Janet Kohl Group

How To Pack a Home Entertainment System

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Co-Founder NorthStar Moving Company Laura McHolm

China packed? Check. Picture frames packed? Check. Clothes packed? Check. Suddenly, you look into your family room, the music from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho plays in your head. The stereo and home theater glare back at you, taunting you – “Go ahead pack us, we will never come back to life again.”

Electronics are some of the last things to be packed before a move. No one wants to disconnect their entertainment lifelines. You’re filled with the dread of trying to fit each electronic piece into boxes and the terror of not being able to set them all up correctly in your new place. Thankfully, with these tips your entire stereo and home theater system will fit into boxes properly. You can put an end to the scary visions of endless tangled wires and the confusion of not knowing where to plug each cord. Simply color-code your wires and use your cell phone camera to document the process. Here is how to tame your electronics when packing for a move:

Step 1: Prepare and Pack Your Electronics

  • Get the Proper Gear – Visit your local office supply store and purchase colored dot stickers and colored Velcro cord wraps.
  • Label – BEFORE unplugging your stereo systems and home theater wires: neatly wrap each wire with a different color cord sticker. Label each corresponding input with a colored dot. Match the color of the sticker wrapped around the cord to the color of the input dot. For example, place a green dot next to your mouse input on your computer and place a matching green sticker wrap around your mouse cord. You simply match the colors when you are setting your electronics back up. Always label both ends of each cord with the same color dot.
  • Photograph -BEFORE you unplug. Use your camera and snap a shot or two of your color-coded work.
  • Unplug – After you have colored labels on all of your cords and inputs, properly shut down your electronics. Then unplug all of your cords from all inputs. 
  • Organize – Before packing up a cord, place a Velcro colored wrap around one end of the cord. Use the same color Velcro wrap as the dot sticker already placed on the cord. Then gently and loosely wrap the cord in a circle around your hand. Once you have wrapped it, secure it with the Velcro wrap. Using Velcro cord wraps will better secure your cords during your move as well as prevent them from tangling.

Now you will be able to channel your inner geek and set your electronics back up like a nerdy pro! Next up, packing your electronics.

Step 2: Pack Your Electronics

  • Proper Gear – If possible, pack your electronics in their original cartons. If you did not keep their original boxes, use a dishpak box. Dishpaks are specially designed boxes to handle and protect fragile items. You can find dishpaks at moving companies, box stores and home improvement stores. If you can’t find dishpaks, use double corrugated boxes. You will also need lots of recyclable packing paper, bubble and packing tape.
  • Assemble – Put the boxes together. Place double packing tape on the bottom of each box over the opening and across the middle. Then double tape the perimeter for extra support.
  • Pad – After taping, pack the bottom of each box with crumbled packing paper for padding.
  • Wrap – Always pack your heaviest items first. Wrap all electronic items separately. Lay your bubble on a flat surface with the pop side facing up. Place your stereo, DVD player, etc. standing up right on top of the bubble. Pull the wrap over and tape it all together. Repeat by laying the item on its side and pulling the bubble over the sides. Keep taping until the wrap is securely tight to the item and on all sides. Make sure the item is completely covered. Place it up right, vertically in the box. Repeat this process for the next big item then place it vertically in the box next to the first item.
  • Stuff – Before packing smaller items like your speakers and remotes, stuff packing paper in open spaces between the bigger electronics such as the DVD player to ensure they cannot shift. Pack some paper on top for extra cushion.
  • Park Accessories – Wrap your remotes and accessories in packing paper before placing them in the top of the box. Then wrap up your carefully color coded wires in packing paper. Tape the paper around the wires to secure them and then place them on the very top of the box. Fill the rest of the box with crumpled packing paper. Be sure to label the wrapped up items with a pen: so they don’t get mistaken for the crumbled up packing paper.
  • Tape & Label – Tape each box shut by double taping over the opening and across the middle. Then double tape along the top perimeter of the boxes for extra security. Label the outside of the box with the contents and the room the electronic should be moved into. Make sure to mark FRAGILE on all sides of the box. 

