Whitney Minnich Real Estate and Community Updates

5 DIY Projects That Save Money DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2015 Home improvement projects don't have to be large-scale to return a big value. In fact, the  2015 Cost vs. Value report  points out that even something as simple and cheap as replacing a steel door returns on average 101.8 percent nationally. If home owners want to save even more money and get a great return on their home improvement investment, these five easy DIY projects pack the most punch. " Going DIY is the ultimate money-saving tool," says John Riha,  editorial director of the Black & Decker Home Improvement Library.  "You'll also get tons of satisfaction and enjoyment from creating a better home environment, and from learning home improvement skills that'll last a lifetime." Before deciding to DIY, there are some things to keep in mind. Some projects are worth the cost of hiring a contractor, including  fixing electrical  work, or  big  home exterior

How to Slash Your Utility Bills with Window Treatments By:  Deirdre Sullivan The right window treatments can lower your heating and cooling costs. Here are the best choices for energy efficiency. The trick to picking the best window treatments for energy efficiency is to know which types will block the sun’s heat (solar heat gain) in the summer and slash heat loss in the winter. You’ll also need to know how to tap into each treatment’s  energy-saving  superpowers with proper installation. The following list will help you pick what’s best for your home. Blinds     Image:  Visbeen Architects, Inc.  / Photographer: Johnny Quinn Energy-saving benefit:  They can help you beat the summer heat. How?  By adjusting the slats to control the amount of light and ventilation you let into a room. Other good-to-knows: Blinds made of highly reflective materials can slash solar heat gain by 45% when completely lowered and closed, according to  Energy.gov . No

Redesign Ideas to Grow Old With DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 A home can be comfortable and functional, even well into retirement. A  recent study  found that 36 percent of respondents would rather stay put in their current residence in retirement, instead of moving, because they felt a strong connection to their home and their neighborhood, and had relatives and friends living in the area. "It is really hard to accept that we are all getting older and less able to do what we used to do, but these types of changes can make living into your golden years easier and more enjoyable," says Julia Caswell Daitch, principal architect of Caswell Daitch Architects in Silver Spring, Md. "And it can even extend your age by seamlessly making that transition, with peace of mind, in your beloved home." The baby boomer population is expected to climb to 73 million by 2030, and affordable housing inventory for this group is getting harder to find. Often

70% of lenders surveyed are expecting home prices to rise over the next 12 months. If you've been thinking about buying it's a great time to start the conversation. Contact me today at 571-970-7195 or whitney@whitneyminnich.com to start the process. Lenders Feel More Upbeat About Housing DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015 Mortgage lenders are growing increasingly optimistic that demand for mortgages for home purchases will remain strong over the next three months. Fannie Mae's second quarter 2015 Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey showed more lenders are reporting credit loosening and there's a strong demand from borrowers for home purchase loans. The survey showed that senior mortgage executives are increasingly optimistic, and significantly more optimistic than consumers about future home prices. The share of lenders expecting home prices to rise over the next 12 months reached a survey high of 70 percent in the second quarter. The latest resul

Why White Kitchens Stand the Test of Time By:  John Riha Kitchen fads come and go (RIP, avocado and harvest gold), but when it comes to enduring value, the white kitchen is champ. Here’s why. Two words: white kitchen. “White has stood the test of time because it’s clean and fresh,” says award-winning designer Mick de Giulio, of de Giulio Kitchen Design in Wilmette, Ill. “And those two words — clean and fresh — are classic words for describing a great kitchen. There isn’t a better way to approach design.” White Has a Healthy History Roll back a few years to get a handle on white’s popularity. In the 1920s and ‘30s, white was about the only color offered by manufacturers. To paraphrase Henry Ford, you could have your choice of any color at all, as long as it was white. That made sense. White was associated with sanitation and health, and to a population not far removed from a deadly worldwide flu epidemic, household cleanliness was all-important. Times have changed, b