Design • Living • August 22, 2016

How the American Home has Evolved

by Shelley Rossi

Owning a home has been an American tradition from the start. But the home itself has changed dramatically over the years.

For example, you may be surprised to learn how much the size of the average American home has increased since the turn of the 20^th century—especially when you compare it to the size of the average family during the same time period.

In the year 1900, the average American family was relatively large with 4.6 members, but the average home featured just 1,000 square feet of usable floor space. By 1979, family size had shrunk to 3.11 members, but the floor space they shared had expanded to 1,660 square feet. And by 2007, the average family size was even smaller still—just 2.6 members—while the average home size had increased by the largest amount yet—this time to 2,521 square feet.

To accommodate those larger homes, property lots have also had to expand in size. In the 1930s and ‘40s, Bungalow homes were usually built on lots measuring 60 by 100 feet (for a total of 6,000 square feet). However, by 1976, the average size of a single-family property lot had expanded to more than 10,000 square feet. In 1990, it expanded again (to 14,680 square feet). Today, the average property lot in America is a staggering 17,590 square feet.

Exterior building materials

Until the 1960s, the building materials used on the exterior of most homes were limited to brick, wood, or wood shingles. However, by the early 1960s, many Americans chose to cover their homes with a more affordable material that was also maintenance-free: aluminum and vinyl siding. Today, many homeowners are using low-maintenance siding materials made of cement fiber.

Interior building materials

The primary building material for interior ceilings and walls for much of the 20^th century was plaster applied over wood lathe. Modern day sheetrock didn’t become popular until the 1950s. In the 1960s, wood paneling and textured walls became prevalent, largely for their quick and easy application. In the 1970s and ‘80s, “popcorn ceilings” became a common way to hide imperfections in ceilings. Today’s style again favors smooth walls and ceilings, which can result in a lot of work removing paneling and textures in older homes.

Throughout the early 1900s, the floors throughout most homes were almost always bare wood. Linoleum tile became a popular choice for kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms in the 1940s. However, by the 1960s and 1970s, wall-to-wall carpeting was all the rage—even in bathrooms and some kitchens. Homes today feature a wide array of flooring materials, depending on both the region and the room’s function. For example, tiles are a more popular choice in warm regions than cold ones because they tend to stay cool; wall-to-wall carpeting is still popular in rooms like bedrooms and family rooms, where people like to feel most comfortable, while durable and easy-to-clean hardwoods, tiles and linoleum are more favorable in kitchens and high-traffic areas.

The Kitchen

At the turn of the 20^th century, the kitchen was a place where the woman of the house did all the cooking. Kitchens were typically small, closed off from the rest of the house by solid walls, and far more functional than fashionable. Dining took place in the dining room.

Throughout the 1920s and ‘30s, kitchens remained stark workplaces with very few appliances. Food was kept chilled with an icebox (a non-electric, insulated box about the same size as a modern refrigerator that used a block of ice to keep everything cold). However, by 1944, 85 percent of American households had switched from an icebox to a refrigerator.

In the mid 1950s, the kitchen changed dramatically. It not only became larger, it also transformed into the heart of the home, where the whole family gathered to help prepare and even eat meals.

The 1950s also brought a host of kitchen innovations, from the stainless steel sink to electric ovens and stovetops. But the most exciting of all was the dishwasher. The 1970s marked the introduction of the microwave.

Today, the kitchen is still a place where everyone gathers. So it’s not surprising that may people favor open-concept kitchens, with no walls separating them from the dining or family room.

Appliance and amenities

The 1940s census was the first to ask homeowners about some of the amenities in their homes. The results are startling (though perhaps less so when you consider that this was during the depression): Less than 50 percent of homes had hot water, an indoor toilet or a bath tub; about one in five didn’t have a home phone.

By the 1950s, however, things had changed dramatically for the better. That’s when many Americans got a refrigerator, an electric stove, a dishwasher, and, ah yes, air conditioning. Until then, most homes were cooled with nothing more than a ceiling fan at best.

Thanks to the larger, Ranch-style homes being constructing in the 1950s, walk-in closets also made their introduction. The fabulous ‘50s also ushered in the two-car attached garage.

And let’s not forget the television; it exploded onto the scene in the early 1950s and by 1955, half of all U.S. households had sets. Today, the average home has little less than three TVs.

What hasn’t changed

Despite all these changes, one thing has remained the same: The number one reason why Americans chose to buy a home. According to Dan McCue, research manager at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, “It’s always been seen as the best way to build net worth and equity.”

Buying • Living • Selling • August 19, 2016

Why So Many Americans Are Either Upsizing or Downsizing

by Shelley Rossi

According to two recent surveys that took industry watchers by surprise, many family homeowners are putting frugality aside and upsizing to new houses that average as large as 2,480 square feet (an increase of as much as 13 percent from the year before), and sometimes exceed 3,500 square feet in size.