Done! Your electronics are safely packed and organized! Once you are ready to set up your home theater in your new place, just carefully unpack each component, refer to your photos on your camera and let your color codes lead you safely back to movie watching.

Laura McHolm is an organizational, moving & storage expert and co-founder of NorthStar Moving Company. NorthStar Moving Company is an award winning, “A+” rated company, which specializes in providing eco-luxury moving and storage services. www.northstarmoving.com

5 New Homeowner Mistakes You Can Easily Avoid (And How to Avoid Them)

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The following is a guest post from Jessica Thiefels

Become a first-time homeowner is one of the most exciting and stressful times of your life, even after the closing papers have been signed and key is in hand. Suddenly, you’re faced with a whole new set of challenges: how to manage a home that’s yours, not your landlord’s. There are a lot of opportunities to learn—and as you learn, mistakes will be made.

Luckily, many new homeowner mistakes can be easily avoided with a little preparation. Don’t let the following potential mistakes damper your excitement. Instead, plan ahead and keep these tips and tricks in mind as you learn the ropes of being a homeowner.

Ignoring Routine Maintenance

You likely just did a walk-through with a licensed inspector during the homebuying process, so you’re aware of what issues need attention and which can wait. That’s not where home maintenance stops. Home maintenance includes tasks you may have never thought of before, like cleaning the gutters, power-washing the house, prepping your pipes for winter and much more.

The best way to avoid missing these critical tasks, which could lead to costly damage, is to set up a quarterly or monthly maintenance schedule for all of the areas of your home. This should include indoor and outdoor maintenance as well as details like plumbing and electrical. Use this checklist from Better Homes and Gardens as a starting point to creating one that’s specific to your home’s unique needs.

Not Budgeting for Additional Expenses

Moving can be expensive but any veteran homeowner will tell you that there’s always more to budget for—and these issues seem to pop-up out of nowhere, like a broken washer right after you need to patch a leak in the roof. Plan for the unexpected by putting away extra money for emergency house needs.

Experts at HGTV suggest putting away 1 to 3 percent of your home’s purchase price each year to develop an emergency fund. They give the example, “For example, if your home cost $300,000, set aside at least $3,000 each year. Make one large deposit or spread the amount out in monthly deposits.”

Getting Locked Out

Being a new homeowner can make you more susceptible to being locked out: you have the new keys, you run out to get something and realize that the new key isn’t on your old keyring. You walk outside with the trash, forgetting that the new door locks behind you.

This mistake can lead to another one: choosing a locksmith that’s not reputable. In your hurry to get back into the house, it’s easy to forget to do your research and listen for clues that something’s not right.

That’s why experts from Lokology Locksmith share an important tip, “Ask the locksmith for an estimate prior to their arrival. If the locksmith cannot give you a quote or a price range over the phone—that should be a red flag.” This is a simple way to test whether a company is reputable to reinforce the quick research you did.

Making Major Renovations Right Away

It’s exciting to think about how you’ll make your new home feel more like yours with renovation projects. While small changes are to be expected, major renovations should wait. Give yourself time to live in the home, see how it feels, and determine what larger renovations will look like as needs arise.

For example, you may find the location of your fridge makes it hard to move around the kitchen seamlessly. This might be a focus of your kitchen renovation that would have otherwise not been considered.

Making Major Life Changes at the Same Time

As you can see, becoming a first-time homeowner is a lot of work. Adding to that by having a baby or getting married at the same time only increases the likelihood that you’ll make mistakes or become overly stressed. If possible, leave yourself time to get to know what it’s like to be a homeowner and avoid making costly mistakes that come with being stressed, and in-turn, overlooking simple details.

Avoid New Homeowner Mistakes

There are some mistakes you can’t avoid—but many others that you can. As you get familiar with your role as a homeowner, keep these simple mistakes in mind. If you plan ahead as best you can, you’ll be able to enjoy all the excitement of owning your first home with less stress and frustration.

