Thanksgiving Day Pie Recipes

Real Estate Infidelity!

I've decided there is a name for my illness of house looking . . . its called "real estate infidelity." Here I am, with a perfectly good, affordable home, happy, but not content. My eye tends to wander. Sure this house is good enough, but what if . . . What would it be like to live somewhere else, with a different floor plan and community? What are the possibilities at a different address? Is there something out there that I'd like better? I'm not sure this illness would be considered a sin, since I haven't officially acted on it, but the temptation has definitely been there. I have almost traded in this house on 2 different occasions, only I got cold feet at the last minute. Blessing in disguise or would a move cure me of future real estate infidelity? Do we owe loyalty to our homes? I'm not so sure, but I do know that the most important part of a home are the people who live there. Loyalty to the people we love is an absolute must. So, the problem is the lack of desire to move on the part of the other inhabitants of the said home. If they too desired to mix things up a bit, change the landscape, explore the possibilities, moving would be a good choice.

That doesn't seem to be the case in my circumstance. Do mother's know best in all cases? I didn't move as a kid, but I always wanted to. My kids have moved several times and really like where they are. I like where we are as well, I just wouldn't mind living closer to Peter's work. I'm not sure if this longing is legit or merely signifies a lack of something somewhere else in my life. Maybe I should get a job. I don't know. The other possibility is that the idea of putting all of the money and changes into this house has lost some of its appeal after a bad experience working with a builder this past summer. I had been really excited about the plans we came up with, I still think they're fabulous ideas, but its a huge hassle finding a builder you can trust and its very expensive. I also have this crazy desire to live in Holladay. I know, its dumb, but I can't seem to shake it. I know, I know . . . how would it be to have such silly problems? I think I'll sleep on it and continue my thoughts on this matter at a later date.

To move or not to move . . .

That is the question! I'm beginning to wonder if wanting to move is a kind of illness. A house I've liked since I was a kid and dreamed of buying when we lived in Michigan, is up for rent, though the owner says he would consider selling for the right price. I love the neighborhood and the house, although in some ways, I like my current house better. Mostly because of the changes we've made that are so very me! Pete hates moving . . . my fault since I've encouraged moving 11 times in our 14 1/2 years of marriage. So I thought I'd write out my pro's and con's list.

My house: great schools, great house, kids and husband are happy, great ward, great plans in the works with architects. The downside: I feel a necessity to add onto this house, and frankly, had a very negative experiences with a builder this summer that makes me hesitate in moving forward with our plans.

That house: great house, swimming pool, great location for Pete's work, structurally it doesn't need any additions or changes. The downside is expense and its older and quirky in some respects, although quirkiness can be charming in my mind. I also love that its in a neighborhood, opposed to my one lane (that's great, don't me wrong), but that's accessed from a busy road. Its also in the neighborhood Pete grew up in, so he's not sure he'd want to move back.

I suppose I should be thankful that these are the types of decisions I have to make versus looking for a job or dealing with a terrible illness. I know, I know . . . its just a house, but is it so bad to want to move? Maybe change is a good thing, you know, mix it up a bit! Problem is, I think my husband likes life just how it is! I'm jealous . . . how would it be to be content?

Well, there it is in a nutshell!

Diary of a Home Remodel #2: The Kitchen

Remodeling a kitchen is probably the most expensive, inconvenient project out there. It takes a lot of planning and forethought to get it right. Two situations made my remodel a little less expensive and less of a headache. First, my existing kitchen layout worked. Though the cabinetry was outdated, I had plenty of space to work with and the major appliances didn't need to be moved significantly. The only appliance I moved was the refrigerator a few feet to the left so that it wasn't the first thing you saw when you walked in my front door. The second factor was that I found a steal on cabinets by purchasing a "model kitchen" from a business that was remodeling. The kitchen included cabinetry, hardware, the sink and faucet and granite countertops. My space was larger than the model, so before I purchased the cabinetry, I called the kitchen designer and asked if she could match the finish and add to the model. She thought she could, though if I'd bought a wood finish, it would have been a more difficult match than that with a paint finish. Buying my cabinets (also eco-friendly since its reuse of materials) in this manner probably saved me $15,000 to $20,000 dollars. I was unable to use the countertops, but now I have granite to use in a bathroom remodel at a later date.

