A Good Bet on Energy-Efficient Market: Water Heater Replacements

When considering purchasing a home, prospective buyers often have a long list of questions they'd like answered before making a final decision. And, with more buyers being energy-conscious today, they may be put off by large energy, heating and water bills that are a direct result of old systems and non energy-efficient offerings.

While savvy house hunters will most certainly ask about the age and condition of the basic systems and appliances in your home, it's important to think carefully about which upgrades make the most sense before placing your home on the market.

One change to strongly consider is the water heater. If your unit is anywhere between 10 - 15 years old, upgrading can be a big improvement, catching the attention of a prospective buyer. New models are up to 20 percent more efficient and can save up to $700 in energy costs over the life of the unit. Of course, it's always a good idea to research your options before choosing a replacement.

The most popular water heaters today are electric, but those running on fuel, geothermal energy, propane, solar energy and gas are also available. Conventional water heaters have a large tank that stores hot water for future use, while tankless water heaters heat water directly when needed, reducing both storage and heating costs.

Currently, five categories of water heater are designated as Energy Star rated, including high-performance gas storage, whole-home gas tankless, advanced drop-in or integrated heat pump, solar and gas condensing. For each type of water heater, the Energy Star rating can help you determine just how energy efficient a model is.

According to Energy.gov, the type of water heater you choose may affect your water heating costs. For instance, an electric heat pump water heater is typically more energy efficient than an electric conventional storage water heater, however, an electric heat pump water heater might have lower energy costs than a gas-fired conventional storage water heater because of its higher efficiency.

Even if your water heater is currently working, if it's an older, inefficient model, you could reap real cost benefits by replacing it with a more energy efficient one.

Adding an energy efficient water heater and maintaining it properly before you put your house on the market will help reduce energy bills significantly and attract more buyers. Keep yourself out of hot water and make a change that can only benefit your sale.

For more information about water heaters, contact our office today.

Source: Keith Loria

Shauna Quick
Realtor
Exit Realty Success
801-550-4419
shaunaqsellshomes@gmail.com
www.shaunaqsellshomes.com

Extra Tips On Getting Your Yard Ready For Fall

• Plant late season annuals
• Aerate your lawn
• Prune summer flowering trees and shrubs once flowering is complete
• Fertilize roses to encourage late season growth
• Prepare dead spots in lawn for reseeding
• Order fall bulbs and plant them

"By all these lovely tokens September days are here with summer's best of weather and autumn's best of  cheer."

-Helen Hunt Jackson

Shauna Quick

Realtor 

Exit Realty Success

www.shaunaqsellshomes.com

shaunaqsellshomes@gmail.com

801-550-4419

Five Energy And Money Savers For Summer

Home improvements may improve the value of your home, but they often cost you a lot more. What if you could improve your home and save money at the same time? Summer is one of the best times of year to make some changes around your home that can help save energy, and therefore, save you money as well. These five home projects are designed to help make your home more energy efficient - even during one of the most energy-heavy times of year - so you can save and enjoy your home more this summer.

1) Maintain Your HVAC Unit
Your HVAC and AC unit need to be serviced each year, usually sometime in the spring or summer. Doing so can not only help ensure that it's working when the temperatures hit their peak, it can also help save you money as well. Air conditioning maintenance helps ensure your unit is working at peak efficiency by keeping it clean and replacing any worn parts. This quick, yearly visit by a technician will help ensure your AC unit is working the way you want it to, when you want it to.

Cost
The cost of annual air conditioning maintenance averages out to around $100, but can go as high as $150, if you wait until the days are at their hottest.

Tips to Save Even More
Your AC's filter is your best defense against dirt building up inside. Make sure you change it regularly to help the unit run more efficiently, which will help keep your monthly bills down.

DIY or Not?
Your HVAC unit should always be inspected and maintained by a qualified technician.

2) Repair Window Leaks
Did you know that even if your window isn't leaking water when it rains, it could still be leaking air and raising your energy bills? Poor air seal or a large gap around your windows can account for as much as 40 percent of the money you use to heat and cool your home - a significant amount that just flies right out the window. Replacing your windows can help fix the air seal and save you a lot of money on your energy bills each month thereafter.

Cost
The average cost to replace your windows is about $830 for a vinyl sash window, but can go as high as $2650 for a wooden bay window replacement.

Tips to Save Even More
Replace only the worst windows first, then use caulk to seal up the edges of the other windows to help stop energy loss while you wait to replace them all.

DIY or Not?
Window replacements should be carried out by professionals, but you can seal up air leaks yourself in the meantime.

3) Install an Attic Fan
The attic is often overlooked as one area that is responsible for a lot of the heat gain in your home. Attics often become superheated in the summer months with the combination of rising heat from below and the sun beating down from above. Installing an attic fan can help drop the temperature in your attic, which will prevent heat transfer back down into the rest of your home, making it more comfortable and lowering your energy bills.

