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Construction/Remodeling

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Purchase and Remodel a home with only 3.5% cash out of your pocket

Today I attended a class on the FHA 203 K loan.  It has always been one of those things that sounds really good but is practically impossible to get done.   But I met a team of peeps all working together and getting the FHA 203k loans closed and people into their beautiful homes.

One of the challenges in todays market is that so many of the homes (foreclosures and short sales) are in poor condition.  Having items and issues that need repair in order to get a loan on the property; and with both short sale and foreclosure properties being “As Is” transactions, and no repairs being completed by the seller, getting a loan approved, funded and closed can be like pulling teeth without any Novocain.

In comes the FHA 203K team!

Together, a lender who will complete this type of loan; the home inspector, termite inspector, general contractor, HUD inspector, and a handful of other people that together know what is required, are working in unison to help people purchase these distressed properties, make the needed repairs and do some remodeling and updating at the same time.

How does it work?

The home buyer finds out what they will qualify to purchase.  Working backwards from there, if you qualify for 200,000 and you are going to put 20-35,000 into repairs and remodeling; look for homes priced around 160,000.  At the same time you have the home inspection, also bring in the general contractor and maybe the HUD inspector too.  Find out the cost for what is needed to be repaired and what you would like to have remodeled.  The cost of repairs and remodeling are rolled into the final loan amount. At closing the general contractor gets in the house and makes the repairs and remodeling, a few weeks later the home owner gets to move into their beautiful newly re-done home.

This takes an experienced team, a well oiled machine and fantastic communication.  I am glad to know the players! and to have been invited to join the team and help a few more buyers get into their dream home.

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It is time for a talk about Air Conditioners and what you need to know!

It is time to think about your air conditioner, and not because summer is around the corner. There are new laws governing air conditioners. Freon systems (R22) can no longer be installed. This is due to the Clean Air Act of 1990. As of January 1, 2010 air conditioning systems that use Freon (R22) are no longer allowed to be manufactured. All new systems must be Puron (410A).

The challenge is the two cooling chemicals don’t work together. They are like oil and water; like putting regular gas in a diesel vehicle. It just won’t work. So if your compressor goes bad, you could have to replace the compressor and air handler! And that is a huge cost.

What does this mean to you? Well I had a chat with Tara Carter from Old Republic Home Protection and learned a few things. She said that there is no specific time frame for parts to be available. Depending on your AC unit, and what needs to be replaced on your unit, there could be a shortage of parts, starting right now. Parts could be found out of state, and across the country. So understand that repair times could be longer than desired. If a part is not available anywhere in the country, you will have to have the whole unit replaced. That could be a cost of 6 or 8 grand and up.

That is why if there was ever a good reason to have a home warranty, it would be now. A few things to check before you choose a Home Warranty company make sure they will cover the full replacement of your AC both the air handler and the compressor. (like Old Republic) If one or the other goes, both will have to be replaced.

If you have a newer unit, you may not need to worry. Be sure to get your unit serviced annually and keep it in good working order for as long as possible.

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Remodel of office complete

Well 2 weeks solid of hard work and we have the new office fully remodeled. (not moved into fully yet)  We ripped out drywall, windows and sliding doors and now have a fully insualted!!! west room.   The deck outside was refinnished as well.

We are enjoying having the blinds open (with the low e window we don’t have to block the sun comming in all the time) and with the brightness of the room (painting over dark blue walls help too) we enjoy working and almost doing the taxes this weekend…

The new office

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Adobe homes in the Southwest

St. Francis de Assisi Church in Rancho de Taos 

 

St. Francis de Assisi Church in Rancho de Taos

 

When people think of the Southwest and homes, many times they think of Adobe built homes.  I often get asked why all the homes are stucco and why there isn’t much adobe. 

I used to live in New Mexico, and know that real adobe homes are very labor intensive.  Mud bricks stacked together then more mud over the bricks to give the smooth texture we are familiar with. 

Super green, a great insulator, and the thicker the walls the stronger.  The St. Francis de Assisi Church in Rancho de Taos, well known for being photographed by Ansel Adams and painted by Georgia O’Keefe, has walls that are over 6 feet thick at the base.  The whole community comes together every year to re-mud the exterior.  The rain and snow make the natural dirt/clay walls soften and wash away.  Yes, the buildings last a long time, the church was built in 1815, and the Taos Pueblo is over 1000 years old.  Keeping up the mudding can keep the adobe standing indefinitely.

Meanwhile, stucco lasts a lifetime (not sure how many years that is) but with a fresh coat of paint every now and again, the work to maintain it is much less.

I love the look and feel of the real adobe homes, and I have been in many while living in Taos and Santa Fe.  They are a bit challenging to hang a picture on, when remodeling, taking down walls is not an option, making the stucco homes of Arizona much more practical.

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Remodel – tear out complete

The first day of our construction/remodel in our town home in McCormick Ranch.  As suspected there was very little and in fact some areas had no insulation in the west wall.  No wonder the room was so hot in the summer and cold in the winter.  Adding insulation alone will make a huge difference in the comfort of this room.   

Look - no insulation!

We made great progress, the carpeting is out, all the carpet tacks, dry wall, the limited amount of insulation, the room is clean and we are prepped for tomorrow and putting in the Low E windows


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Remodeling in McCormick Ranch

All of this talk of construction methods comes from me as I am remodeling my second bedroom in my McCormick Ranch town home.  This room is the west room, upstairs above the garage; so no chance of planting a tree and getting a spot of shade on that wall. 

The room has been HOT in the summer and COLD in the winter.  It boasts a single pane glass window and single pane glass sliding door, and an assumption on our part that the insulation was missing in the walls.

Our plan, remove the wall board, replace the windows with Low-E,  and replace the sliding door with a dual pane French door, and insulate the walls to the max!

Here goes our transformation!