just seeing the city. When I think of Jerusalem the images of a war zone come to mind. I expected to see barbed wire, sandbags, fox holes and soldiers everywhere!
But this was not the case, it looked like a clean, modern city in a warm climate a place I might actually be interested in visiting now.
As to the house hunter the buyer was working with a REALTOR® looking for a home in the area of the city called the German Colony, which I imagine would have been established by German settlers at one point. The homes had a european feel, being made from stone, rather large and have some nice garden surrounding them. Of course the price point was between $2 & $3 million dollars so I would hope the home buyer would be able to get something large for that amount of money. However we have been surprised before with just how expensive things can be in some international cities.
But this was not the case, it looked like a clean, modern city in a warm climate a place I might actually be interested in visiting now.
As to the house hunter the buyer was working with a REALTOR® looking for a home in the area of the city called the German Colony, which I imagine would have been established by German settlers at one point. The homes had a european feel, being made from stone, rather large and have some nice garden surrounding them. Of course the price point was between $2 & $3 million dollars so I would hope the home buyer would be able to get something large for that amount of money. However we have been surprised before with just how expensive things can be in some international cities.
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Auto Insurance
Just to change topics for a post. I was watching another realty show on TV last night and it was discussing the impact on drivers of not have enough insurance on their auto and the tragic impact on their lives after a serious accident.
If your in a similar situation, I'd suggest you try to correct it. You can find help at the following link: http://www.updownauto.com/
If your in a similar situation, I'd suggest you try to correct it. You can find help at the following link: http://www.updownauto.com/
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