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Just Listed Behind the Gates @ The Peninsula

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Just Listed Behind the Gates at The Peninsula

Just Sold by Honours Properties

Golf Course Lot Just Listed Behind the Gates at The Peninsula!

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in one of Gulf Shores Most Prestigious

Golf/Tennis Bay Front Gated Communities!

6 Things That Do Not Add Value To Your Home

Every homeowner must pay for routine home maintenance, such as replacing worn-out plumbing components or staining the deck, but some choose to make improvements with the intention of increasing the home's value. Certain projects, such as adding a well thought-out family room - or other functional space - can be a wise investment, as they do add to the value of the home. Other projects, however, allow little opportunity to recover the costs when it's time to sell.

1. Swimming Pools

Swimming pools are one of those things that may be nice to enjoy at your friend's or neighbor's house, but that can be a hassle to have at your own home. Many potential home buyers view swimming pools as dangerous, expensive to maintain and a lawsuit waiting to happen. Families with young children in particular may turn down an otherwise perfect house because of the pool (and the fear of a child going in the pool unsupervised). In fact, a would-be buyer's offer may be contingent on the home seller dismantling an above-ground pool or filling in an in-ground pool.

An in-ground pool costs anywhere from $10,000 to more than $100,000, and additional yearly maintenance expenses need to be considered. That's a significant amount of money that might never be recouped if and when the house is sold.

2. Overbuilding for the Neighborhood

Homeowners may, in an attempt to increase the value of a home, make improvements to the property that unintentionally make the home fall outside of the norm for the neighborhood. While a large, expensive remodel, such as adding a second story with two bedrooms and a full bath, might make the home more appealing, it will not add significantly to the resale value if the house is in the midst of a neighborhood of small, one-story homes.

In general, home buyers do not want to pay $250,000 for a house that sits in a neighborhood with an average sales price of $150,000; the house will seem overpriced even if it is more desirable than the surrounding properties. The buyer will instead look to spend the $250,000 in a $250,000 neighborhood. The house might be beautiful, but any money spent on overbuilding might be difficult to recover unless the other homes in the neighborhood follow suit.

3. Extensive Landscaping

Home buyers may appreciate well-maintained or mature landscaping, but don't expect the home's value to increase because of it. A beautiful yard may encourage potential buyers to take a closer look at the property, but will probably not add to the selling price. If a buyer is unable or unwilling to put in the effort to maintain a garden, it will quickly become an eyesore, or the new homeowner might need to pay a qualified gardener to take charge. Either way, many buyers view elaborate landscaping as a burden (even though it might be attractive) and, as a result, are not likely to consider it when placing value on the home.
 
 

4. High-End Upgrades

Putting stainless steel appliances in your kitchen or imported tiles in your entryway may do little to increase the value of your home if the bathrooms are still vinyl-floored and the shag carpeting in the bedrooms is leftover from the '60s. Upgrades should be consistent to maintain a similar style and quality throughout the home. A home that has a beautifully remodeled and modern kitchen can be viewed as a work in project if the bathrooms remain functionally obsolete. The remodel, therefore, might not fetch as high a return as if the rest of the home were brought up to the same level. High-quality upgrades generally increase the value of high-end homes, but not necessarily mid-range houses where the upgrade may be inconsistent with the rest of the home.
In addition, specific high-end features such as media rooms with specialized audio, visual or gaming equipment may be appealing to a few prospective buyers, but many potential home buyers would not consider paying more for the home simply because of this additional feature. Chances are that the room would be re-tasked to a more generic living space.


 

5. Wall-to-Wall Carpeting

While real estate listings may still boast "new carpeting throughout" as a selling point, potential home buyers today may cringe at the idea of having wall-to-wall carpeting. Carpeting is expensive to purchase and install. In addition, there is growing concern over the healthfulness of carpeting due to the amount of chemicals used in its processing and the potential for allergens (a serious concern for families with children). Add to that the probability that the carpet style and color that you thought was absolutely perfect might not be what someone else had in mind.

