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6 Tips for This Summer’s Real Estate Market

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6 Tips for This Summer’s Real Estate Market

Each year, it seems the housing market takes on a different tone — and whether it’s going to be a sellers’ market with inflated prices and bidding wars, or a buyers’ market with tons of choices and low prices — there’s no denying that the 2014 housing season is upon us. So what does it have in store? Well, if you’re thinking of listing your home, that’s an important question.

Here are six market insights that will give you a head start!

Right Now = A Great Time To Sell
The winter home selling season was crippled by the polar vortex, especially in the east and northeast, so there’s pent-up demand from buyers who’ve been waiting for better weather to brave the house hunt. Mortgage rates are still at historic lows, so buyers ARE poised to buy and ready to hit the streets.

Know Your Numbers: 60 percent
Sixty percent of all homes in 2014 will be bought and sold from May to August. Putting your home on the market at the beginning of the selling season will help your chances of snagging a winning offer before buyers turn their attention back to school starting in September.

Price It Right
Many metros in the country have seen double-digit price increases in the past year. But this last quarter, prices started to slow nationally — and pricing is a critical component to getting your house sold. With this fluctuating market, you need to look at comps of similar homes in your area, and recency matters: make sure you’re looking back no more than 60 days. The sale price of homes that sold recently paints a much better picture of what to expect than the price of homes that sold six months ago (or of homes that have yet to sell).

Bidding Wars Aren’t Back (Phew!)
Bidding wars were common in the summer of 2013, but we’re hearing less about them right now. So don’t bank on fielding two or three offers at once. There is, however, a good chance that you’ll still get the one that will be a win/win for both you and the buyer.

It Pays To Be Ahead Of The Curve
Trying to get a jump on the competition? Right now we’re on the cusp of prime selling and buying season, and if you list soon, you’ll have less competition than you would if you put your house on the market in May or June, when more homes will flood the market. Since it’s still early, your home can have its ‘moment in the spotlight’ more than it will when inventory increases – and the buyers who are braving the cold to house shop are clearly motivated.

Make It Pop Off The Computer (Or Smartphone) Screen!
In this new mobile era, a huge percentage of buyers use apps to start their home search. And that percentage is expected to rise this year as more buyers take advantage of easy access to the wealth of information online. Get in on this trend by making sure your home pops on those computer screens. Great homes with mediocre quality photos will be quickly discarded and ultimately get less showings. Sellers should insist that their agent take the time to beef up their online listing so the quality of the home jumps off the screen and gets buyers’ attention.

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Are you paying too much in property taxes? Contest your assessment, here’s how:

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Think you’re paying too much? Contest.

You’re not alone. With property taxes continuing to rise nationwide, many homeowners are starting to challenge what they see as exorbitantly high demands made on them by their local assessor’s office. Follow their lead, and you have a 50 percent chance of succeeding, says Pete Sepp, a spokesperson for the National Taxpayers Union.

First, a primer. The amount of property tax you pay is determined by multiplying your county and city tax rates by the assessed value of your property and all of the structures on it. The value of those structures can change dramatically if you make improvements, like putting on a new family-room addition. Most homeowners pay property taxes once or twice a year; they can also be amortized into monthly mortgage payments.

To determine the value of your house, assessors will either stop by for a detailed inspection during the town’s reassessment period, or simply check real estate documents to see how much you paid for the property. In some cases, they’ll just look at the median price paid for homes in your area and base their calculations on that.

Reasons for disputing assessments vary. Maybe you suspect that the assessed value of your property exceeds its true market value. Or you might discover that your neighbors, who live in an identical four-bedroom two-story down the block, are paying less in taxes than you are. There’s also the possibility that you’re entitled to exemptions that weren’t taken into account. In some jurisdictions, for example, homeowners renovating historic properties can get a partial property-tax reduction.

You don’t typically need a lawyer, since most municipalities are more than willing to walk you through the appeals process. So where do you start?

When can I contest my property assessment?