Meanwhile, millions of baby boomer homeowners are rushing to downsize—with some 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 50 and 64 saying they’re planning to make a move within the next five years.

It’s a tale of two very different segments of the population making dramatic shifts in their living accommodations to find the housing solutions that best suit their needs: one upsizing while the other downsizes.

With so many baby boomers now nearing retirement age (8,000 Americans turn 65 every day), it should come as no surprise that the number of prospective “downsizers” exceed the number of “upsizers” by three to one. With their children gone, these aging homeowners are interested in reducing the amount of house they need to care for, and are eager to bulk up their retirement savings with any home-sale profits.

As for why many families are choosing to upsize so substantially after years of downsizing or staying put, experts point to the extremely low interest rates and discounted home prices available today, and theorize that many families now feel confident enough about the economy to move out of homes they outgrew years ago.

If you’re considering upsizing or downsizing, here are some facts to consider:

How such a move can impact your life

The most common benefits of downsizing:

Lower mortgage payments
Lower tax bills
Lower utility bills
Less maintenance (and lower maintenance expenses)
More time/money for travel, hobbies, etc.
More money to put toward retirement, debts, etc. (the profits from selling your current home)

The most common benefits of upsizing

More living space
More storage space
More yard/garden space
More room for entertaining/hosting friends and family

Negative impacts:

Upsizing will likely increase your living expenses, so it’s important to factor into any financial forecasts
Downsizing will require that you make some hard choices about what belongings will need to be stored or sold

Other impacts to consider:

The loss of good neighbors
Lifestyle changes (walking, neighborhood shopping, etc.)
The effect on your work commute
Public transit options

Buy first, or sell first?

Homeowners considering this transition almost always have the same initial question: “Should I buy the new home now, or wait and sell my current place first?” The answer is dependent on your personal circumstances. However, experts generally recommend selling first.

Selling your current home before buying a new one could mean you have to move to temporary quarters for some period of time—or rush to buy a new home. That could prove stressful and upsetting. However, if you instead buy first, you could be stuck with two mortgages, plus double property tax and insurance payments, which could quickly add up to lasting financial troubles.

If you need to sell in order to qualify for a loan, there’s no choice: You’ll have to sell first.

Another option:

You could make the purchase of the new house contingent on selling your current home. However, this approach can put you in a weak bargaining position with the seller (if you can even find a seller willing to seriously consider a contingency offer). Plus, you may be forced to accept a low-ball offer for your current house in order to sell it in time to meet the contingency agreement timing.

The truth is, most home sales tend to take longer than the owners imagine, so it’s almost always best to finalize the sale, and do whatever is necessary to reap the biggest profit, before embarking on the purchase of your new home.

When to make the transition

Ideally, when you’re selling your home, you want to wait until the demand from potential buyers is high (to maximize your selling price). But in this case, because you’re also buying, you’ll also want to take advantage of any discounted interest rates and reduced home prices (both of which will fade away as the demand for homes grows).

How will you know when the timing is right to both sell and buy? Ask an industry expert: your real estate agent. As someone who has their finger on the pulse of the housing market every day, they can help you evaluate the current market and try to predict what changes could be coming in the near future.

Even if you’ve been through it before, the act of upsizing or downsizing can be complex. For tips, as well as answers to any questions, contact a Windermere agent any time.

More • August 15, 2016

#YourStoryIsOurStory: The Little Blue House

by Shelley Rossi

It’s tough being a first time home buyer, especially in a fiercely competitive market like Seattle where multiple offers are the norm. Windermere clients Haley and Yash experienced this first hand when they started shopping for a home. With the help of their agent Elsa Nunes-Ueno, they found and fell in love with “the little blue house”. It had everything they were looking for, including the potential for them to fix it up and make it their own. But other bidders and a steep price increase threatened to get in their way. Just when it seemed that all hope was lost, Elsa went to bat for her clients and came up with a creative approach to make Haley and Yash’s dream of the little blue house a reality.

Throughout the year we will be posting some of our favorite #YourStoryIsOurStory videos, photos, and blog posts. Please take a minute to share your experiences, and follow #YourStoryIsOurStory on our blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest pages.

Living • August 12, 2016

How Long Is Your Contractor Liable?

by Guest Author

Two Caucasian contractors remodel the kitchen of a modern home. They are using power tools to refinish the cabinets and counters.

Constructing or remodeling a home is a complex, expensive endeavor. Ideally, everything goes as planned, and when the dust clears, the homeowner can settle in and enjoy the new home — and never think about the building process again.

But what happens when, nine months after the owner moves in, the floor develops a crack, the dishwasher begins to leak or the shower water won’t run hot? Or when these things happen three years later? It’s time to refer to an all-important piece of the contract: the warranty.

How to Hire a Contractor

What Is a Warranty?