Because of these hurdles, wall-to-wall carpet is something on which it's difficult to recoup the costs. Removing carpeting and restoring wood floors is usually a more profitable investment

6. Invisible Improvements

Invisible improvements are those costly projects that you know make your house a better place to live in, but that nobody else would notice - or likely care about. A new plumbing system or HVAC unit (heating, venting and air conditioning) might be necessary, but don't expect it to recover these costs when it comes time to sell. Many home buyers simply expect these systems to be in good working order and will not pay extra just because you recently installed a new heater. It may be better to think of these improvements in terms of regular maintenance, and not an investment in your home's value.


To Sum Things Up

It is difficult to imagine spending thousands of dollars on a home-improvement project that will not be reflected in the home's value when it comes time to sell. There is no simple equation for determining which projects will garner the highest return, or the most bang for your buck. Some of this depends on the local market and even the age and style of the house. Homeowners frequently must choose between an improvement that they would really love to have (the in-ground swimming pool) and one that would prove to be a better investment. A bit of research, or the advice of a qualified real estate professional, can help homeowners avoid costly projects that don't really add value to a home.

Call Honours Properties For All Of Your Real Estate Needs!

251.968.7800

Just Listed Behind the Gates @ The Peninsula

Tour of Homes Behind the Gates This Sunday from 1-4:30

Just Sold Behind the Gates at The Peninsula

Just Sold By Honours Properties

Look What's Happening On The Gulf Coast

September 25

Hank Williams & Rowdy Friends Concert

October 7-10
39th Annual National Shrimp Festival

October 12-17
8th Annual Thunder on the Gulf

October 15

FREE Bon Jovi Concert

October 17

FREE Brad Paisley Concert

November 11-21
Frank Brown Songwriters Festival

November 12 - 13
Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show

Mark Gottfried Celebrity Golf Tournament at The Peninsula

The Peninsula in Gulf Shores, AL Hosted the First Annual Mark Gottfried Celebrity Golf Tournament on September 1, 2010.  25 National Sports Celebrities donated their time and were paired with 3 other team members. The tournament was held to help raise funds for South Baldwin youth sports teams that have been hurt by the oil spill.  Some of the celebrities that participated were; Charles Barkley, Cliff Ellis, Corneilus Bennett, Gene Bartow, Bobby Humphry, and Derrick McKey. Local vendors set up stations on every hole to pass out delicious seafood, appetizers & drinks.  Among the vendors were Tin Top Restaurant, Wintzell's Oyster House, The Hangout, Rafters, Cottons plus more.  Thank you to all who participated and helped organize the event.  It was indeed a Success!

251.968.7800

http://www.thepeninsula.com/

Best Wishes to Nick Wilmott

Today is Nick's last day at Honours Properties in Gulf Shores, AL.  He has  been offered a wonderful opportunity with Community Health Systems in Orange Beach.  We are very appreciative of Nick's contributions to The Peninsula and Honours Properties over the past year.  We wish him and his family the best as he takes on his new role. 

Thanks Nick, We Will Miss You!

Just Sold @ Honours Properties

Just Sold In Foley, Al By Nick Wilmott:

Lot 8 Green Acres Estates

Want To Sell Your Property?  

Contact Honuors Properties @ 251-968-7800

7 Kitchen Back Splash Ideas

Spice Up Your Kitchen With A New Look 

Without Draining Your Bank Account

With These Back Splash Ideas:

Kitchen back splashes can run the entire length of the counter, as well as just the area behind the sink. In this case, a rich Tuscan look is achieved with cream tiles off-set by a tile centerpiece or medallion. This medallion was built from scratch by the tile-setters, turning the tiles diagonally to distinguish them from the surrounding tiles.

You're looking at tiles that are individually 1 inch high, 2 inches wide, giving your kitchen back splash more visual "length." Not only that, but they just look cool. These 1"x2" tiles come in 12 inch sheets for easy installation. To finish off the bottom and prevent water intrusion to the walls, this homeowner has installed a three-inch marble border.

 Why be boring? For a bold kitchen back splash idea, install 8" tiles in multiple colors. This homeowner has a contemporary IKEA kitchen design, so she was able to install purple and pink tiles in vertical columns. Installation is easy, because you are dealing with bigger tiles, and thus have less grouting to contend with.