By law (KRS-133.120(1)(a)), if you wish to contest your property assessment you must first hold a conference with the PVA Office approximately two weeks prior to or during the Open Inspection Period (OIP).  The 2016 OIP begins on May 2, 2016 and ends on May 16, 2016.  The PVA Online Conference is your PVA conference.  To contest your 2016 assessment, complete our PVA online conference available two weeks prior to or during the 2016 OIP at: www.jeffersonpva.ky.gov.  The PVA online conference is also available two weeks prior to and during the 2016 OIP free of charge at any branch of the Louisville Free Public Library.  You may also call our office two weeks prior to and during the 2016 OIP at (502) 574-6224 to schedule an appointment to complete your PVA online conference on computers available at the PVA Office located downtown at:  815 W. Market Street, Suite 400 Louisville, KY 40202.

STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING YOUR ASSESSMENT

That latest property tax bill is not set in stone, here’s some useful advice.

• Make sure all the deductions you’re entitled to were granted.

• If something looks off, check the assessor’s math and the description of your property. Sometimes the problem is simple human error, like miscalculated square footage or an incorrect number of bedrooms.

•Check the assessments of at least five comparable properties.

•Make adjustments for differences between your property and the comps.

•If your assessment is unfair, make an informal appeal to the assessor first. If that doesn’t work, file a formal appeal.

•Attend an appeals board hearing to get a feel for the process.

•Prepare a written summary of your case and rehearse your presentation.

We Can Help You

If you would like help determining the “correct” market value of your home, we can provide you a free comparative market analysis that will support your case to lower your tax assessment.  Just email your address to adam@traditionslouisville.com, and we’ll do the rest.  You can also call or text your information to (502) 298-3469. The report will be emailed back to you within 24 hours.

How To Sell Your Home For Top Dollar

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By Nicholas Pell/MainStreet.com

When you’re selling your home, you want to get the maximum value possible. So as you prepare to put your home on the market (and hopefully upgrade to new digs), what can you do to improve the value of your home? Not only is it possible for you to improve your home and get more money, it’s probably a lot easier than you think.

Improving the value versus market appeal

“The first thing I tell people who come to me is that there’s a difference between increasing the value of your home and increasing the market appeal,” says Barry Jenkins, a realtor with Better Homes and Gardens. “Asking price is determined by appraisers, and they have strict rules for value.” For example, a full-bath is worth between $3,000 and $5,000. Square footage is another objective measurement of value. “When I tell people this, their wheels start spinning, and they ask me if they should add a bathroom,” Jenkins says. The answer is no, because that’s going to cost between $3,000 and $5,000 to achieve.

“Market appeal is a whole other beast,” says Jenkins. What that means is basically the likelihood that your house will sell for the asking price. It’s the answer to the question, why your house as opposed to any other?

Jenkins says that kitchens and bathrooms are the main reason people opt for one house instead of another, very similar house. “If your house was built before 1990, you probably have these hokey cabinets with cast iron handles on them,” he says. In one case, Jenkins advised a client to spend $1,000 changing out the cabinets in their kitchen. He can then sell the property as having an “updated kitchen.”

A mere $20 can get you a package of light fixtures that make a house look more modern. Replacing sinks with dual, “his-and-her” sinks is an easy upgrade to set your home apart.

Tom Healy, an associated real estate broker with William Raveis, points out that, while it sounds elementary, many people forget to keep their house neat and clean for prospective buyers. “If your home is cluttered you’re going to lose money,” he says. “If the decor doesn’t make sense, you’re definitely going to lose money.”

How much money? Healy says probably a few thousand dollars, which is a lot of money to lose because you didn’t want to straighten up your house before someone came by. Keeping the property neat includes cleaning your garage and landscaping if you have a yard. Failing to do so can be the most expensive act of sloth in your life.

Finally, if you’re looking to get top dollar for your home, you need to get the right agent selling it. “‘Top dollar’ is just the highest price the market can bear,” says Healy. There’s no magic bullet when it comes to making your house go for more. “The broker that the seller hires should be working with other firms, advertising the house on a 24/7 basis, with a good description and sharing that home so everyone has access to it,” Healy says. Ask to see a marketing plan from your agency up front. When in doubt, find a friend who has had a good experience selling his home to get referred to an ace.