The purpose of a warranty is to protect both the homeowner and the builder — homeowners from shoddy work with no recourse; builders from being liable for projects for the rest of their lives.

A warranty may be included in a contract, or it may not be since it’s not required. There is no standard length of time for one. Rather, a warranty is a negotiable portion of the overall agreement (contract) between a homeowner and a contractor.

The laws that relate to warranties are somewhat vague and vary by state, so the advantage of having one as part of the contract is that everything can be clearly spelled out. However, by agreeing to a particular warranty without understanding its finer points, owners may inadvertently limit the protections they would have otherwise had under the law.

“A warranty describes the problems and remedies for which the builder will be responsible after completion of the project, as well as the duration of the warranty and the mechanism for addressing disputes,” says David Jaffe, vice president of legal advocacy at the National Association of Home Builders.

At least in the ideal case.

Janet Paik – Houzz

The Law Governing Warranties

Before homeowners agree to a particular warranty as part of their contract, it’s important to understand what protections they already have under the law. In the U.S., we have a legal concept of an implied warranty — which is a warranty that does not have to be spelled out in the contract but is simply understood to exist thanks to the law. There are two important implied warranties when it comes to home construction.

The first is the implied warranty of good workmanship, which is the reasonable expectation that a home will be built in a workmanlike manner. The second is the implied warranty of habitability, which is the reasonable expectation that the home will be safe to inhabit.

The implied warranties, however, have limits in the form of statutes of limitation and statutes of repose, which essentially are time clocks that determine for how long a homeowner may sue a contractor.

Statutes of limitation in each state dictate how long an owner can invoke various types of legal claims — for example, a breach of contract claim.

Statutes of repose apply specifically to construction projects, and set the time for which builders and designers are liable for their product. These also vary by state. In California, the statute of repose is four years for most defects, but 10 years for latent defects (those that aren’t observable right away, such as a faulty foundation). In Georgia, the statute of repose is eight years for all claims related to design or construction of the building.

Finally, most states also have a right to repair law, which means that before homeowners can sue a contractor, they need to notify the contractor of the problem and give him or her a chance to come see it and repair it.

To find out what the laws are in your state, simply do an online search for “statute of repose” and “right to repair” in your state.

A close up shot of a contractor repairing wood floorboards with nails driven into them.

Janet Paik – Houzz

The One-Year Warranty

The key thing to understand about warranties is that many builders offer their own warranty in lieu of the implied warranty. Additionally, many contracts specify that homeowners are giving up their rights to the implied warranty by agreeing to the builder’s express warranty. Also, builders will “often try to shorten statutes of limitation and statutes of repose. Some states allow you to do that. Others don’t,” says Anthony Lehman, an Atlanta attorney who advises homeowners.

Though there is no industry-wide standard, many residential contractors have adopted a one-year warranty for their contracts. The practice likely trickled down from commercial construction, where a callback warranty is typical. A callback warranty means that within one year, a building owner has the right to call back the contractor and expect him or her to repair work, Lehman says.

The downside for homeowners who agree to a one-year warranty is that they likely trade away their right to the implied warranty, and they may also agree to limit the time they have to discover a defect and sue. Obviously, this is a plus for builders because it limits their risk.

But there is no real reason a homeowner has to accept a one-year warranty simply because that’s the builder’s first offer. “It’s a negotiated point, and people can negotiate warranties that are broader — and they often do,” says Robert C. Procter, outside general counsel for the Wisconsin Builders Association. “If you don’t ask for more, you won’t get more.”

A contractor's hardhat on top of a orange construction site cone.

Janet Paik – Houzz

Pros and Cons of a Builder’s Warranty

Though a one-year warranty may seem like a poor deal for a homeowner, a contract with details spelled out does provide an upside: some degree of clarity in the process. Ideally, a warranty includes not only the time period that the warranty covers, but also the standards by which various materials will be evaluated, and the steps to follow when a problem arises.

In a minority of states, the legislature has codified what a warranty is and how long it lasts for a variety of materials, Jaffe says. They are California, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. If you live in one of these states, you can refer to the state-set standards.

If you do not, one option is to refer to the NAHB’s publication Residential Construction Performance Guidelines. “It’s broken down by categories within the home: foundations, exterior, interior, roofing, plumbing,” Jaffe says. “If there’s an issue that comes up, you look in this publication, and it tells you what the observation is — what’s the problem.” The guide then spells out what the corrective measure — if any — should be.

If you decide to use this guide as the standards by which problems will be judged, be sure you read it first and are comfortable with its terms. Sometimes having the terms spelled out is simpler than relying on the implied warranty because the implied warranty is so vague.

“The implied warranty doesn’t have a fixed time; it’s a reasonable period of time,” says Jaffe, of the NAHB. “If you’re a homeowner, and you call your builder up in year five and say, ‘There’s a crack here, and I think you should come out and fix it because it’s a defect,’ well, at that point, it may or may not be related to something that the builder did or didn’t do. Is it a defect? Who is going to make that determination? What is the fix? Who is responsible for it?”