A seriously easy kitchen back splash design. 

How easy?

Measure the width and height of your back splash area. Don't omit any cut-outs (i.e., electrical outlets) unless they are more than a few feet square.

Purchase Daltile's Egyptian Glass Series, Mediterranean Blue. That's the field tile, the main area. In the field, each tile is 1" x 1", but don't worry. These come pre-mounted on mesh backings that are one foot square. 

 Wait. How did they do this kitchen back splash?

At first glance, it looks like it is inset in the wall. But before you think, "Ah, I don't have a wall alcove," notice that the inset is actually an off-set: a simple structure of dimensional lumber, drywall, and an off-the-shelf shelf (yes, repetition intended) from your local big box home improvement store. It's quick work for a handyman, or a couple of weekends for the ambitious DIY homeowner. 

A bold kitchen back splash design from American Olean. The main feature of this back splash is a pair of coordinated harlequin tiles--harlequin, meaning diamond-shaped--called Mink and Smoky Sky. Each tile is six inches vertical, three inches horizontal.

The bottom-most border is Sylvan Accent Strip Rattan, 4" x 8". 

 

This is fabulous stuff.

From a distance, this kitchen back splash looks like regular ceramic tile of three different colors. But on closer examination, you would see that we're actually dealing with a glass tile back splash made of 4 1/4" tile.

This kitchen back splash catches the light from the vent hood and makes the tile appear luminescent.

If you're uncomfortable cutting glass tile, then have an tile installer do the job. Other than the cutting, it's a fairly straight-forward back splash installation.

Do You Know What This Sign Means?

Do you recognize the symbol here?

It lights up in your instrument panel and looks like a

U-shaped pictograph with treads and an exclamation point in the middle.

Do you understand what it means now?

If you guessed a low tire-pressure warning, you are right. If you didn’t recognize the symbol, that’s also understandable because one out of three drivers do not, according to Schrader, a company that makes tire pressure monitoring systems.

The warning for the TPMS lights up when one or more of your vehicle’s tires is 25% below the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. The system is now required on all vehicles starting with the 2008 model year.

What To Do After A Closing

• Start packing! Staying organized will make your move much easier. If you do your own packing, it is a good idea to use boxes that can be easily carried. Label them with the contents and where they go in your new home. Pack a lot of filler in boxes to protect fragile items.
  
• Contact the local utility companies to hook up electricity, gas, and water to your new home. Contact the phone company to hook up phone service lines and to receive your new phone number. Notify the cable television company or satellite provider. While some providers may need as little notice as a day to activate your services, it’s best to give them a few weeks.
  
• Touch up paint or repaint before you move your furniture in.
  
• Measure the door frames to be certain that larger pieces of furniture will fit.
  
• Notify the post office of your address change and request that your mail be forwarded.
  
• Notify your creditors, business associates, friends, employer, and child’s school or caregiver of your new address and phone number.
  
• Update your bank checks with your new address.
  
• Update the address on your drivers license within 30 days of moving.
  
• Change the locks on the doors of your new home.

Meeting Your New Financial Obligations

You should have received a payment coupon for your first house payment at closing. Do not be surprised if you receive a letter from the lender telling you that the loan has been sold. This is a very common practice. The lender will tell you where to mail your payments if your loan was sold, and you should receive a coupon booklet in the mail from the new lender, which is now your loan servicer. Even if you don’t receive a payment coupon, you need to make your payments on time. Contact the loan servicer for payment information.

The loan servicer will keep track of your payment history. The servicer applies your monthly loan payment to the loan balance and escrow reserves. The loan servicer is responsible for paying your real estate taxes and hazard insurance from the escrow reserves. While the tax and insurance bills should go directly to the loan servicer, they may come to you. If so, just forward them to the servicer for payment.