But the most important thing, according to Jenkins, is to dummy proof your home. “Buyers don’t know much,” he says. “And because they don’t know much, they’re scared. They’re operating under the fear of buying a really crappy house. They’re looking for the Bogeyman.”

Getting top dollar for your house means removing that fear before it even happens.

“I’m not really big on breaking the bank,” he says. But it’s absolutely necessary to do everything you can to make your prospective buyer feel good about buying your home.

Which Is A Better Investment: Real Estate Or Stocks?

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Which Is A Better Investment: Real Estate Or Stocks?

increase-the-property-value-23453We’ve got real estate tycoons and we’ve got stock market tycoons. We’ve even got wealthy bond investors such as PIMCO’s Bill Gross who pulls in over $100 million a year, but let’s forget about bonds for now. Now that everything is heading up, I’d like to have an open discussion on which asset class provides the the most amount of wealth over the long run.

With my net worth split roughly 40/30/30 between real estate, stocks, and CDs, you might assume that I like all three asset classes somewhat equally. The fact of the matter is I would much rather have 60% of my net worth in real estate, 35% in stocks, and 5% in CDs at this present time. Unfortunately, shifting one’s net worth around isn’t as easy as snapping one’s fingers.

In this article I will explain to you why I have a preference for real estate over stocks (equities). Both have proven worthy of building great wealth over time, however real estate is going to provide the most return over the next 10 years in my opinion. I’ll do my best to make the case for both asset classes.

REASONS WHY REAL ESTATE IS BETTER THAN STOCKS

1) You are more in control. Every physical real estate investment you make puts you in charge as CEO. As CEO, you are able to make improvements, cut costs (refinance your mortgage), raise rents, and market accordingly. Of course you are still at the mercy of the economic cycle, but overall you have much more leeway in making wealth optimizing decisions. When you invest in a public or private company, you are a minority investor who puts his or her faith in management. Sometimes managers commit fraud or blow their companies to smithereens. Nobody cares more about your investment than you.

2) Leverage with other people’s money. Leverage in a rising market is a wonderful thing. Even if real estate only tracks inflation over the long run, a 3% increase on a 20% downpayment is a 15% return. In five years you will have more than doubled your equity at this rate. Leverage also kills on the way down, but real estate is very difficult to trade so you will most likely stay put unless things get really dire.

3) Tax advantageous. Not only can you deduct the interest on up to $1.1 million in mortgage indebtedness on your primary home, you can also sell your primary home for tax free profits up to $250,000 for singles and $500,000 for married couples if you live in the home for the last two of a five year period. If you are in the 28% or higher tax bracket, it behooves you to own property. All expenses associated with managing your rental properties are also deductible towards your income. Income limits do apply however, so make sure you don’t make much more than ~$166,000 a year total.

4) Tangible asset. Real estate is something you can see, feel, and utilize. Stocks aren’t event pieces of paper anymore, but ticker symbols and numbers. When the world comes to an end, you can seek shelter in your property. Real estate is one of the three pillars for survival, the other two being food and shelter.

5) Easier to analyze and quantify. If you can calculate realistic expenses and rental income that’s all you really need when it comes down to valuing a piece of property. If you can borrow at 4% and rent out for a 6% yield, you’ve likely found yourself a winner. Real estate is immediately arbitrageable if you have the financial means to invest. There’s not only the cash flow component but the underlying equity component that helps investors build wealth. Stocks require you to trust what the company reports. There are countless ways for companies to massage their numbers to make things look better than they really are e.g. adjusting accounts receivables, adding one off gains, and using various amortization or depreciation strategies to name a few.  It’s so easy to do research on real estate compared with researching stocks.