Relying on the implied warranty means that these sorts of questions would need to be resolved in court if the parties aren’t willing to, or can’t, come to an agreement on their own. Open for debate is whether an item is a warranty item, and for how long it’s covered. Having these issues determined in court can be an expensive, time-consuming headache for everyone involved.

Still, some attorneys say owners might be better off with the implied warranty than giving up their rights for a limited one provided by the builder. “You build a house, and you expect it to be there for a long time. The buildings in Europe have been there a long time. The pyramids have been there a long time. The question is how long is it reasonable for you to expect it to last,” says Susan Linden McGreevy, an attorney in Kansas City, Kansas, who specializes in commercial real estate work. “If it has to get before a jury, the contractor has lost already. What I mean is, the jury will always find in favor of a homeowner — unless they’re a real flake.”

Contractor remodel of a northwest contemporary home with steep roofs and stone masonry.

TruexCullins Architecture – Houzz

Going Beyond Warranties

Despite all this talk of legalities, there is an important caveat: Many good builders will continue to be helpful even after their express warranty has passed. Anne Higuera, co-owner of Ventana Construction in Seattle, provides a one-year warranty to her clients. Nonetheless, Ventana has made repairs and fixes even years after the one-year warranty expired. Higuera says the company does so because the builders want good relationships with their customers, and because they feel as though it’s the right thing to do. “Warranty issues come up very rarely if you do things well in the first place,” Higuera says. “Just finding a contractor who does the right thing on the front end helps you avoid issues with warranty.”

More Ways to Protect Yourself

So what should homeowners do if a builder is offering only a one-year warranty? One option is to negotiate for a longer period of time. “You might want to say, ‘I’ll take a one-year warranty for everything except latent defects,’” McGreevey says. (Reminder: Those are the kind that take a long time to discover, such as foundation problems.)

Another option owners have is to ask builders about insurance products. Many builders offer products with an extended warranty — as long as 10 years — that are backed by insurance companies. These are typically paid for by the builder, with the cost passed on to the homeowner.

Third, homeowners would be wise to consult an attorney to make sure that they’re not giving up rights unknowingly. Given that owners are spending thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars on construction, paying for five to 10 hours of an attorney’s time (at $300 per hour, $1,500 to $3,000) to ensure that the contract is sound is probably a good investment. “Would you buy a car for $50,000 and not read any of the financing information?” says Lehman, the Atlanta attorney. “And then people do that for a home construction project.”

Finally, the most important thing is for both contractors and owners to screen each other carefully. “Ninety-eight percent of the homeowner-builder relationships, when there’s a disagreement, most parties reach a reasonable conclusion, even if they’re not 100 percent happy,” says Procter, the Wisconsin attorney. “The contracts matter more when someone is not being reasonable.”

By Erin Carlyle, Houzz

Featured Image Source: Getty Images – Image Credit: sturti

More • August 10, 2016

Helping Children and Families Gear-up for Back to School

by Christine Wood

Getting your children prepared to go back to school is stressful enough. We all want to make sure that they are adequately prepared for the upcoming year. Now imagine that you also have to worry about how you’re going to pay for new clothing, shoes and school supplies—it can be quite overwhelming! Many parents just aren’t able to afford all of the back-to-school necessities.

Fortunately, there are community and school programs available that can help with that need. And at Windermere, we are proud to support a number of those organizations that help provide backpacks, school supplies, shoes, clothing, haircuts, and other back-to-school-related needs, through donations from the Windermere Foundation.

These are just a few examples of how our Windermere offices are helping children in their communities get a good start to the new school year.

The Windermere/Coeur d’Alene Realty, Inc. offices supplied backpacks full of school supplies for the KIDS Camp summer school program offered by the Coeur d’Alene School District at Fernan Elementary School. This program serves second and third grade students that have been behind grade level and are recommended by their teachers to attend camp. These classes give them a boost to catch up, and in most cases, get ahead! When Windermere first started supporting the program, there were only 12 kids. This year the number has grown to 57.At the end of the camp, each student receives a new backpack full of school supplies complements of the Windermere Foundation.

“It’s a wonderful program that we have been involved with for the last four years,” said Midge Smock, Windermere Foundation representative, Coeur d’Alene Realty, Inc. “The first two years we had agents adopt a backpack. This year, all supplies were purchased in bulk and agents sponsored a full backpack. These kids will be ready for school in the fall.”

The Windermere Mount Baker office has been assisting with the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness’s Project Cool back to school supply drive for the last four years. Each summer, the office holds a supply drive and then spends a morning organizing the backpacks for children that are experiencing homelessness. This year approximately 20 Windermere agents volunteered on July 9 to help organize and stuff the backpacks with supplies. These backpacks were then distributed to children in need through various social service organizations and homeless shelters.