Your payment may increase in the future if a higher escrow balance is needed to meet rising real estate tax or insurance costs. The loan servicer will provide a year-end interest statement and account analysis so that you can monitor this. You will also need this information when you file your taxes to ensure you take the appropriate deductions for the interest and real estate taxes you have paid. Consult your tax adviser with any questions.
Another aspect to your new financial responsibilities is maintaining good credit. Your credit affects your future borrowing ability if you decide to obtain a home equity loan, or if you decide to sell and buy a new home. One of the most important credit decisions you can make is to pay your mortgage on time. Never let other debts take precedence over your home loan. The effect on your credit can be irreparable if you don’t pay your mortgage. If you fall behind on your payments, the lender has the legal right to foreclose on the loan, meaning that you will be forced to move out and the property will be sold.
If you do fall behind in your payments or suffer a financial hardship beyond your control, notify your loan servicer immediately. Always stay in touch and try to make arrangements for repayment. In addition, if you are having trouble making your mortgage payments due to a job loss and received a North Carolina Housing Finance Agency low-interest mortgage loan, we may be able to help you. In addition, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides guidance on avoiding foreclosure.

25 Secrets to Ruining Your Financial Life Before You Are 30

25 Secrets to Ruining Your Financial Life Before You Are 30:

1. Take out three times as much in student loans as your first year’s salary.
I’m all for following your passions, but if your passion only pays $35,000 a year, please reconsider borrowing $100k to get the required degree.

2. Trash your college enemies on Facebook and Twitter.
Might be funny now, but your future boss probably won’t see the humor in it. Remember, the Web is an open book, and down the line things you say online can and will be used against you.

3. Trash yourself on Facebook and Twitter.
The picture of you half-naked partying on the beach at Spring Break will probably get you a few more followers, but remember that future boss?

4. Just get a degree…in anything.
Don’t “just get a degree” for the sake of getting a degree. Learn something, and prepare to apply it in the real world.

5. Accept a job you hate right out of school because it pays a lot.
This ties in with student loans. Many graduates are so saddled with debt, they have little choice than to go after the biggest salary, even if it isn’t the best opportunity.

6. Form a partnership with three old fraternity brothers from college.
It’s been said the only type of ship that won’t float is a partner-ship. Let the one with the most capital start the business and hire the other two. Much cleaner, and if the business fails, you can all walk away and still be friends.

7. Borrow thousands to start a new business.
 Entrepreneurship is the spirit that built this country, and I’m all for it. However, consider saving and starting up with cash.built this country, however, consider saving and starting up with cash.

8. Accept your first job offer without negotiating.
A little wiggle room often exists in salary ranges, schedule flexibility, paid days off, etc, but you have to ask.

9. Spend $2,000 on your new corporate wardrobe before getting your first check.
One of the classic mistakes by new earners. As with most things, it pays to pay with cash. Buy a couple nice outfits for interviews and your first day on the job, but beyond that, make do with what you’ve got until you get your first check or two. Then pay cash to add a new outfit to your wardrobe over time.


10. Cosign a car loan for your best friend.
I no longer borrow money to buy cars. And I especially wouldn’t borrow money to buy someone else a car, which is essentially what you do when cosigning a car loan. As a cosigner, you are on the hook if they default. And if they need a cosigner, there’s a good chance they will.



11. Give up credit virginity for a free t-shirt.
You know those booths before games that offer free shirts and towels if you sign up for a credit card?  Don't, it's cheaper to pay $12 for the shirt than have the credit card sit and build interest.


12. Pay off a credit card with a credit card, without closing one of them.
Performing a balance transfer from a particularly high-rate to a low-interest rate credit card makes sense in the short run. That is, unless you fail to close the old credit card. If you leave both accounts open, chances are you’ll eventually wind up with double the debt.

13. Borrow money from your parents.
What kid wants to borrow money from their parents? Not only does it change the relationship between parents and kids, it makes it tough to declare financial independence when we constantly have to turn to the First National Bank of Mom and Dad.

14.Buy a car because you can “afford the payments.”
Ever wonder why car dealers advertisers the cost of a car in monthly payments? It’s because writing $32,000 in window paint isn’t quite as catchy as $379 a month (for 60 months with a balloon payment at the end). See, it just doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?


15. Spend six months of salary on an engagement ring.
If you have to spend half a year’s salary on an engagement ring to impress someone, you might want to think twice about your choice of partner.One months salary is sufficient and pay cash!


16. Blow thousands you don’t have on a wedding.
If you are debt free, and are marrying a partner who is debt free, stick to a reasonable wedding and avoid putting yourselves, or your parents, deep in debt.