6) Less visible volatility. Your house value could be tanking and you would never know it since there isn’t a daily ticker symbol. During bad times, the utility of your home really helps soften the blow as you enjoy your home and create great memories. During the 2008-2009 downturn, I still got to enjoy my vacation property in Lake Tahoe 15-20 days a year even though values were plunging. Meanwhile, looking at the TV or computer screen just made me mad. When your investment is less volatile, it’s much easier to stay the course and not sell at the bottom.

7) A source of pride. Making money for money’s sake is a pretty empty feeling. Every time I drive by my rental properties I feel proud to have made the purchases years ago. I know that my money is working as hard as possible so I don’t have to. Real estate is a constant reminder that taking calculated risks over time pays off. There is an indescribable feeling nobody tells you once you’ve closed on your property. Even though the bank probably owns most of it in the beginning, you literally feel like the King or Queen of your castle. When you die, you can pass on your pride to your children or closest companions to let them create their own memories.

8) More insulated. Real estate is local. If you’ve made a good decision to buy in an economically strong region, you will be more insulated from the national economy or the global economy. Spain blowing up is likely not going to affect the rent you can charge. Look at prices in superstar cities such as Manhattan, Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Paris, and San Francisco. They fall the least, recover the soonest and gain the most. Of course, industries in your area could suddenly disappear and leave you broken as well.

 

The Psychology of Real Estate

The Psychology of Real Estate

By Ryan Sager

HomePsychology

If you’ve ever house-hunted, you’ve probably got a sense that real estate purchases don’t represent consumers at their most rational. Did you like a house or apartment more, or less, depending on whether it was sunny the day you saw it? Chances are, you did.

Buying a house isn’t the same as buying a stock, an air conditioner or even a car. It’s not just a product with pluses and minuses—good school system versus small kitchen, new roof versus longer commute. A house represents the kind of life you want to live. And given its cost, a house and the value it gains or loses represent in a very concrete way the life you will be able to live. Thus, it’s both unsurprising and disturbing to realize our judgment about real estate is susceptible to many of the foolish forces that affect so many other consumer decisions—and in some ways, it may even be more affected.

Research by Michael Seiler, a professor at Old Dominion University, has found that both men and women (though particularly men) are susceptible to the attractiveness of a female real estate agent. The more attractive the agent, the more the buyer is willing to pay. What’s more, superficial things like a room painted an ugly color can make people less likely to buy a house—even though fixing such a problem is as cheap as a couple cans of paint.

What’s more troublesome, though, is how attached our minds get to the perceived values of our houses. In one study, economists David Genesove and Christopher Mayer looked at the spectacular bust in condominium prices in Boston in the early 1990s. When a market goes south—as the national housing market did recently—standard economics tells us that sellers should recalibrate their expectations and behavior, knowing they’ll have to sell for less.

Of course, this isn’t how our brains work. Instead, we’re susceptible to loss aversion—the mental quirk by which we feel losses much more sharply than we feel equivalent gains. So we set the price of our property not by what the market will bear, but by what we paid and what we feel we “have to” get out. People who bought at or near the peak of the Boston condo boom listed their properties for around 35 percent more than those who had bought lower. Consequently, those overpriced properties sat on the market; fewer than 30 percent had sold after 180 days. Another wrinkle: Owners who also lived in the units exhibited about twice as much loss aversion as people who had bought them as investment properties. A home, it seems, makes us more irrational than a house.

It doesn’t take a boom or bust to trigger this phenomenon: A more recent paper finds that homeowners consistently overestimate the value of their homes by 5 to 10 percent. The only cure for this seems to be buying one’s home during a slump; in fact, these buyers may underestimate their home’s value. Buyers getting in now, then, may be at a cognitive advantage for years to come. Boom buyers, meanwhile, have to come to terms not just with economic losses, but with psychological losses and regret.

Home Is Where the Head Is

Research shows that consumers struggle to stay rational when buying or selling homes. Some examples:

The New Curb Appeal : It’s not just the paint job—the more attractive the real-estate agent showing a house, the more the buyer is willing to pay.

Refusing to Lose : People who buy homes near the peak of a boom tend to list them at high prices, even if that means they don’t sell. Blame it on “loss aversion,” which makes us acutely feel and fear losses.