The Windermere Seattle-Northgate, Seattle-Sand Point and Seattle-Wedgwood offices have been working with 10 elementary schools in their neighborhoods. With the help of principals, advisors, counselors and teachers, 236 children have been identified to be in need of backpacks and school supplies. Supplies include composition notebooks, reams of copy paper and wide rule paper, erasers, colored pencils, crayons, rulers, 3-ring binders, and much more. Supplies will be purchased through grants from the Windermere Foundation, assembled by Windermere brokers, and delivered to the specified schools.

The Windermere Bellevue Commons office is holding a backpack/school supply drive from July 26 through August 15 to support Congregations for Kids, which helps students who qualify for free and reduced lunch in the Bellevue School District. Over 25 agents will help with the effort. Last year, 1,525 students benefitted from their assistance.

The Windermere Las Vegas-Summerlin office is participating in the Communities In Schools (CIS) “Fill the Bus” back-to-school drive. This event will benefit over 58,000 students in 55 schools statewide that CIS of Nevada serves. This is the second year the office has participated. Last year they helped to fill five school buses with backpacks, uniforms and school supplies for all ages. This year they are hosting a collection drive at their office through August 11, and will bring their collected items to the drop off site on August 12.

A number of Windermere offices throughout our network will be collecting shoes August 1-8 for children in need as part of the Windermere Kicks for Kids shoe drive. Each office selects a local non-profit to receive the donated shoes. One participating office is Windermere Mercer Island which is collecting shoes for Mary’s Place, a homeless shelter for women and children in Seattle, WA. For the past three years, brokers from the Mercer Island office have participated in a back-to-school event at Mary’s Place, where children are paired with volunteers to select a pair of shoes and backpack for school.

If you’d like to help children in need in your community during the school year, or throughout the year, please consider donating to the Windermere Foundation. For the past 27 years, the Windermere Foundation has donated a portion of the proceeds from every home purchased or sold towards supporting low-income and families in our communities. And generous donations from our Windermere owners, agents, staff, and the community continue to make Windermere Foundation grants possible.

To learn more about the Windermere Foundation, visit http://www.windermere.com/foundation.

Living • August 8, 2016

6 Smart Home Gadgets Perfect for Summer Fun

by Guest Author

Tell your friends and families to clear their weekend schedules throughout the entire summer—your house is the place to be for fun all season long.

If you sloughed through winter with visions of making your house the hangout spot of the summer, you’ll want to bookmark this page. We’re outlining the gadgets you’ll need on hand to turn your home into a modern entertaining destination!

1. Keyless Door Lock

No one wants to be kept inside on door duty when the party is in the backyard. Give trusted guests the freedom to enter on their own by installing a keyless door lock. By swapping a traditional key entry with one of the many keyless touchpad lock options, not only will you avoid always rummaging around the house itself searching for the keyring, you’ll also be able to create temporary codes to give to guests that unlock the front door. While they can come right in and enjoy the party, you won’t have to forfeit any sense of security, since those access codes can later be changed once the party’s over.

2. Smart Thermostat and Energy Monitor

You know the drill. When temperatures go soaring, the air conditioner plummets. However, there’s a better way to keep your home’s climate comfortable than constantly blasting cold air. Instead, opt for a smart thermostat that learns the heating and cooling patterns of your home and adjusts energy usage accordingly.

Install something like the Nest Learning Thermostat and you’ll not only get a better idea of how you’re currently using energy at home and how that affects your bills every month, but you’ll also have the option to control your cooling system with a smartphone app. Picture this: you ran out to the store for one more item before friends arrive, and you realize you didn’t turn on the air conditioning. Before you hop into the car, open the Nest app and tell it how cool you’d like the house to be by the time you return home.

3. Water-Resistant Bluetooth Speakers

While you’re hanging outside and listening to music, splashes and spills will happen, we can guarantee that. What can’t be guaranteed is whether the music will stop because of these splashes. Keep the tunes playing by arming your festivities with water-resistant speakers that won’t fritz out with the smallest splash. Plus, most portable speakers have Bluetooth connectivity, so you’ll be able to keep the smartphone or tablet you’re streaming music through with you up to 30 feet before interfering with the connection range.

4. Party-Ready Lighting System

As the sun dips in the sky for the night, you have the perfect opportunity to showcase one of our favorite smart home gadgets—colorful and very intelligent lights! Creating ambient lighting does not involve black lights or scarves thrown over lamps anymore. The electronics brand Philips has made itself the leader in colorful solutions for relaxing at home that can also be synced across Wi-Fi systems. The Philips Hue family of products offers everything from movie theater-style light strips—how great would those look along window panes?—to long-lasting LED light bulbs that can be controlled via smartphone app and programmed to nearly infinite color combinations. Keep the party humming well into the night by getting creative with smart lighting’s endless color palette.