17.  Buy a house without an emergency fund.
Something interesting happens you buy your first home. Right away, your name is put on a list of those who should be tested, financially. I’m being a little sarcastic here, but it does seem like the minute you stretch to buy a home without proper savings, something will break causing you to immediately reach for the credit cards.

18. Share a mortgage with your boyfriend/girlfriend.
I’m not being a prude here. Even if you decide to share living quarters with someone before marriage, please avoid sharing a mortgage (or lease) with them. If you split up, and chances are you probably will, the financial impact is a lot messier with joint ownership.

19. Sign a long-term lease based on the salary you think you will earn out of college.
Wait until the ink has dried on that first job offer letter before signing a lease (or a mortgage) for your first place. Better yet, wait six months to make sure you really can afford the payment, else you risk being house-poor right out of the gate.

20. Don’t put any money down on that new mortgage.
As many have discovered the hard way, homes can lose value. If you finance 100% of your new home, you have zero breathing room should your home lose value and you be forced to sell. Buying a new home is not cheap, but try to buy yourself a little breathing room by putting 10-20% down (close to 20% is best to avoid paying private mortgage insurance).

21.Stretch to get into a new home because it is a good investment.
 Repeat after me – my home is not an investment. We need to break this thinking that all young people should buy homes because they are a great investment. Yes, they can increase in value, but like all investments, they can lose value, too. The difference is, when your shares of Apple go down, you aren’t putting the roof over your head at risk.

22. Shop for clothes with labels that impress your “friends.”
It’s time to be a grown up. Impressing your friends with clothes is something we did in high school.



23. Eat out every single meal. Eating out has its benefits.
No preparation, no clean up, more social interaction, etc. However, it will clean out your wallet a lot faster than cooking at home. If you are a horrible cook, spend the difference on a few cooking classes.


24. Buy a television that consumes 80% of the square footage of your apartment’s living room.
 Unless you sit 30 feet from your television in a giant living room in a McMansion, it’s hard to justify a television worth more than your vehicle.


25. Don’t set up a monthly budget. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Nothing could be truer when it comes to managing your money. Get over your fear of creating a personal budget and spend a little time telling your money where to go.

Just Listed Behind the Gates at The Peninsula

3 Bedroom/3 Bathroom Condo $259,000

Just Listed Behind the Gates at The Peninsula

Golf Course Lot Listed in the prestigious gated golf/tennis bay community in Gulf Shores, AL.

Call Honours Properties for more information: 251-968-7800

Worlds Most Unique/Craziest Homes

The AURA Residence on the island of Cyprus is a "very modern and futuristic-looking villa" that is being entered into the World Architecture Awards. "The philosophy behind the (exterior) design of The AURA Residence was based on the Great Wave off Kanagawa, a famous woodblock printing by the Japanese artist Hokusai.

The Dome Homein Pensacola Beach, Florida, constructed to withstand hurricane force winds, has proved its worth! While most of the homes around it were destroyed or heavily damaged, the Dome Home was basically unharmed.

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright's designed house, Fallingwater, completed in 1939 as a weekend cottage for Pittsburgh department store owner Edgar J. Kaufmann, sits over a waterfall May 20, 2002 in Mill Run, PA. The house is undergoing an $11.5 million restoration project targeted at preserving the home.

This primarily glass, spacship-looking home is located on 5.6 acres of lush green land 20 miles outside of London. It has three bedrooms, sitting room with games area, indoor swimming pool, and of course - a crazy design.

This odd bubble-shaped pink home sits on U.S. Route 280.

Vertical lines and large windows set this modern, single family house apart from the crowd

Mushroom houses in the Via Lepanto, Milan, 4th March 1969. These unusual dwellings were eventually demolished to make way for blocks of flats.

This 8,500-square-foot, crazy home in Mallorca, Spain is actually a renovation of a 1960s Mediterranean villa - though you'd never know it from its uber-modern facade.

This home gives the phrase "have you been living under a rock?" a whole new meaning. The house, built into a gigantic boulder, sits near the coast of Portugal.

To Find A Home In Baldwin County

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