Mine’s Better : Homeowners consistently overestimate the value of their homes by 5 to 10 percent. The only group that’s an exception: those who bought during a slump.

Whatsitworth

Louisville Restaurant Inspection Scores

How the Department of Health Grades Restaurants & A Search Tool Below

ABC Placards

A = 85-100% with No Critical Violations

B = To include ALL facilities that have failed 2 regular consecutive inspections, failed a follow-up inspection, or was closed during the regular inspection due to imminent public health violations.

C = 84% or below to include ALL inspections with critical violations.

The Director of Health or his/her designee shall remove and re-post the applicable placard following inspection.

A placard – Green – Acknowledges safe food handling practices and designates a facility meets the requirements of The Kentucky State Food Code without critical violations. The A placard shall remain posted until the next routine inspection. 

B placard – Blue – Indicates the facility has failed 2 consecutive inspections prior to passing the most recent follow-up. The B placard may also represent that a facility was recently closed due to imminent public health violations, then re-inspected and opened after passing a follow-up inspection. This facility has not shown due regard for public health. The B placard shall remain posted until the facility passes their next regular inspection. A facility that fails two (2) consecutive regular inspections will be under administrative review.

C placard– Red – Indicates that a food service facility has failed to meet minimum requirements of The Kentucky State Food Code upon the most recent inspection. This will include a score with any critical violations. The C placard shall be placed for a minimum of seven (7) days and not more than ten (10) days. A follow-up inspection must be conducted and the applicable placard posted.

A facility that is closed by the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness for imminent public health violations, regardless of the numeric score, will be required to post a B placard after passing the next follow-up inspection. The B placard will be posted regardless of the passing numeric score. The B placard must be displayed until the next routine inspection.

Mobile Food Service establishments that fail a regular inspection and/or follow-up inspection are required to provide to the Department of Public Health and Wellness an operational schedule for the 10 days following the date of failure.

Facilities which are required to post placards, pursuant to Chapter 400 of the Board of Health Sanitary Code, include: Food Service Establishments (605) and Retail Food Establishments (607) which are defined in Chapter 400 and KRS 217.015.

Critical Violations

• Food from an unapproved source
• Spoiled food
• Food at unsafe temperatures
• Improper re-serving of food
• Personnel with infections not restricted from work
• Improper hand washing
• Bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food
• Employees eating, drinking or smoking while preparing food
• Person in charge without knowledge of safe food practices or not present
• Food contact surfaces not designed or installed properly, not clean, or in disrepair
• Improper dish and equipment washing; without proper temperature or sanitizer
• Safe hot and cold running water not present
• Improper disposal of sewage and waste, sewage pipe leaking or back-up
• Hand washing sinks are not designed, installed, accessible, or working properly
• Insects, rodents, birds, turtles or other animals present
• Toxic items not labeled, stored next to food or improperly used
• Consumer advisory for undercooked food not posted
• Lack of a convenient hand sink

Click Below To Look Up Any Restaurant’s Score:

HealthDept

Why a Real Estate Career is Better than a Corporate Job

Why a Real Estate Career is Better than a Corporate Job

by Mark Ferguson —

corpladder

I have been a Realtor for over 10 years and love the freedom, money and control.  If you have read my recent articles on my review of 2013 or my goals for 2014 then you know I love big goals and have done very well in the real estate business.  Coming out of college I had the choice of joining the corporate world or going another route.  I decided to take the “other” route, which involved joining my father’s real estate team.  I did not choose real estate because I spent time researching the pros and cons; it was more a choice of convenience.  I couldn’t find a job out if college in the corporate world and my dad offered me a job in real estate.  I am extremely happy things worked out the way they did after seeing how my friends are treated in the corporate world compared to how I run my business.