5. Smartphone-Controlled Irrigation and Watering System

In between traveling the world, splashing in the pool and catching up on a long list of reading material, the last thing you want to check off your to-do list in the hot summer months is tending to your garden. However, you don’t want all your hard work to turn into weeds or dry up from neglect.

To keep the yard looking in tip-top shape whatever your hosting or travel schedule may be, install a smart irrigation system in the backyard. Devices like the Rachio Iro Intelligent Irrigation Controller allows you to control your sprinkler system via its smartphone app. You could be in another state enjoying a friend’s backyard party and still turn your sprinklers on or off with a few taps of your phone. Look for other types of smart gardening sensors, specifically ones that can be inserted right into the soil, which will alert you when it’s time for a water refresh on the plant.

6. Security Camera

Of course, we’re going to have to add a touch of practicality to your gadget arsenal. With all those people streaming in and out of your house through a variety of entrances, accidents may happen and a door can be mistakenly left open. Create some peace of mind without helicoptering around the doors or your guests by installing a security camera on the exterior or interior of the house.

Choose a smart security camera option with Wi-Fi viewing to keep an eye on what’s happening in your house from the convenience of an app on your smartphone, tablet, or computer browser. Indoor camera options are ideal for homes that have small children or pets that you may want to check in on from another room or when away for the day. Opt for an outdoor camera when it’s a crime deterrent you’re after or if there’s a pool or other item you’d like to monitor on your property.

Stock up on these tech gadgets and you’ll be ready to party all summer long.

Kelly Schwarze is a tech geek who writes about the latest gadgets and also provides tips on how to use them. She especially likes to give advice on how the new smart home technology and Security can be used to improve your live. To see a large selection of security cameras, Kelly mentions in this article, visit The Home Depot.

Living • August 5, 2016

25 Ways to Make the Most of Small Spaces

by Shelley Rossi

Suburban homes—with their large spaces, big yards, and separate bedrooms for every child—will always be popular with families, especially families of four or more. But there’s also a contingent today that’s eager to live in a dense urban setting: a high-rise condominium in the downtown core, a small home in an urban neighborhood, a small apartment, or even a shared housing arrangement. For those people, designing, furnishing, and organizing these living spaces will require a very different approach.

Urban living spaces are usually much smaller than suburban homes, which means, if you use traditional furnishing and space-planning techniques, you’re bound to be frustrated by the outcome. But with a little planning and creativity, you can create a fully functional space that belies its size.

Small-space planning ideas

Start with the biggest, most important piece in each room (the sofa, the dining room table, the bathroom sink, etc.), then plan the rest of the space around that item.
Focus on the needs of those who will be living in the home full-time. Leave any accommodations for guests until later.
Work to make every space multifunctional (e.g., a kitchen island that can also be used for eating; a home office that can also function as a TV room and/or guest room).
Look for any opportunity to increase the amount of sunlight. Install glass doors and skylights, and leave windows unobstructed.
The fewer walls separating spaces, the more open and spacious it will appear.
Traditional staircases are an inefficient use of space. If you’re designing from the ground up, consider a spiral staircase instead.
Light paint colors (especially white) will make a room look more spacious. The combination of light walls with a dark floor will magnify the effect even more. Consider painting one wall a contrasting color to create a stylish focal point.

Furnishing solutions for small spaces

Your furnishings should be small mobile and, when possible, stackable. That way, spaces can be quickly reorganized to suit different situations.
Furnishings that blend with the colors of your walls or floors (or are transparent) will make the space appear less cluttered. To add personality and warmth, accentuate with colorful throw pillows and rich fabrics.
If you keep most furnishings against the walls, traffic flow will be improved, and it will make rooms feel larger.
Furnishings that hang from the walls or have legs will also create the illusion of more space.
In many cases, bench seating is better than individual chairs, because benches can accommodate more people and can be used as side tables when no one is sitting on them.
Instead of a coffee table, consider small side tables. Instead of a full-size sofa, try a three-seat version, or even a love seat (just two cushions).
A large, wall-mounted mirror will make the space appear larger.
An open-sided bookshelf can do double-duty as an interesting room divider. Leaving it half empty will allow natural light to shine through.
A table on wheels is good for the kitchen. Use it as an island in the center of the kitchen or roll it to the side and use is as a side counter.
Consider using an under-counter refrigerator, together with an under-counter freezer, instead of one large, freestanding unit.
In small spaces, there is no room for furnishings you don’t love. If something isn’t getting used much, or if you don’t really care for it, get rid of it.

