Blog Archives

Pete Grill, President Southern Tier Home Builders & Remodelers Association With today’s changing housing market, home-buying opportunities are tremendous. Interest rates are low, prices are competitive, and many builders are offering fantastic incentives and financing options. But what if you have to sell your current home first? These tips will help you get your home sold and on the road to moving into your own new home of your dreams. First, be realistic when setting a price. You may not be able to sell your home for what it could have sold for a few years back, but don’t be tempted to wait until prices have gone back again. It’s always better to trade up in a buyer’s market. For example, say your home value has dropped 10 percent from $300,000 to $270,000. A move-up home selling for $500,000 in the past has also dropped 10 percent in value, and now sells at $450,000. If you sold your home today for $270,000 and purchased the larger house for $450,000, the difference in price would be [...]

Pete Grill, President Southern Tier Home Builder & Remodeler Association The home building industry celebrates National Remodeling Month in May, but remodeling is popular year-round, and the industry is growing every year. Whether it’s a small cosmetic remodel such as replacing bathroom fixtures, or a major down-to-the-wall-studs overhaul of your kitchen or adding new space to your home, understanding the terminology your professional remodeler is using can be very helpful to ensure you get the finished project you want. As you interview potential contractors, this glossary of common terms used by builders and remodelers will help you understand the language of your remodeling project — and help you avoid miscommunication with your contractor. Allowance: A specific dollar amount allocated by a contractor for specified items in a contract for which the brand, model number, color, size or other details are not yet known. Bid: A proposal to work for a certain amount of money, based on plans and specifications for the project. Building Permit: A document issued by a governing authority, such as a city or [...]

Room Painting Basics By Marc Mazzei, President Southern Tier Home Builder & Remodelers Association Ready for a new look for your home, but don’t have a budget for a big remodel? There’s nothing faster or more economical to give your home a quick update than by painting your rooms a new color. A well-planned and executed paint job can make a room look larger or cozier, can accent features or hide flaws, or reflect your own personal flair. Here are some tips to help make your painting project a success: Choose a color and finish Go to a paint or home improvement store and get swatches of colors to take home. Select a lot of options, chances are the florescent lights in the store will make the colors look completely different than they will in your home. See how you like the colors on different walls and in different lighting conditions—early morning sun, midday and nighttime lamplight—to make sure you make a choice you’re happy with. Another option is to paint a few colors on [...]

Homeownership and Politics: What’s at Stake? By Marc Mazzei, President Southern Tier Home Builders & Remodelers Association Now that the dust has settled from the elections, Congress will be turning its attention to the debate over housing policy. Thanks to national policy that has acknowledged the importance of the home in American family life for almost a century, generations of Americans have counted on their homes for their children’s education, their own retirement and a personal sense of accomplishment. But despite the fact that most Americans want change that will mend the housing market, create jobs and boost the overall economy, policymakers are proposing radical changes that threaten the dream of homeownership for millions of current and future Americans. The policies that are being considered could negatively impact Americans’ ability to buy a first home, keep their current home or enter into the move-up market. Mortgage Interest Deduction Eliminating or limiting the mortgage interest deduction would impose a huge tax increase on millions of middle-class home owners and discourage prospective buyers. Changing the deduction would [...]

A Step-by-Step Guide to Help You Cope with Property Damage   Unfortunately, disasters like fires, floodsand tornadoes strike individual homes, neighborhoods and entire communities inthe Midwest regularly.  If they everinvolve you and your family, it’s important for you not to make suddendecisions related to extensive repairs before you’ve done your homework.  The information in this brochure has beendeveloped to help you get through the situation fromstart to finish in a well thought-out way.   #1 – Stay Calm. Once the dust settles, it’s important for youto be strong and lead your family through this difficult time.  Seek out help and support from friends andneighbors as soon as possible.  Don’tmake rash decisions under pressure.   #2 – Contact Your Insurance Agent BEFORE You Hire any Contractors. Most agencies have a claims center that can be contacted by phone 24/7/365.  Seek out their help for next steps –especially if professional help is needed for clean-up and repairs.  NEVER sign a contract for work from acompany that approached you after the incident without checking theirreferences.  Also, be sure [...]

By Marc Mazzei, President Southern TierHome Builders & Remodelers Association   Families looking tocustomize their homes for their personal needs and comfort have a wide varietyof products and design elements to choose from. Two of these concepts,aging-in-place and universal design, are both focused on making a home morecomfortable for individuals of different abilities. Here is how to distinguish betweenthe two concepts. Aging-in-place design is most often used for individualsrequiring home modifications in order to be able to safely and comfortably usetheir home as their physical abilities change over time. There is a highdemand for aging-in-place remodeling, as the more than 76 million people bornin the U.S. from 1946 to 1964 are now starting to reach retirement age. Many ofthese “baby boomers”are looking at remodeling so they can stay in their homes and neighborhoods. With aging-in-place, the design is convenient and comfortablebut the modifications may be noticeable. Some examples include installing grabbars in shower stalls and putting in a ramp to replace steps.  Universal design is applicable to all home owners, regardless ofage or ability. It [...]

By Marc Mazzei,President, Southern Tier Home Builders & Remodelers Association   As temperatures drop during the winter, home fueling costs often increase for home owners. Fuel options for home owners largely depend on the region — in the Northeast, fuel oil or electricity are most prominent while in rural areas, propane and wood are often the main choices. But whatever your heating fuel options are, you have options to reduce your costs. Reducing fuel costs can involve both short-term and long-term solutions and range from simple, inexpensive changes to major home modifications. Here are some ways that you can keep the cold out and the costs down this winter: Reduce Air Leaks By caulking and sealing air leaks in a home, an average household can cut 10 percent of their monthly energy bill. Use caulk to seal any cracks or small openings on non-moving surfaces such as where window frames meet the house structure. Make sure your weather stripping in exterior door frames hasn’t deteriorated and cracked, if it has, replace it.   Sealing windows [...]

Contract Compliance Check List We would like to take this opportunity to inform consumers of a new Law recently passedby the State of New York concerning Remodeling and Home Improvement Contracts.A written contract, complying with the following checklist is required if thecost of the job, including all labor, services and materials to be supplied bythe contractor is more than $500.00. Multiple contracts between the sameparties, each under the $500.00 threshold are prohibited. For your protection, make sure that each of the following is covered in a Remodeling orHome Improvement Contract entered into after March 1, 1988. Name, address and telephone number of the contractor and license number, ifapplicable, of the contractor. Contract must be legible and written in plain English. Approximate or estimated date when the work will begin and when the work will besubstantially completed, including a statement of contingencies that couldmaterially change the completion date. Statement whether or not time is of the essence of the completion date.  Specific description of the work to be performed and the materials to be provided to [...]

By Marc Mazzei, PresidentSouthern Tier Home Builders & Remodelers Association If you are among the more than 75 million Americans who own their home, or the millions morewho hope to someday achieve the American dream of home ownership, then you will want to tellyour candidates where you stand on critical housing issues before casting your ballot this fall. National policy has acknowledged the importance of the home in American family life foralmost a century, yet today, home ownership is under attack. Legislative and regulatory proposals that would greatly harm home owners, home buyers, thehousing market and the nation’s economy are under consideration by government policymakers.These include ongoing threats to the mortgage interest deduction, instituting a standard 20percent down-payment on home loans, and ending the federal backstop for housing, which wouldmake the 30-year mortgage less accessible and more expensive. The stakes are enormous. The decisions the politicians who are elected to office this year makeon these proposals could not only strip away home ownership’s priority status and obstruct theeconomy’s ability to recover, but also reverse the [...]