Downsizing Your Home

It’s not unusual to downsize to a smaller home at one point or another. Whether you’ve decided to eliminate debt from your life, or an empty nester looking for fewer maintenance requirements, or are just simply wanting a small space, one thing is inevitable when it’s time to downsize: You will have to get rid of some of your stuff. This is somewhat bittersweet, but you get a chance to go through all of your belongings and determine what truly needs to make the trip to your new destination in life.

Mary Iannaccone, Sales Associate at ERA Justin Realty, shares some tips for downsizing. “Being an experienced Real Estate Agent for many years, I’ve worked with many families wanting to downsize. I tell them all the same thing: ‘People often look around at everything that's taking up space in their homes and feel discouraged. But if you take it in little bites, downsizing is manageable. Commit to 15 minutes a day for sorting: clean out one drawer in your desk; go through your handbags; toss outdated food and spices in your pantry.” A little bit goes a long way and gives you the motivation to keep going.

List it or Leave it
The first step to downsizing is to make a list of the things you absolutely need. Items that don’t make the cut shouldn’t come to your new house. It is important to do this at least three to four months prior to the move to ensure you have an ample amount of time to go through your items and think about whether or not you need them.

Sort and Sell
Once you have determined the things not coming to your new house, you can start getting rid of them. This can be a difficult task, as your items will have different values and varying degrees of wear and tear. Grab three boxes and label them for selling, donating, or throwing out.

Compare New Rooms with Current Rooms that Have Similar Dimensions
It can be hard to determine how much room you will actually have when downsizing. Get the dimensions of each room in your new house and compare it to rooms in your current house that have similar dimensions. This gives you the opportunity to see what kind of space you’re working with, and more importantly, what furniture will fit in your new downsized home.

De-Clutter Your Kitchenware
If you are an empty nester, there is truly no need for ten mixing bowls and seven spatulas when you move into your new house. Narrow down your bowls, plates, forks, and spoons to reasonable amounts.

Target the Garage
Depending on the kind of home you’re downsizing to, you may not need a lot of the items in the garage. For instance, if your new condo handles lawn maintenance and snow removal, you can get rid of the shovels, lawn mower, and possibly even the ladder. Determine what tasks will be taken over by someone else when you make the move and sell any equipment you no longer need.

Downsizing your home can be an emotional task. "We endow things with meaning. That's why they become important to us. But if everything is important, then nothing is special," says Iannaccone. Try to select just a few prized pieces to use, wear or keep and donate the rest. "Your heart can never be too full, but your house can be," Mary continues. Follow these tips to de-clutter and reorganize your belongings as you head into a new chapter in your life.

To help you downsize to the next property in your life, contact Mary, or any of our experienced real estate agents. We are your area’s Full Service & Experienced Real Estate Company for over 50 years. Call 201.939.7500.

Save More Than Energy: The Cost-Efficient Home

               Save More Than Energy: The Cost-Efficient Home
                     

Mary Iannaccone, a Realtor agent with ERA Justin Realty offered, “It’s not so much a matter of the newer technologies through alternate energy sources, it’s more a matter of improvements on appliances.  Simply put, these options help us save by losing less.

It may be well worth it to give your home an efficiency upgrade. First, what needs fixing? To identify problem areas, contact a qualified professional and get an energy audit of your home. Some upgrades are simple and less expensive. For example, one common problem is insulation. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that proper ceiling insulation alone can reduce your heating bill by as much as 20 percent. Other energy draining problems can be solved by replacing old fixtures with more modern and efficient models. Windows, doors, and skylights equipped with sealed double or triple panes also reduce heating and cooling costs and are features for which utility companies often offer rebates. 

The EPA notes that air leakage from gaps in your home’s structure, holes for plumbing and wiring, for instance, accounts for 25 to 40 percent of the energy loss a common home uses for heating and cooling. Similar troubles come from inadequately sealed duct joints and otherwise inefficient, older heating and cooling systems. All can be repaired or replaced.

