2009 Specials for Homeowners wanting to reduce their monthly housing expense and increase their property value at the same time.

This year we all worry about our family, our jobs, and our finances.  So, to get started with your 2009 financial planning, home property management and getting organized, I have researched and identified the most important opportunities and problems for homeowners and developed new and effective solutions that to reduce your monthly expenses, increase your property value (and net worth) and reduce your daily stress – all at the same time!  Here they are:

1. Save $100 to $500 or more on your monthly mortgage and equity loans of $150,000 or more.

 

• This month mortgage refinance rates are LESS for 30 year mortgages and shorter term interest only loans!  HOA Partners has arranged for mortgage and equity loan refinancing  of 5% or less with Cameron Chapman, Senior Loan Officer, Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc. Call 919– 815-6319 or email him at cchapman@primeres.com

 

• You will be saving money and supporting the NC economy by working with this local, veteran independent mortgage broker who has established relationships with most of the major banks and alternative financing sources !  He can get rates and terms better than you can get from your bank directly! Plus he can help you decide what terms and amounts are best for your situation including your desire to make repairs or upgrades to your home.

 

• Get your mortgage refinancing or equity loan in before interest rates go up as the economy recovers.

 

• Call or email for current rates and expert recommendations in this continuously changing economically challenging market while rates are the lowest they have been in many years. 

 

Are your increasing monthly utility bills consuming more of your fixed or declining real income?

• Repair caulking around windows, doors and siding trim – first and foremost to prevent costly water damage.

• Replace old heating and air conditioners with higher efficiency energy-saving units if yours are over 15 years old. My energy consumption went down by 15% with my new energy efficient system installed a few months ago.

• Replace your hot water heater if it is over 10 years old before it leaks and causes thousands of dollars of water damage to you home, as many homeowner find out the hard way.

• WINDOWS & SKYLIGHTS -- Cover windows and skylights, allowing direct sun exposure, with a next-generation technology ceramic window film that significantly blocks heat and UV coming through windows to reduce electric bills and strain on your air and heating systems, and enhances the natural view of the outside scenery.  HOA Partners has negotiated special pricing terms for homes and any retail or commercial properties you may own. As an example, my sunroom temperature was reduced by 5 degrees by just covering the skylights and transoms. Eliminating sun damage to upholstery, countertops, carpets and floors protects your property value and saves you money.  The technology is from a German company called HuperOptics. Call 870-1982 for details and an estimate.

• Take advantage of HOA Partners negotiated special terms and prices for 2009 energy saving and more efficient heating and air systems. Save at least $1000 to $1500 per system on a system that otherwise would cost you $5000 to $6000 each including installation. You can include that in your mortgage refinancing above in #1 if you do not have the cash and this investment will actually lower your net monthly utility expenses.

3. Remodel Kitchen -- Cabinets, Countertop, Floor, Plumbing and Light Fixtures, Eat-At Counter, and more to update and increase your home value.

This year investing in the right home improvements and repairs can be a better alternative return on investment than watching your savings in stocks and mutual funds decline.

• Kitchen and bath remodeling also increase your family’s quality of life and enjoyment and your home value at the same time – if done right.

• Major kitchen remodeling ranges from $5000 to $6000 for a new granite countertop to an average of $20,000 or more for complete kitchen overhaul including $5000 of new appliances, granite countertops, tile or granite backsplash, new lighting,  refinished cabinets and refinished hardwood floors – if you use our HOA Partner contractors and suppliers.  

• If you have $100,000 of home equity, you can do some major home renovation projects with no cash outlay through mortgage refinancing. At today's 5% or less interest rate, you can effectively fund the financing cost for this project at net cost of zero by refinancing your entire outstanding current mortgage at a lower interest rate than you are currently paying. That approach keeps your savings intact for unexpected needs or college for the children.