Jessica Thiefels is an entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Jessica Thiefels Consulting. She’s been writing for more than 10 years and has been featured in top publications like Forbes. She also writes for Business Insider, Virgin, Glassdoor and more. Follow her on Twitter @JThiefels and connect on LinkedIn.

Design Trends To Help You Sell Your Home

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Are you planning to make some updates to your home with the thought to sell in the not too distant future? It’s probably a good idea to know what design trends appeal to buyers today before you start.  Home design trends and colors change about every 10 years, so let’s take a look at what’s “on trend” right now.

Neutral Colors

It’s long been recommended when selling your home to paint your walls a neutral color. For many years that meant off-white, which morphed into light gold and later, taupe. Today the trending neutral color is gray, in any number of shades. Gray can give a sophisticated look or an informal contemporary feel and easily coordinates with any accent color.

Living Rooms

Living rooms are trending toward subdued, neutral palettes and being “tech free.” Large, flat-screen TVs over the mantel are moving to media rooms or other locations. The trend is toward warm, comfortable spaces for conversation, listening to music or reading a book.

Floors

Natural wood floors are still in demand, but now rich, dark finishes are the trend. So too are wider and longer planks, which offer greater stability and an upscale look.

Tile or stone floors still dominate in kitchens and baths, and Midwestern winters make heated floors especially prized.

Kitchens

A decade ago dark cherry cabinets seemed to be part of every kitchen remodel. Today, kitchen design is trending toward all white and light-colored counter tops for a bright and airy feel.  Dramatic black and white color schemes are also making frequent appearances. Another trend is lower wood cabinets in shades to match a natural or laminate wood floor with white cabinets above.

Granite countertops have long been an enduring status symbol and standard in kitchens. While granite is still very popular, engineered quartz (90% quartz and 7-10 % resin) has come on strong due to its durability and more uniformity and choice in colors.

Stainless steel appliances continue to be the top sellers, giving kitchens an industrial or professional look. But a new appliance finish is LG’s very sophisticated black stainless, a variation that isn’t silver but isn’t solid black, and fingerprints don’t show as easily. And now most kitchen updates feature the newer refrigerators with French doors and lower level freezers in traditional stainless steel.

Bathrooms

Design trends in bathrooms lean toward clean, modern, transitional looks in neutral colors including all white, gray, and black and white with shades of purple accents. Another trend is bathrooms that feel more like living spaces with small chandeliers, statement mirrors, graphic wallpaper, and furniture-like pieces for storage.

Buyers appreciate a spa-like feel in a bathroom—large format tiles (gray porcelain floor and wall tiles are strongly trending), fluffy white towels, towel warmers, heated floors and no-threshold showers have replaced whirlpool tubs.

By Carolyn Staven, Communications Specialist at Coldwell Banker

How to Make Your Home Smart

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Smart home appliances and technology are becoming more mainstream in homes throughout the country. Products and features once reserved for only the highest priced properties are now found in homes across the United States at various price points. In fact, in this segment of LXTV Open House we’ll see how you can make your home “smart” for $1000 with products from Nest, Lutron, Sengled and August.

 

How to Price Your Home

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You’re contemplating listing your home on the market, but you’re not sure how much its worth. You have a vague idea about a general price range, but you want a more accurate understanding.

Don’t worry – you’re not going to need to determine the price of the home yourself. Your real estate agent is a listing price expert. Your agent will guide you through the process, helping you understand how much your home may be worth and how quickly it may sell, based on a wide and complex array of market conditions and variables.

Your agent will consider factors like the home’s characteristics and market comparables when they’re determining a price.

Many agents have been in the business for numerous years, overseeing dozens or hundreds of transactions. Their expertise will help you determine how to price your home.

Read on if you’re interested in developing an understanding of some of the many factors that agents consider when they’re pricing your home.

#1: Your Agent Will Look for Comps

Let’s take a moment to explain the concept of ‘comparable’ properties, and how these relate to the unique features in your home. This is what your agent will weigh when he or she is determining a price for your home.

Let’s illustrate this with an example.