A career in real estate has more freedom than a corporate job

Real estate agents have a lot of freedom.  Most real estate agents are their own boss and make their own schedule.  They can work as much or as little as they want, which is a good thing for many people, but can be a challenge for others.  You have to have a great work ethic to make yourself work hard and create business as a Realtor.  Real estate agents have to work under a broker or be their own broker, but that broker is not exactly their boss.   The real estate agent is usually a self-employed contractor for the real estate office.  That means they set their own schedule, they take vacations when they want, they take time off during the day to watch their kids plays and recitals.  A Realtor can do these things without asking for permission from anyone!

I think most of us know how the corporate world works.  You work your butt off to rise through the ranks of the company.  You get raises with each promotion and usually you take on more responsibility and more work.  You work for a salary; your hours are dictated by your boss and they can be daunting.  I know many successful people in the corporate world who work 60, 70 or 80 hours a week!  Since they are salaried workers they don’t make more money the more they work.  Hopefully at some point they will be rewarded for that hard work with another promotion.  That promotion may mean even longer hours and less time with your family.  At some point 20 year down the road maybe they will become a top-level manager or CEO.  That assumes the company they are working for still exists and they enjoy working 80 hour weeks for the twenty years leading up to that “dream job”.  The crazy thing is this is the route I was taught to take in college.  They made it seem glamorous and the expected thing to do when you graduate.  Thank goodness I was not paying very good attention in school!

A real estate career allows you to make more money than a corporate job

Many people see the average incomes for a real estate agent in the $40,000 range and assume real estate agents don’t make much money.  The thing is those statistics count part-time real estate agents and agents who treat their job as a hobby.  I mentioned an agent has to motivate themselves and make themselves work hard.  Not everyone can or will work hard unless they have a boss telling them they have too.  I talk about how much money real estate agents make in more detail in this article and they can make a lot of money!  It is not uncommon to see a Realtor make well over a hundred thousand dollars a year.  In fact our office has 38 agents and I know at least four of them make well over $100,000 a year; actually two of them make over $300,000 a year consistently year after year.  The top agents in our area, which is not a massive metropolitan, area make over 1 million dollars a year in real estate.  It did not take them 20 years to build up that business, it can take as little as five years for some real go-getters.  I know a couple in Arizona who made over 1 million in real estate two years after becoming agents.  Not everyone will make this kind of money, but it is possible with the right plan, goals and team.  Once you build the right team, the team will start to make you money.  You own a business as a real estate agent and if you plan well, that business will run itself.

In the corporate world you can make a lot of money as well.  I know a few people who make six figures plus they get benefits like health insurance.  Benefits are something real estate agents do not get since they are self-employed.  The people I know in the corporate world making that money have worked crazy hours for years.  They also find themselves running into a ceiling on pay once they make it to that six figure income.  There is a lot of competition in the corporate world and you have to be the best of the best to make it six figures.  Once you reach a certain age in the corporate world you run into the problem of younger cheaper talent replacing you.  These reasons are why my good friend left the corporate world (where he was a top-level manager) to learn about real estate from me.  I think he can reach the same income level in real estate in two years or less that it took him ten years to reach in the corporate world.

Real estate forces you to run your own businesses

We have all heard the best way to get rich is to start your own business.  Real estate is one of the easiest business to start with very high profit potential.  In real estate you need very little capital to get started, customers are easy to find, marketing is relatively cheap and you need few assets.  If you want to be a Realtor you have to treat it as a business not a job.  You are the boss; make big goals, plan well, work hard and great things will happen.  If you expect everything to fall in your lap without doing any real work, you are going to be very disappointed.

In the corporate world you have no chance to start your own business.  You are constantly working for someone else making money for their business.  Usually you have no time or flexibility to create something on the side and you get stuck in a rut that can last for years.

Real estate makes you take control of your life

When you are your own boss nothing is planned for you.  You don’t have hours you have to be at work and no one tells you what to do and when to do it.  Many people like having their lives planned for them because it easier than taking control.  To get the most out of life you have to be in control.  You have to make your own schedule, plan for your future, plan your own retirement, plan vacations and plan exciting things to do.