• A more simple and less costly house enhancement that significantly increases home value is replacing carpet with hardwood floors and/or renewing the floors and cabinets you have with the same or different finish. Save 50% to 100% on cost of refinishing floors or cabinets with a new HOA Partner named NHance. They have a unique no-dust floor refinishing process that completes the entire job in just one day with the floors looking like new again. Go one step further and have them refinish your cabinets and drawers including new hardware to update and change the total look of the kitchen as the focal point of most homeowners and home buyers. Contact me at 870-1982 or Steve at 919-749-9205 for an estimate. Make sure you mention HOA Partners to get the special pricing and terms we negotiated.

• Almost every new home today has a space efficient, eat-at counter for convenience, cacooning and entertaining.  It is part of our culture and increases the value and appeal of the home.  Children, family members and friends love to congregate and talk at the bar/countertop while you are busy in the kitchen. Changing the kitchen design and layout to include an eat at counter or bar is possible in almost every kitchen.  Either modifying or converting the island or turning a cabinet and building a simple kneewall will make that possible.

YOU MUST caulk and paint house trim, windows and doors, garage and siding every five years to prevent wood rot and water damage at much greater expense.

• Many homes still have Masonite type composition board siding and real wood windows that require painting at least every 5 years -- before they start deteriorating and rotting. Look and see in you can see open gaps around window frames and siding trim that allow water to enter,  rot your house and cause water related mold in the walls and framing structure. 
• Your choice then is to paint now or have costly carpentry repairs or replace the windows and siding and doors later.  
• I see an average of $2000 or more per house in wood, window, and trim repair expenses whenever a homeowner waits an extra year or two to paint beyond the 5 year period. And that assumes a good caulking and paint job the last time the house was painted, which is seldom the case unfortunately from low cost paint companies.
• For siding, the damage cost of not caulking and painting is about $2500 to $3500 per side of house for siding replacement, excluding painting.  

In a recent Oprah show, experts demonstrated how removing clutter from closets and homes and getting everything organized was the key ingredient to losing weight or reducing stress in a family and household. 

 See

www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/home_20070207_declutter

http://oprahstore.oprah.com/p-1520-this-is-the-year-to-declutter-your-life-07092007.aspx

•  Lisa Phillips, an experienced home staging, decor and organizing expert, has just joined HOA Partners on the recommendation of the area's top real estate agents who use her to staging homes to sell. That should tell you something. Whether you are ready to sell your house or just get it organized, Lisa does wonders with rearranging, paint color recommendations, and decluttering to make your home and life easier and more enjoyable. Call Lisa at 971-7723 and tell her you are an HOA Partners member for a free 45 minute consultation.

• For custom closet organization, HOA Partners has added to its network, Paul Latz, founder of Closet Creations, which specializes in design and installation of custom closets which can create 200 to 300% more useful storage capability and help you get decluttered and organized. Call me at 870-1982 or Paul at 427-1759. Make sure you mention HOA Partners to get the special pricing and terms we negotiated.

• This year many layoffs will drive homeowners and spouses to find new jobs, careers or establish their own businesses – at home -- to survive and pay the bills.  Other homeowners already have jobs and use their home as an office based business or telcomute at least one or two days a week including many sales representatives, telemarketing, computer developers, and marketing specialists.  If you fit any of those models, you need to address how to make your home a better income generator.  As a 40 year veteran in workspace design and business productivity, I know that having the right work space and work tools (computers, networking, phones, desk, files) are critical to productivity, sales and earnings generation, quality of work, and managing or reducing stress.  Call or email HOA Partners to get advice about what you can and should do in 2009 to get better organized and make more money.

6. GARAGE DOOR & OPENER REPAIRS AND REPLACEMENT SAVINGS

• Garage doors can cost about $1500 to $3000 to replace.  Garage Door springs and openers are also costly to repair and replace and need preventive maintenance at least every other year. HOA Partners just negotiated special pricing and terms with Overhead Door of Capital City for members if you need a new garage door or opener replacement or  repair.  Ask about their outside remote wireless keypad Special for convenient entry and security by children, service providers and out of town visitors. No need to hide or give out house keys to children, friends, neighbors and service providers or unexpectedly lock yourself out of your own house!  Call Katie Dickinson at 201-9134. kdickinson@ohdcapitalcity.com