Home Values Article

I read this article today and thought it was an interesting one to share.

4 Signs Your Home Is About to Lose Value
by AnnaMaria Andriotis
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
provided by

Despite signs that the real estate market is bottoming out, millions of homeowners are likely to find themselves in worse shape within the next two years.

Nearly half of the nation's 52 million mortgage borrowers will have negative equity by the end of the first quarter of 2011, up from the 14 million at the end of this year's first quarter, according to estimates in an Aug. 5 report by Deutsche Bank. With so many borrowers underwater – or owing more on their home than it's worth – the risk is high that they'll default and their homes will go into foreclosure, says Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. (Moody's Economy.com estimates that 17.5 million mortgage borrowers will be underwater by early 2010.)

Individuals who are staying put for at least the next five to seven years will likely recoup the lost value of their home, says Amy Bohutinsky, a Zillow.com spokeswoman. In addition, homeowners should refrain from borrowing against their mortgage, she says.

Those who find themselves underwater can turn to the federal Making Home Affordable plan, which can help you refinance or do a loan modification.

Whether you're at risk for falling behind may have more to do with the economy and your neighborhood than your job, your credit or your income. Here are four warning signs that you're heading underwater.

1. Foreclosures in Your Neighborhood

The quickest way to end up underwater is to live in a neighborhood that's plagued by foreclosures.

When one home on your block goes into foreclosure, your home's value drops by 1%, Zandi says. But that isn't a one-to-one relationship. If two homes on a block go into foreclosure, your home's value will drop by more than 2%.
As homes go into foreclosure, they create a domino effect, lowering home values throughout a neighborhood in a cascade beyond homeowners' control.

2. Homes Lingering on the Market

When "For Sale" signs linger in a neighborhood for three or more months, that may mean buyers and sellers can't agree on a price. In that environment, homes are unlikely to sell unless the seller lowers their asking price.

"The time on the market is always a good barometer of demand for homes and for the price homes are transacting at," Zandi says. "The longer it appears that neighbors are taking to sell their home the more likely it is they're not getting the price they want and that prices are falling."

Compare the time it took for homes to sell in your neighborhood three years ago vs. today; if it's taking weeks or months longer to sell, the prices homes can fetch are dropping, Zandi says.

3. Increasing Unemployment

In most cases, the cities where homes have lost the most value during the past year also possess the highest unemployment rates.

Homes in Merced, Calif., have lost 40.2% of their value year-over-year, the biggest loss of home values in the nation, according to Zillow.com. The city's unemployment rate is the fifth-worst among 372 metropolitan areas at 17.6%, according to June data from the Labor Department. El Centro, Calif., where home values plunged 37.6% year-over-year (the second-biggest drop in the country), has the worst unemployment rate at 27.5%.

Individuals living in areas battered by high unemployment are likely to see their home values drop further, especially if they live in areas dependent on dwindling industries – like Central Valley, Calif., and the mortgage lending business or Detroit and the auto industry, Zandi says.

4. Homes in Disrepair

Dented siding, peeling paint and broken porches could be signs that neighbors are having trouble making ends meet and can no longer pay to take care of their home, Zandi says. Or they may have gotten an appraisal and discovered their homes have dropped in value and are no longer worth the cost of repairs. Inevitably, as the condition of homes in your neighborhood worsens, home values are likely to drop.

"The mere fact that they're not investing in their homes will affect you too," Zandi says.