Real estate agents have unlimited room for growth

As a real estate agent and business owner I can keep hiring people and growing my business as big as I want.  The only ceiling present is the ceiling I put on myself.  I can keep hiring staff to meet increased workloads as I grow and I do every year.  I keep growing every year, hiring more people every year and I actually work less now than I did a few years ago.  The staff I hire take care of the increased management that more staff requires.  I love real estate and I am really glad I stumbled into it after college and did not get stuck in the corporate world.  Real estate is not easy; it takes hard work and a great plan to succeed.  If you think you can make it in real estate I highly suggest you give it a try.

RECareerArrows

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Top 10 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Spring after a Severe Winter

Top 10 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Spring after Severe Winter
winterhouse
As much of the United States recovers from one of the harshest winters in recent history, it is important to inspect your home for damage and plan for home maintenance, repair and remodeling projects. Winter weather can be particularly damaging to a home and the tips from NAHB Remodelers can return your home to top condition after the severe winter.

“Winter weather can damage homes in ways that aren’t easily visible,” says NAHB Remodelers Chair Paul Sullivan, CAPS, CGR, CGP, of Waterville Valley, N.H. “Home owners should protect their investment and hire a professional remodeler to repair or replace damaged components now, before spring storms create more problems.”

NAHB Remodelers recommends these top 10 tips for home owners to inspect for damage and make sure your home is ready for spring from top to bottom:

1.  Check your roof for loose, warped or missing shingles and make sure the chimney flashing and skylight seals are intact.

2.  Clear winter storm debris from gutters and downspouts, and check that they are still securely attached to the house. Blocked     or loose gutters can allow water into your home and damage trim.

3.  Common culprits for hard-to-find leaks are attics, crawl spaces and washing machine hoses. Inspect these areas, look under     sinks for damage from frozen pipes and check your water heater for signs of corrosion.

4.  Remove leaves from underground or exterior drains to clear the way for spring showers and prevent backups.

5.  Inspect siding for pieces that have come loose during winter storms.

6.  Examine the exterior caulking on door and window seals to ensure it remains watertight.

7.  Patch cracks in concrete driveways, sidewalks and steps to keep water out and prevent further expansion.

8.  Painting or touching up paint on the exterior of your home not only makes it look better, but will also help protect the home      from the elements.

9.  Hire a qualified technician to service your home’s HVAC system to make sure it is running properly before hot temperatures      call for air conditioning. Now is also the time to replace your HVAC filters.

10.  Ensure the grading of your yard slopes away from your home’s foundation to keep excess moisture at bay.

Don’t wait to inspect your home and get damage fixed. Many professional remodelers not only renovate homes; they repair or replace damaged or deteriorating roofs, windows, doors and other home features. Remodeling and repair projects can require your home to be open to the elements and companies may have a backlog of work due to the length and severity of the winter season. Choose your repair and renovation projects for the year ahead and start planning now.

Design Elements To Avoid In Your Home

Top Design Elements to Avoid In Your Home…Especially if You’re Trying To Sell

 

 

This foolproof security system.The Worst Home Design Fails Ever

This overenthusiastic sink.The Worst Home Design Fails Ever

This confused floor tile.The Worst Home Design Fails Ever

And this one

The Worst Home Design Fails Ever

This brand-conscious house.The Worst Home Design Fails Ever

These drawers that forgot their life’s purpose.The Worst Home Design Fails Ever

This driveway that will definitely absolutely kill you.The Worst Home Design Fails Ever

And this garage that you’ll never get to enter.The Worst Home Design Fails Ever

This tilted window.The Worst Home Design Fails Ever

All of these quasi-unusable toilets.The Worst Home Design Fails Ever

Known in some circles as “BFF urinals.”

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The 10 Fastest Derby Winners

The 10 Fastest Derby Winners

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2014 will mark the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, the most important race in North America for 3-year-old thoroughbreds. There have been some great horses to win the “Run for the Roses” over the years, but here are the 10 fastest in the history of the race.
 1. Secretariat 1973

Secretariat as a stud
Secretariat holds the record for the fastest Kentucky Derby ever at 1:59.40, which is also the track record for the 1 1/4 mile distance at Churchill Downs. He went on to win the Triple Crown and was named Horse of the Year as well as Champion 3-year-old for 1973. He is still considered by many to be the best thoroughbred ever to race. 2013 is the 40th anniversary of Secretariat’s Kentucky Derby.