Organizing small spaces

The best furnishings are those that include storage space (a dining room table with drawers; an ottoman with a hollow interior; a bed that sits on a storage unit).
Bookshelves and other wall-storage systems should be thin and as tall as possible to maximize storage while minimizing the amount of floor space used.
Storage pieces with doors keep small rooms from looking cluttered and unkempt. Even glass doors can help achieve this effect.
Remove food goods from their air-filled boxes and bags and store them in space-saving, stackable containers.
Store larger things (like a vacuum cleaner, electronics, etc.) behind a free-standing decorative screen.
A professionally designed closet storage system can double, and even triple, the space for your clothes. Removing the door(s) to the closet will ease access.
Wall-mounted hooks are ideal for coats and much more. Pot racks are great for freeing up valuable cabinet storage space in the kitchen.

Many people think you need to sacrifice in order to live in a small space. But with these suggestions, you can simply adapt and enjoy your home to the fullest.

Market News • August 3, 2016

Nevada Real Estate Market Update

by Afshan Adil

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

Job recovery in the Las Vegas metropolitan area took a bit of a pause during second quarter. May employment was down by 200 jobs from the prior month, but still 21,300 higher than seen a year ago. This matches the annual pace of 21,300 jobs seen at the end of last year, but is below the average annual rate of 32,700 for the whole of 2015. It is too early to suggest that this “slowdown” will be ongoing, but I will be keeping a close eye on the numbers through
the summer months.

The local unemployment rate rose from 6.1% to 6.4% between April and May, but it’s important to keep in mind that this data is not seasonally adjusted. (Seasonal adjustments remove the influences of predictable seasonal patterns to show how unemployment changes from month to month.) The employment rate has been fluctuating quite frenetically over the past
few months, but I believe that Las Vegas is still trending in the right direction, especially considering that there were substantial additions to the workforce during the spring.

HOME SALES ACTIVITY

■ There were 9,717 home sales last quarter, which is an annual increase of 9.7%.

■ Sub-markets where sales activity was slow were limited to the Southeast and Anthem areas, but the declines were very modest.

■ The fastest rate of growth in sales came in the Green Valley/Henderson sub-market, which saw home sales rise by 29.5% over the past year.

■ Inventory levels remain a major issue with the number of homes for sale 3.9% lower than a year ago, and 9.4% lower than in the first quarter of the year. There were four areas where the number of homes for sale increased, led by the Southwest sub-market which saw listings increase by 7%.

HOME PRICES

■ Average prices in the region rose by 3.8% year-over-year to $230,500.

■ The Whitney sub-market saw the strongest annual growth with home prices rising by 14.2% to $174,333.

■ All but three sub-markets saw prices rise compared to the second quarter of 2015, and two sub-markets registered double-digit percentage gains.

■ Prices fell in the South Summerlin/Lakes and Southeast sub-markets, but I don’t believe that one declining quarter is enough to suggest that this trend will continue.

DAYS ON MARKET

■ The average number of days it took to sell a home in the region dropped by nine days when compared to the second quarter of 2015.

■ The average time it took to sell a home in the region was 53 days.

■ The South Summerlin/Lakes sub-market was the only market where the number of days on market did not drop but it did not increase either!

■ The greatest drop in days-on-market was seen in the Sunrise sub-market, which dropped by
16 days.

CONCLUSIONS

The speedometer reflects the state of the region’s housing market using housing inventory, price gains, sales velocities, interest rates and larger economics factors.

The Southern Nevada economy continues to grow, but the pace has slowed. This is not a cause for concern at the moment, but I will be watching the data through the summer to better understand the reasons for the current slowdown.

Inventory levels are not what I would hope for, and it is clear that more choice in homes for sale will lead to a more balanced market. Home prices are still rising, but at a reasonable pace. Because of this, I am leaving the speedometer in the same position as last month—still in favor of sellers.

Matthew Gardner is the Chief Economist for Windermere Real Estate, specializing in residential market analysis, commercial/industrial market analysis, financial analysis, and land use and regional economics. He is the former Principal of Gardner Economics, and has over 25 years of professional experience both in the U.S. and U.K.

Market News • August 2, 2016

Southern California Real Estate Market Update

by Afshan Adil

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

Over the past 12 months, the Southern California markets covered by this report added 122,800 new jobs, and the total number of people claiming unemployment insurance dropped by almost 204,000. With these changes, the unemployment rate has dropped by two percentage points from 6.3% to 4.3%.

The regional economy appears to be performing quite well and I expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future.

HOME SALES ACTIVITY

There were a total of 54,216 home sales in second quarter of 2016. This was 0.6% lower than seen during the same period in 2015, which I attribute to the 3.3% decline in the number of homes for sale.
The decline in the number of home sales in most markets was primarily due to lower inventory levels, but this was not the case in Orange County where listings were modestly higher.
Home sales were a mixed bag with higher sales reported in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, but lower in LA, Orange and San Diego Counties.
Total listings are still well below levels that are expected in balanced markets.