Cost
The average cost of installing an attic fan is around $275 for a fan that can cool up to 2,500 square feet. Total costs can go as high as $321 for a fan that can cool 3,000 square feet.

Tips to Save Even More
Install a solar powered fan, which will cool your attic and won't cost anything to run.

DIY or Not?
Attic fans should always be installed by a licensed electrician to minimize the risk of electric shock.

4) Install Window Shades
A lot of people assume that installing draperies is enough to give you the privacy and light blocking that you need. But if you live in a climate that sees a lot of sun in the summer months, drapes alone may not be enough to stop solar heat transfer through your windows. Installing window shades can help dramatically reduce the heat gain in your home, keeping things cool and comfortable inside, while helping to keep your energy bills down.

Cost
The average cost of installing window shades is around $500 to $600 for eight honeycomb shades. Total costs range from $250 for eight roller shades to $650 for eight Roman shades.

Tips to Save Even More
Make sure that your shades have a white, reflective surface on the side facing the windows to ensure that they will truly block the light and heat from entering your home.

DIY or Not?
You can easily install shades yourself with minimal tools and a few hours of time to save even more money.

5) Insulate Your Attic
The vast majority of homes are under-insulated, which means that a lot of the money you spend to heat and cool your home is going to waste. Attics in particular are in great need of extra insulation, because of the heat gain from the sun beating down on your roof, which can lead to your whole home rising in temperature. Adding some attic insulation will help keep your whole home cooler and more comfortable all summer long, resulting in lower AC bills.

Cost
The average cost to insulate an attic is around $897 for blown-in cellulose insulation in a 1,500 square feet space. Total costs range from $617 for R-13 roll insulation installed DIY to $1501 for R-19 roll insulation.

Tips to Save Even More
Insulate the underside of your roof deck as well as your attic to help block additional heat transfer.
Use the highest R-factor insulation that you can afford to get the most energy savings.
DIY or Not?
It is possible to install roll insulation yourself, but blown-in insulation should be done by a professional.

Save Energy, Save Money
No one likes to take on projects during the dog days of summer, but these five projects can help make your home a lot more comfortable and energy efficient once you're done. Take on these five projects any time this summer to help get the most out of this time of year. To find out more about what things cost on typical home improvement projects, be sure to visit both of these Cost Guides

Shauna Quick
Realtor
Exit Realty Success
shaunaqsellshomes@gmail.com
www.shaunaqsellshomess.com
801-550-4419

HUD Awards Counseling to Those In Need

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently awarded more than $42 million in housing counseling grants to hundreds of national, regional and local organizations to help families and individuals with their housing needs and to prevent future foreclosures. HUD's housing counseling grants and the additional funding they leverage will assist more than 1.4 million households find housing, make more informed housing choices, or keep their current homes.

June is National Homeownership Month, a time HUD recognizes how homeownership enhances lives and contributes to thriving communities. "Dare to Own the Dream" is the theme of this month-long recognition, reinforcing the long-held belief that owning a home remains one of the cornerstones of the American Dream. The grants awarded were announced at a White House gathering to mark National Homeownership Month.

HUD Secretary Julián Castro says, "Housing counselors provide potential homeowners with the tools they need to ensure they're ready and responsible. Their efforts give countless families a real shot at the American Dream of homeownership. The counseling organizations HUD supports are on the front lines in providing the full spectrum of services households need - from locating affordable rental housing, offering advice on how to become a homeowner, and preventing foreclosure."

More than $40 million will directly support the housing counseling services provided by 31 national and regional organizations, five multi-state organizations, 17 State Housing Finance Agencies (SHFAs) and 181 local housing counseling agencies. In addition, HUD is awarding $2 million to four national organizations to train housing counselors who will receive the instruction and certification necessary to effectively assist families with their housing needs.

National and regional agencies distribute much of HUD's housing counseling grant funding to community-based organizations that assist low- and moderate-income families to improve their housing conditions. In addition, these larger organizations help improve the quality of housing counseling services and enhance coordination among counseling providers.

Counseling improves housing outcomes for homebuyers, homeowners, and renters. Last month, HUD published research findings summarizing the impact of housing counseling has on families' housing options and choices. In addition, recent research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the Urban Institute continues to find substantial benefits to housing counseling for families who purchase their first homes and those struggling to prevent foreclosure.

Grant recipients address the full range of families' housing counseling needs. This includes helping homebuyers evaluate their readiness for a home purchase, understand their financing and down payment options, and navigate what can be an extremely confusing and difficult home-buying process. The organization also helps households find affordable rental housing and offers financial literacy training to individuals and families struggling to repair credit problems that restrict their housing options.

In addition to providing counseling to homeowners and renters, these organizations assist homeless persons in finding the transitional housing they need to move toward a permanent place to live. Finally, grantees also assist senior citizens seeking reverse mortgages. These agencies provide counseling for the rapidly growing number of elderly homeowners who seek to convert equity in their homes into income that can be used to pay for home improvements, medical costs, and other living expenses.

