Green Real Estate Appraiser

Give Your Home Remote Control

Posted on November 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

Imagine that your home could communicate with you, telling you, for example, that your refrigerator was about to fail or that your teenage daughter had arrived home from school safely. Imagine that it could learn your habits — the times of day you are home and away — and adjust the temperature and lights accordingly.

So-called smart homes may sound like science fiction, but they are becoming reality with technology that is now standard in some Chicago-area homes.

Will this add value to your home? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your value questions.

“We want to make our homes future-ready,” said Deborah Beaver, vice president of operations for William Ryan Homes’ Chicago division, based in Schaumburg. “Technology is coming to our homes, even though not everybody can afford it right now.”

In July the homebuilder began wiring its new homes in communities in Lindenhurst, Elgin and Bolingbrook to take advantage of smart home technology. Buyers can get modules that allow them to control lighting, temperature, entertainment systems and security before move-in day, or at some later point when their budget allows. Systems can be turned off and on with remotes, switches or with a digital tablet or smartphone.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

What Buyers Need to Know About a Home Inspection

Posted on November 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

: When buying a home, is there anything in the home inspection that the seller must fix before the completion of the sale?

How does the seller know the contents of the inspection

A: That’s a very good question. First, when you sign a contract to buy a house (whether it’s an existing or a newly built home), it should contain a home inspection contingency. A contingency gives you the right to cancel the sales contract and get your earnest money refunded if a particular condition is not met.

Will the home inspection effect the value? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com

There are, from my experience, two kinds of home inspections contingencies: (1) if the home inspector finds problems, regardless of what they are, you have the absolute right to back out from the sales contract; or (2) if the inspector finds problems, you present those to the seller and give him X number of days to correct or give you a cash credit. If the seller refuses, you can then decide whether to go forward with the purchase or walk away.

Personally, I like the first option; it gives the buyer a “cooling off” period. All too often, real estate contracts are entered into late at night when the buyer is both on an emotional high but at the same time emotionally drained.

Regardless, however, do not let anyone convince you not to have a home inspection. I have represented too many buyers who failed to get their house inspected only to find major (or minor) problems that could have been corrected before closing.

A good real estate agent should provide you with the names of at least two home inspectors.

You want to make sure that the inspector you use will be independent and not a mouthpiece for the real estate service that gives him the business.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Possible Reprieve for Frank Lloyd Wright Home

Posted on November 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

PHOENIX — The coiled concrete-and-steel house built by Frank Lloyd Wright here, which had been under threat of demolition since its sale in June to a pair of luxury home developers, may have found its savior in an anonymous buyer who has agreed to pay the asking price of $2.379 million, all of it in cash.

Have a historic or custom home? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your value questions.

The agreement, struck late on Wednesday, offers exactly what preservationists, elected officials and the Wright family have fought so diligently to accomplish: It keeps the house from being razed. It is, however, only the first step in a transaction that needs to withstand the scrutiny of a home inspection and the volatile relationship between the city and the current owners, who have vociferously opposed the city’s efforts to give the house landmark status.

On Thursday, Mayor Greg Stanton pledged to stay the course, saying, “We’re going to ensure the house is designated historic, as it should be.”

Give Your Home Remote Control

What Buyers Need to Know About a Home Inspection

Possible Reprieve for Frank Lloyd Wright Home

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