HOME PRICES

Compared to second quarter of 2015, average prices in the region rose by 3.9% to $618,042. We continue to see a slowdown in price growth, which can be attributed to affordability as well as supply issues.
LA County and Orange County are almost at parity with each other price-wise. The average home price last quarter was $774,000 in LA County and $772,000 in Orange County.
San Diego County saw the greatest appreciation in home values (+6.9%) to $617,000. This was followed by San Bernardino County, where the average price rose 5% to $323,300.
Both LA County and Orange County saw prices jump between the first and second quarters of this year, with prices 7.5% higher in LA County and 8.8% higher in Orange County.

DAYS ON MARKET

The average time it took to sell a home in the region was 58 days. This is a drop of three days when compared to the second quarter of 2015.
The decline in days on market remains a function of low inventory, as well as price. The drop in the time it takes to sell a home is moderating, primarily due to escalating home values which are stretching buyers’ budgets.
Homes in San Diego County continue to sell at a faster rate than the other markets in the region. In the second quarter, it took an average of 29 days to sell a home, which is seven days less than seen a year ago.
Four of five counties saw a drop in the amount of time it took to sell a home between the second quarter of 2015 and the second quarter of 2016. The only exception was in San Bernardino County, where the time it takes to sell a home remained at 66 days.

CONCLUSIONS

The speedometer reflects the state of the region’s housing market using housing inventory, price gains, sales velocities, interest rates and larger economics factors. The expansion of the economy in the Southern California region continues to taper, but for good reason. The area is getting close to reaching “full employment”, which naturally leads to a subsequent slowdown in employment growth.

The demand for housing continues, but affordability is starting to act as an anchor in some markets. That said, if inventory levels start to grow, some of the pressure will ease and we should head towards a more balanced market.

Interest rates remain competitive, and price growth has shown some signs of slowing, which favors buyers; however, inventory constraints persist and, for that reason, the market still clearly favors sellers.

Market News • August 1, 2016

Oregon and South West Washington Real Estate Market Update

by Afshan Adil

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

As a whole, Oregon’s labor market remains stronger than it has been in decades. Job growth in the second quarter was somewhat muted, but this is nothing to be concerned about. Businesses have expanded to pre-recession levels, so at this point hiring tends to be cyclical rather than expansionary.

The state has essentially reached what is defined as “full employment”, at which point growth rates tend to naturally slow. This explains why the state’s unemployment rate has remained steady at 4.5% for the past three months—a level that has not been seen in over 40 years.

HOME SALES ACTIVITY

Home sales fell by 2.3% when compared to the second quarter of 2015, with a total of 17,509 transactions.
Sales rose at the fastest rate in Linn, Josephine, Columbia, Polk, and Wasco Counties. The greatest declines were seen in Hood River, Tillamook, Klickitat, Multnomah, and Benton Counties.
Although overall sales activity was somewhat slower, there were still 14 out of 26 counties that saw home sales increase over the same period in 2015. However, a majority of these counties are small, which means a few sales can result in major swings. As such, I believe the major reason for the slowing in sales is the lack of inventory rather than lack of demand.
Home sales are a product of supply, and that is what’s missing from the equation. When we start to see more listing activity—which I hope will be later on this year—an increase in sales will surely follow.

HOME PRICES

Average prices in the region rose by 10.5% year-over-year to $336,882. This is up from the annual rate of 9.1% seen in the first quarter of the year. It is clear that supply constraints continue to push prices higher, and this rate of appreciation is one of the highest in the nation.
When compared to the second quarter of 2015, Jefferson County took over as the market with the greatest price growth, with homes selling for 34% above that seen a year ago.
All counties saw prices rise compared to the second quarter of 2015, and all but eight saw double-digit percentage gains. The only “underperformer”—if it can be termed as such—was the very small Hood River County where prices rose by 0.6%.
The rapid price growth that is being seen in the region so far this year cannot be sustained. That said, I see little reason to believe that any slowdown will occur in the near-term.

DAYS ON MARKET

The average time it took to sell a home last quarter was 88 days.
The average number of days it took to sell a home dropped by 16 days when compared to a year ago.
Crook County was the only area where the average time it took to sell a home rose, but given the fact that it is a small market (104 sales this quarter), the increase is clearly nominal.
The fastest sales pace was again seen in Washington and Multnomah Counties, which reported an average of just 21 days to sell homes.

CONCLUSIONS

The speedometer reflects the state of the region’s housing market using housing inventory, price gains, sales velocities, interest rates and larger economics factors. Growth in the Oregon economy remains well above average and is unlikely to slow down in the foreseeable future. As real estate relies heavily on economic growth, this continues to bode well for the Oregon housing market.

Listing activity is still well below levels that I would like to see, and this continues to push up home prices. Interest rates remain at near historically low levels and are not likely to increase to any great degree in the near-term. This allows buyers to borrow more, and adds additional upward pressure on home prices.

As such, I have moved the needle even more in favor of sellers.