What Underwater Borrowers Have in Common

Risky Mortgages

Some 77% of option-ARM borrowers and 50% of subprime mortgage borrowers were estimated to be underwater as of the first quarter of 2009, according to the Deutsche Bank report. With option-ARMs, borrowers could make minimum monthly payments that didn't even cover the loan's interest. As the market declined, these balances grew over time. With subprime mortgages, borrowers often had poor credit scores and little documentation of their financial situation. In both cases, borrowers often ended up with a large mortgage relative to the house's price.

Date of Purchase

Individuals who bought their home between 2003 and 2008 are at risk of being underwater because they bought while prices were rising, Zandi says. The risk is greater for those who bought between 2005 and 2006, as the market approached its peak.

Excessive Borrowing

Many individuals borrowed against their home when it appreciated in value during the bubble by taking out a second mortgage or tapping into a home equity line of credit or home equity loan. This borrowing left their home with less equity to weather the drop in home values.

Home's Location

The areas that have been hit the hardest by plunging home values include the "sand states" of Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada because they brought the most speculation, easy credit and overbuilding during the bubble, Zandi says. Also hurt: the states where unemployment is especially high and manufacturing jobs have been eliminated like Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, Zandi says.

Copyrighted, SmartMoney.com. All Rights Reserved.

The Wonder of a Garden

Tonight, watering my plants after a summer of neglect in my garden, reminded me of why gardens can be so alluring. As we drove up to our home, a flower was in bloom that I forgot I had planted.

The butterfly plant, that is so unattractive without blooms that I've almost pulled it the last two summers, redeems itself when in flower.

I watered my hanging geraniums and found a neglected bird's nest.

Despite a weedy garden, I have the first buds of tomatoes growing. You can especially see the large tomato on the right, though the one on the left has several tomatoes growing.

Gardening, though not the easiest of pursuits, is very rewarding, not unlike the pride you have in watching your children grow and develop. The surprise and wonder at realizing I have a rhubarb plant or two apple trees, wondering how much they'll produce in a season.

The concern over the late blooming of roses, that suddenly burst into bloom. These plants are starting their second round of blooms.

The "Walmart special" impatiens I planted, that bloomed when I left them without care for a week.

The petunias I planted last summer that decided to bloom again this summer. Definitely a pleasant surprise.

I love the mystery of plants--its definitely not a science to me yet, as you can see by the number of weeds in my garden, but I refuse to give up. The possibilities are endless, and there's always next year if this year's garden didn't work out quite the way I planned!

Diary of a Home Remodel #1: The Family Room

Since I bought my house with the intentions of remodeling it over time, I thought I'd share my experiences, both positive and negative of living through a remodel. Like many of you, expense is a big hindrance to home remodeling. We chose to do our family room, living room and dining room first because it was a less expensive start than to do the kitchen at the same time. In this post, I'll focus on the family room. In future posts, I'll document those projects I've finished and those I'm working on for the near future.

Family Room Before

Family Room After

The Problem: Our home was built in 1987, a typical stucco and stone structure, that had been finished in a contemporary style, with gray berber carpets and mauve and gray wallpaper, formica kitchen cabinets, and yellow oak flooring. A previous owner had tried to update with beige carpet and lemon yellow paint, on the walls and ceilings. I bought the house knowing I would remodel. I liked the floor plan and the kitchen had great space to work with for a future remodel, but I wanted to add more traditional country touches that I felt better accented the divided light windows, bay and dormer windows. The fireplace was a solid wall of rock, with no room for storage or for a home entertainment system. Plus, the look was dated.



My Wish List: I love the charm and homey feel of older homes. I wanted to give my family room the same cozy feeling by adding built-ins next to the fireplace and hardwood floors.



My Solutions: The first thing we did, before moving in was to paint. Paint makes a big difference in the look and feel of a room. I love color, so I knew I wanted to add color, but since I'd bought my house over the internet and only seen it twice (we were still living in Michigan), I wasn't even sure where walls stopped and started. Thankfully, I hired a good painter, who recommended painting all of my ceilings and trim pure white to accent the colors. For the family room, I chose Midas Gold by ACE Hardware paint, and Stone Hearth by Benjamin Moore.