Housing counseling agencies support fair housing by assisting borrowers in reviewing their loan documentation, to avoid potential mortgage scams, unreasonably high interest rates, inflated appraisals, unaffordable repayment terms, and other conditions that can result in a loss of equity, increased debt, default, and even foreclosure. Likewise, foreclosure prevention counseling helps homeowners facing delinquency or default employ strategies, including expense reduction, negotiation with lenders and loan servicers, and loss mitigation, to avoid foreclosure.

Shauna Quick
Realtor
Exit Realty Success
801-550-4419
www.shaunaqsellshomes.com
shaunaqsellshomes@gmail.com

Health Improvement: Houseplants That Will Help Your Health

16 Houseplants that Can Actually Improve Your Health

Adding a houseplant or two always seems to improve the look of a room. But as it turns out, certain houseplants can also improve your health.

According to recent studies by NASA, some houseplants filter out dangerous compounds that are commonly found in most homes - the kind of compounds that are often associated with respiratory illnesses, cancer, and other conditions.

Because they are enclosed spaces, our homes are vulnerable to gaseous toxins that build up over time. These include:

1. Benzene - Caused by paints, detergents, and furniture wax
2. Formaldehyde - Caused by disinfectants or preservatives in consumer products
3. Toluene and Xylene - Caused by a variety of household and consumer products
4. Ammonia - Caused by commonly used aerosols and spray
5. But 10 NASA-approved houseplants are said to be effective in removing air pollutants:
6. English Ivy - A trailing ivy plant that requires partial shade and light weekly watering
7. Florist's chrysanthemum - A lovely floral that needs direct light and frequent change of water
8. Peace Lily - Produces small, white flowers; needs weekly watering, but consider carefully before buying, because this plant can be poisonous to house pets
9. Variegated snake plant - Has tall, broad, green and white leaves; requires partial shade and weekly watering
10. Red-edged dracaena - Almost cactus-like in appearance, this plant needs direct sunlight and weekly watering
11. Cornstalk dracaena - Produces cornstalk-type leaves; wants partial shade and weekly watering
12. Broadleaf lady palm - Fern-like plant that likes partial shade and weekly watering
13. Flamingo lily - Also known as anthurium, this plant produces shiny red flowers and requires partial shade and weekly watering
14. Devil's ivy - Produces luxurious ivy leaves, likes partial shade, and needs only monthly watering
15. Lilyturf - Produces purple flowers; requires partial shade and weekly watering
16. Take note: Water lightly in most cases, as over-watering can cause root rot and kill the plant.

Shauna Quick
Realtor®
Exit Realty Success
801-550-4419 Mobile
shaunaqsellshomes@gmail.com

To Rent Or To Buy... That Is The Question!

BUYING:

Advantages:

Property builds equity

Sense of community, stability, and security

Free to change decor and landscaping

Not dependent on landlord to maintain property

Coniderations:

Responsible for maintenance

Responsible for property taxes

Possibility of foreclosure and loss of equity

Less mobility then renting

RENTING:

Advantages:

Little or no responsibility for maintenance

Easier to move

Considerations:

No tax credits

No equity is built up

No control over rentincreases

Possibility of eviction

Shauna Quick

Realtor

Exit Realty Success

801-550-4419

shaunaqsellshomes@gmail.com

www.shaunaqsellshomes

The Market Is Hot In Salt Lake County!

The Avenues Ranks No. 1 in Highest Wasatch Front Home Prices
Demand for housing remained strong in the first three months of 2016, but a limited supply of inventory pushed sales down, according to the Q1 Housing Report of the Salt Lake Board of Realtors®. Buyers are looking for more affordable options and moving to condos and townhomes. There were 2,569 single-family homes sold in Salt Lake County in the first three months of 2016, a 2 percent decline compared to 2,614 sales in the first quarter of 2015. Condominium sales increased to 730 units sold, a 1 percent increase compared to 720 sales a year ago. New listings of homes fell to 4,994 in the first quarter, down 8 percent from 5,406 new listings a year earlier. In Salt Lake County there is currently less than a four-month supply of housing inventory (based on sales trends of single-family homes over the past year). The top five most expensive ZIP code areas across the Wasatch Front in the first quarter for single-family homes were: the Avenues (84103) $451,000; Emigration Canyon (84108) $437,500; Draper (84020) $431,750; Holladay (84124) $413,500; and Sandy (84092) $399,900. Four of these five areas in the first quarter saw a drop in home sales. Only the Avenues saw sales rise. The median price of a single-family home in Salt Lake County climbed to $271,400 in the first quarter, up 6 percent compared to $255,000 in the first quarter of 2015. Condo prices increased 5 percent to $188,250 from $179,650 a year ago.

Shauna Quick
Realtor
Exit Realty Success
801-550-4419
shaunaqsellshomes@gmail.com
www.shaunaqsellshomes.com