Because the question has been asked, I will put a note there that Sham, who ran 2nd behind Secretariat, also ran faster than many winners did, but since he did not win he is not included on this list as it is strictly for the fastest winning times.

Monarchos wins the 2001 Kentucky Derby

 Monarchos surprised everyone when he won the Derby in 1:59.97 to become the second fastest Derby winner in history in 2001. He rallied from 13th early on to win by 4 3/4 lengths. He was unplaced in the Preakness and 3rd in the Belmont Stakes. He currently stands at stud at Claiborne Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.

3. Northern Dancer 1964

Northern Dancer statue
Northern Dancer has the third fastest Kentucky Derby win of all time at 2:00 flat. The Canadian-bred had an awesome 3-year-old season with wins in the Flamingo Stakes, Florida Derby, Blue Grass Stakes, Preakness, and Queen’s Plate in addition to his win in the Kentucky Derby. He finished 3rd in the Belmont and was retired soon after, becoming of the most influential sires of thoroughbreds ever.

Spend a Buck won his Kentucky Derby in wire-to-wire fashion, coming home 5 1/4 lengths in front with a final time of 2:00.20 for the 4th fastest Derby win ever. He went on to be named Horse of the Year for 1985 aa well as Champion 3-year-old Colt. He was a bit controversial as he skipped the rest of the Triple Crown to run in the Jersey Derby instead because of a $2 million bonus he was eligible for because of his win in the Garden State Stakes, he of course won the Jersey Derby and collected the bonus.

Decidedly

Decidedly won in 1962 in 2:00.40 by 2 1/4 lengths at odds of 8.70-1, the 5th fastest winner in the history of the race. The gray colt was sired by Determine who also won the Derby in 1954. He raced through age 5 and retired with a record of 11 wins, 9 seconds, and 4 thirds in 43 starts with earnings of $318,989.

ProudClarionCC

Proud Clarion was a huge upset at 30-1 odds when he won the Kentucky Derby in 1967 in a final time of 2:00.60, the 6th fastest ever. He went on to be 3rd in the Preakness and was unplaced in the Belmont Stakes.

GrindstoneDerbyCC

Grindstone rallied from 15th to win by a nose in 1996 with a final time of 2:01.06 for the 7th fastest Derby win ever. One of four Kentucky Derby winners trained by the legendary D. Wayne Lukas, he was retired soon after the race due to injury. He stands at stud at Overbrook Farm in Kentucky where he was also bred.

Fusaichi Pegasus wins the 2000 Kentucky Derby

Fusaichi Pegasus rallied from 15th to win the 2000 Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths in a final time of 2:01.12 for the 8th fasted Derby win of all time. He was also the first favorite to win in 20 years and the only Derby winner to be purchased at auction for over $1 million. He was 2nd in the Preakness and skipped the Belmont Stakes. He tried to come back in the Breeders’ Cup Classic that fall and was unplaced then retired. He stands at stud at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.
War Emblems wins the 2002 Kentucky Derby

War Emblem won the Kentucky Derby in 2002 wire-to-wire by 4 lengths in a final time of 2:01.13 for the 9th fastest Derby win ever. War Emblem went on to win the Preakness and was highly touted as the next Triple Crown winner, but disappointed in the Belmont Stakes where he was 8th after going to his knees at the start.

10. Funny Cide 2003

Funny Cide

Funny Cide in 2003 owns the 10th fastest Derby win at 2:01.19. He became the first New York-bred to win the Derby and was the first gelding since 1929 to win. He went on to win the Preakness and was 3rd in at very muddy Belmont Stakes. He enjoyed being at the track and raced until age 7 when he was retired to become a stable pony for his trainer Barclay Tagg.

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