I knew that I wanted walnut hardwood floors throughout the first floor of my home. We would have to rip the kitchen out to redo the yellow oak floors, which I could not afford when we started this project. Plus, I didn't want to do the floors, and then destroy them when we tore out the rock fireplace. That necessitated doing the fireplace project first, and then replacing the carpet with hardwood flooring. I chose knotty cherry with a natural finish and a black glaze for the cabinetry and mantel. My one mistake, since the cabinets where custom, was not accurately measuring my cable box. If I could do it again, I would make the bottom cabinets 3 or 4 inches deeper. I chose a faux stone for its price and ease of use. I had outlets put in both cabinets and on the mantel for home entertainment equipment and Christmas decorating. I also had the cabinet makers use a grooved back panel for the bookshelves to add texture and mimic the look of beadboard. I chose a firebox with a light switch, so that I could turn the fireplace on and off easily.

Yellow Oak Cabinetry Before

We removed a yellow oak wet bar and wine rack (I called it the water balloon sink) because we don't drink and it was never used. I figured it would be a great spot for a desk.

This picture looks to the kitchen from the fireplace. I made an office corner where the wet bar once stood. You can also see the division between the new walnut and old yellow oak flooring in the kitchen. It may have looked funny for awhile, but it made the most economic sense. Be sure to find contractors who will work with you and your budget constraints.



Since these photos, I have added other details in another remodeling project which I'll post at a later date. The total time for this project was about 3 weeks. The biggest hassle was moving all of our furniture to the garage and dealing with the dust from dry walling and sanding floors. My favorite things are the "flip of a switch" fire and all of the storage provided by the cabinets. Plus I have a mantel to hang my stockings by, that makes it all worth it!

Inexpensive Updates with Paint

Paint, whether latex or spray paint, is a great, inexpensive way to update your home. I have self-diagnosed myself with decorators ADHD, symptoms including the sporadic need to rearrange furniture and the uncontrollable desire to change pretty much anything I can physically move myself (or plot to change in the future with the help of professionals). That's why I've become a fan of "paint decorating." Paint projects are DIY and give the instant gratifications others like me crave. Here are a few examples of ways to update your home using paint.
Try painting your front door a fun color like red, blue or sage green. It will add lots of charm for very little expense. (I used left over paint from another project and would use gloss or semi-gloss in the future.)
Stripes, whether horizontal or vertical, can add style to a room lacking in architectural detail. *Helpful Hint: Use clear caulk after taping to prevent paint from running.
Try painting your walls a neutral color and adding a splash of color on the mantel. I chose this blue for a soothing effect, but I've also seen a rustic black finish that I loved! That may be my next project!
This chandelier was originally an 1980's brass that I spray painted antique white. *Helpful hint: Find somewhere to hang the chandelier, I slung mine over the garage door rail, to more easily paint the underside. Before painting, be sure to remove all light bulbs and place cottonballs in the openings to prevent paint from ruining the lighting.
This project was done by professionals, but was well worth the extra cost for the expertise. The original tile was in great condition, but an outdated brown. The tub, floor and wall tiles were all refinished in white. The finish can chip, so I wouldn't recommend doing the floors (I found out the hard way), but it was a less expensive fix than having the entire bathroom retiled.
Paint a focal wall a vibrant color. I also used a "fake" mantel to give this non-descript living room a focal point. *When using red paint, it may take more coats of paint to get the look you are after. I had one friend who painted 8 coats of red before she got the depth of color she had invisioned. This project has 2 coats, but after one coat, I had serious doubts. The second coat made a big difference.
I used acrylic craft paints and a stencil to create flowers over the corners of the doors (I wish I had a better picture, but you get the idea. Click on the photo to see larger image). This was a really simple project, aside from sore arms holding up the stencil, that added a fun touch to a plain, small girl's bedroom.

I have also painted furniture, such as outdated yellow pine barstools and a table and chairs, for a fun change. Be sure to prime before painting--the result is worth the extra time and expense. Happy Painting!