Even conventional systems such as ventilation can release enough heat from your home to cost a fortune in unnecessary bills. Upgrading these systems can pay for itself, and later pay off as an attractive resale value when possible buyers of your home want to benefit from this form of savings. 

And when you’re ready to go from finding the problem of fixing it, the government doesn’t just supply the bad news, it provides some solutions, as well. The EPA’s Energy Star rating has appeared on numerous products, identifying efficient appliances and other home furnishings that enable vast savings. Energy Star central air conditioners can save 20 percent on cooling bills. 

Studies have shown the resale advantages of homes with lower energy costs. Look for such solutions, and buyers will be more likely to look into your home. Your utility bills, Energy Star fact sheets, and other documentation can be attractive proof to present to prospective buyers.

In the short term, you can save on some of these improvements even as they enhance your home’s value. In addition to offering expert advice and home-selling solutions.

Consult an ERA Justin Realty consultant on how to navigate the options and opportunities available for the energy-conscious homeowner. Your investment in the future can have many returns right in the present.”

The ERA Justin Realty full-service real estate consultants can be reached at either of their two Rutherford offices at 118 Jackson Avenue and 57 Park Avenue.  By office phone (201) 939-7500, (201) 438-0588 or (201) 438-SOLD. Also, view 1000's of homes at their website at www.ERAJustin.com and www.ERAJustinRealty.com.

Increasing Investment Potential: Mary Iannaccone Overview

Increasing Investment Potential: Mary Iannaccone Overview

Buying or selling a house is one of the biggest decisions most people will ever make with their finances and their lifestyle. Getting the best bargain in the purchase or making the most profit on the sale give buyers and sellers so much to think about that many may never stop to consider keeping that old house - or buying another - as an income-generating property. But the rewards, in savings and profits can be high.

Mary Iannaccone an ERA Justin Realtor agent offers, “One option for buyers who otherwise might consider home prices beyond their reach is the property that pays for itself: a house you live in part of and rent the rest of. This offers not only an obvious balance of cost and income, but perhaps lesser-known benefits in taxes and mortgage tax consequences change and you should verify information with your tax consultant. Rental units can be depreciated over time; considered to offset the rental income. This can lower your taxes on that income. At the same time, the rent's addition to your finances helps you qualify for a larger mortgage, and investors who occupy their rental properties can, under certain conditions, get interest rates lower than those who do not. Of course you'll want to decide if the demands of being a live-in landlord are for you, and explore if rent-control laws in your area might limit the return on your investment. If being an offsite landlord is more appealing, you could always keep your current home as a rental after you move into the new one. Your long-tern familiarity with the home's features and condition could lend a certain confidence both to yourself and your potential tenants. As with any investment property, you'll first want to calculate whether the rental income will make up for the needed expenses. This is another consideration in which a qualified real estate sales professional can help, with the local rental market and its prospects over time. And of course being a long-distance landlord has special concerns, so you have to enjoy the challenge and be ready to meet the needs.

You may even prefer a fixer-upper to your familiar former home. With a thorough inspection to answer any questions, and a realistic budget and disciplined schedule to handle all improvements, your outlays may prove to be well worth it. Renovations can range from reconfiguring the floor plan to simply replacing now-unfashionable décor.

Owning an income-generating property is not for everyone, but - from younger buyers offsetting their purchase costs, to seniors easing the expenses of their retirement years - it can be for all kinds of people. Talk to a real estate sales professional at ERA Justin Realty to find out if rental property is what you seek.”

Mary concluded, “At ERA Justin Realty the words, ‘There is a difference in real estate companies’ is more than a phrase. We live it every day. We proudly received the prestigious ERA world-wide ‘Commitment to Excellence Award’. All across the nation, the most sought award that can be achieved in business is the ‘J.D. Power & Associates’ award. Only outstanding business entities are honored and receive it. ERA Real Estate was the recipient of ‘Highest Satisfaction for First Time Home Buyers and Home Sellers Among Full Service Real Estate Firms.' For these reasons ERA Justin Realty has been selected by thousands of buyers and sellers as their Realtor of choice since beginning in business in 1950.