Spring Cleaning

With the spring selling season arriving, start polishing your home!

Let the sun in. Make every room look brighter with clean blinds and windows. Washing windows on a cloudy day reduces streaking.

Sniff out smells. Check out your drip tray underneath your refrigerator and wash out any standing water from defrosting. Was the inside of the refrigerator with baking soda and water solution.

Make your bed better. Vacuum mattresses and box springs, and then rotate and flip over. Wash mattress pads, dust ruffles and pillow case covers in hot water.

Clean those coils. Improve energy efficiency by vacuuming grates, coils and condensers of your furnace, stove and refrigerator.

Wash the walls. Grease smoke and dust can adhere to walls and makes decorating look dingy.
For more info feel free to contact me at findit@LehighValleyRealty.com

Great News For Buyers & Sellers

FHA Loan Limits increased to $402,500 in the Lehigh Valley:

On March 6, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development published new FHA and conforming loan limits, based on median home prices as mandated by the Economic Stimulus Act signed by President Bush in February. New loan limits for FHA and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now calculated at 125 percent of the HUD published median prices.

In the Lehigh Valley, single-family FHA loan limits increased from $305,666 to $402,500 effective immediately. NAR was deeply involved in advocating for this positive change. NAR expects the impact on the housing market to be significant because of the infusion of capital into the mortgage market, which should result in lower interest rates across the board. In addition, there will be a direct impact on high-cost areas that previously required borrowers to take out costlier jumbo mortgages. If you need more info contact me at findit@LehighValleyRealty.com

Landscaping Facts

• Homes with "excellent" landscaping can expect a sale price about 6 to 7 percent higher than equivalent houses with "good" landscaping, while improving landscaping from "average" to "good" can result in a 4 to 5 percent increase. (Clemson University)
  
• Landscaping can bring a recovery value of 100 to 200 percent at selling time. Kitchen remodeling brings 75 to 125 percent recovery rate, bathroom remodeling a 20 to 120 percent recovery rate and addition of a swimming pool a 20 to 50 percent recovery rate. (Money Magazine)
  
• The American Nursery & Landscaping Association web site has facts about landscaping and the value it adds to a home at www.anla.org. If you like additional information, email me at findit@LehighValleyRealty.com .