Imagine that you own a 3-bedroom, 2-bath single-family home built in 1990. Three neighboring single-family residences have recently sold for $280,000 to $330,000, so you presume your home value is somewhere within that range.

But that assumption might not be accurate.

Your neighbor’s homes feature different qualities than yours. Your neighbor’s house has 4 bedrooms; another neighbor has only 1.5 baths. One house has a fireplace and swimming pool; another has a larger yard. One has Viking appliances. One neighbor has hardwoods throughout, while another has wall-to-wall carpet. One is sold as-is.

Are you starting to see the differences?

Your agent can’t just look at the raw sales numbers for these houses. To arrive at an accurate pricing picture, your agent must adjust the sales numbers based on variables such as:

  • Property age
  • Square footage
  • Bedrooms and bathrooms
  • Condition of property
  • Upgrades and features

Real estate agents are professionally trained in adjusting for these variables to arrive at a true comparison.

Ask your real estate agent to walk through the comps with you, explaining how he or she arrived at the final numbers. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised at how much your property is worth.

#2: Ask About CBx

CBx is a proprietary platform that homebuyers, home sellers and real estate agents use in order to make the process of determining an accurate valuation of your home run more smoothly. Your Coldwell Banker® agent will be specifically trained and experienced in using CBx.

Ask your agent to explain the many special features of CBx when you’re pricing your home. Your agent will explain how it is a useful solution for determining the best price for your property.

#3: Understand the Trade-Offs

Finally, initiate a conversation with your real estate agent about a critical question: Do you want to sell your home for top dollar, or do you want to sell it as quickly as possible?

Some homeowners and agents jointly make a strategic decision to slightly underprice their homes, just by a small amount, to facilitate a quick sale. These are self-described “motivated sellers” who want to unload their home as quickly as possible. They may be moving to another state, for example, or they may need to sell their current home before they can buy another one.

That being said, however, there are many ways you can position your home for a quick sale at full price. Making small improvements, such as fresh paint and exterior landscaping, can be effective at creating a ‘wow’ factor. Staging your home is another great way to entice buyers to make an offer.

Speak with your agent about how you can price your home for top dollar, without sacrificing speed.

5 Simple Home Improvements to Increase the Value of Your Home

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No one wants to spend a fortune when it comes to selling a home, but you may want to spruce up a few areas to make your property more appealing to potential buyers. When it comes to upgrades, remember to focus on simple, clean home improvements that will make your home appear more modern and elegant.

  1. Install New Countertops

    Buyers may examine a kitchen space more closely than bedrooms and bathrooms because this is usually the area where they will spend the majority of their time. Small changes, such as replacing the countertops with a nicer material may be enough to give the space a new and fresh look. Consider using materials that are common in neighboring homes. A buyer may be less likely to purchase a home with tile countertops when the surrounding homes on the market all have granite or marble.

  2. Replace Hardware and Fixtures

    Old, ruddy cabinet handles, kitchen spouts and light fixtures can be a turn off to buyers and make the home seem outdated. Replacing these fixtures with modern hardware is a simple and affordable solution that can be done quickly. Most home improvement stores carry a variety of fixtures and hardware, and you can easily compare costs by doing some research online.

  3. Refinishing Floors

    Updating the floors of your home is another important upgrade to consider as you prepare to sell. Hardwood floors can be refinished for a reasonable price, and you may want to consider shampooing any stained or worn carpets.

  4. Update the Paint Color

    A simple coat of paint can go a long way in livening up a home or a particular room, and the right color can make certain smaller rooms appear more spacious and inviting. Most real estate agents agree that neutral and light or bright colors can make a room stand out, while still giving a clean appearance.

  5. Install New Doors

    You may overlook the appeal of new front, back and side doors, but these features are some of the first things a buyer sees when they visit a home. You may consider painting your current doors to make them stand out or replacing any doors that are outdated or need repairs.

Working with Janet Kohl Group was the best real estate decision I ever made.

ERIC F.

I listed my property with another agent and it sat on the market for a year. Then Janet Kohl Group came to the rescue and my property sold in one day!

BONNIE K.