Creating Garage Envy

A garage is a sought after feature for a home, especially in a town like St. Louis where we experience all types of weather conditions. With years of experience in St. Louis real estate, The Boehmer Team members have seen all types of garages. We’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly as well as garages that one would really envy. Here we’ll discuss the types, sizes and details that we see frequently to help clear up common questions we get as well as show some envious additional options and features for garages.

 

Oversized Garage

First of all, let’s talk oversized garage. Typical garages are anywhere from 18 to 20 feet in width and length. (A 20’ x 19’ garage one frequently sees in real estate listings is not an oversized garage.) So what is considered an oversize garage? An oversized garage is not necessarily any particular size dimension. However it does include additional space, usually on one side or toward the back of the garage, but not enough space for another car.

When listing a home, The Boehmer Team considers a garage that is 22 feet or deeper as oversized. In addition, our local multiple listing system, MARIS, now allows garage dimensions to be entered in the system. This helps agents when searching for a specific garage size. If The Boehmer Team refer to a garage as oversized, we almost always put the dimensions in Maris. 

 

Tandem Garage

A tandem garage has a long interior space. This allows for two cars to park end to end (or front to back) rather than the traditional side by side. This garage type might be great for someone who has additional vehicles or needs a lot of extra garage storage. One thing you may want to consider is that on a rare occasion, appraisers will not give full credit as an additional parking space.  We have had the rare occasion that an appraiser will only consider the number of garage doors when submitting an appraisal. So the appraiser can make a difference.

 

 

Heated and Insulated Garages

Although it is still considered an outside space, insulating a garage and garage door will help minimize extreme temperatures when the garage door is closed. If the garage has insulation, drywall and drywall tape, the tape seams will hold up better if the garage walls and ceiling are insulated. In most municipalities, it is not code compliant to run duct work and vent the garage with the HVAC system used in the home. Allowing fumes and air from the garage to enter the home is extremely dangerous and against safety codes in most areas. An additional heater may be installed that runs independently from the HVAC system in the home in some cases. 

 

If you use your garage for a workshop or spend a lot of time in it, insulation and heating are going to be worth considering. Also, insulation and heating in a garage brings more value to a home overall.

 

Upgrading the Garage Interior

A garage door opener is a garage upgrade that most homebuyers expect in a garage and will notice if there isn’t one. If you’re selling a home with a garage, make sure your garage opener is in good working condition. 

 

 

Other ways to upgrade the garage include putting up drywall and painting it to improve the look and feel as well as insulating it. Adding shelving and storage for common garage items is another way to upgrade the garage and make it more appealing. 

 

Creative garage storage made with a pallet.

 

Additional in-garage upgrades include lighting, additional electrical outlets, low voltage additions, workbenches, a bar, a refrigerator, a hangout area, a gym and more. We’ve certainly seen some pretty cool garage upgrades like these below in our time in real estate.

Garage Storage

Garage Workshop

Garage Gym

Garage Lounge

Garage Game Room

Garage Man Cave

 

Garage Curb Appeal

As part of your property, the look of your garage can add or detract from the property’s total value. The exterior or curb appeal of the garage is what most people will notice about it. Having garage doors that are in good condition will help maintain the value of your home. 

 

There are many choices in material, color, style, window options, insulation types and hardware for garage doors. With so many options, we suggest speaking with your local garage door sales company for help picking out the best garage door type, style and hardware for your budget and your home. Here are some pictures of great looking garage exteriors to draw inspiration from.

 

We love these wood garage doors with arch windows.

Garage doors painted in a matching accent color look great.

This garage has great exterior lighting and brick driveway divider.

The hardware is great on this garage.

Looking for a home with more garage space? Contact The Boehmer Team to help you find a home with the garage needs that work for you. We help homebuyers find homes with the details they want and help sellers with highly customized homes find the right buyers. If St. Louis real estate is on your mind, The Boehmer Team is here for you.

 

 

 

Kitchen Island Dreaming

Dreaming of a beautiful kitchen island to expand your kitchen workspace and storage? You’re not alone. Throughout the St. Louis and St. Charles county areas, the real estate market is seeing plenty of requests for this amenity. Also, it is one of the most common requests made to home remodelers when updating a kitchen. 

Islands look inviting and offer extra storage and functionality. In most cases, an island becomes a gathering space or focal point in the home. They can even create an overall impression of a more luxury-grade kitchen. Even if you’re not planning on selling right now, adding a kitchen island can make your home more attractive while increasing its value in the long-term.

 

The Value of a Kitchen Island

Speaking of value, did you now that most small kitchen remodel projects (like adding an island) will recoup an average of 83% of their cost when the home is eventually sold?  That’s actually higher than the return on investment from most other remodeling projects.

 

The Cost of a Kitchen Island

So what does a kitchen island cost? That depends on several factors including the size, materials, and features, for example a bar, a sink/drain and any built-in appliances. But on average, the cost of a kitchen island ranges from $3,000 to $5,000 with less expensive models as little as $100 and more expensive, custom-built options as much as $10,000 or more.

Why not have MULTIPLE kitchen islands?

Ready-Made or Repurposed Furniture Kitchen Islands

Great ways to add a kitchen island on a budget is to purchase a ready-made island or to repurpose another piece of furniture like a desk or table to create an island. This allows you some creativity. However, it’s a good idea to match your island with the look and feel of the rest of your kitchen and home.

 

See more repurposed island ideas at: theshabbycreekcottage.com

Custom-Built Kitchen Islands

Building a custom kitchen island will ensure you get exactly what you want for the space your kitchen has. The island can be built with cabinets that match the rest of your cabinetry for a seamless look.  You can choose your materials, counters, and whether it has electricity, appliances or running water.  Of course, the more options you choose, the higher the price. But you could build the kitchen island of your dreams and your home would be more valuable for it.  

 

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If you are wondering whether you should add a kitchen island before selling your home, contact The Boehmer Team. We may be able to help you decide if it’s the right project to improve the value of your home before a sale. Or we may be able to recommend a contractor to assist with your project. Have a real estate question? Contact us any time.

 

 

Want more info on kitchen islands? Click one of the links throughout this article for more in depth information on aspects of kitchen islands.

 

How to Make the Best Offer on a Home

Like most of the country St. Louis and St. Charles County are currently experiencing a sellers market.  This means that there are more buyers in the market than there are sellers. This is great if you are currently selling a home. However if you are a homebuyer, this means that you are facing competition against other buyers when trying to purchase a home for sale.  With a few tips, and help from your trusted Realtor, you’ll be prepared to make the best offer on a house and procure the home of your dreams.

 

Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage

Unless you are paying cash for a home, start your home search by talking to a mortgage lender and getting pre-approved for a mortgage loan. Home sellers will take cash and pre-approved offers over offers that don’t confirm their ability to finance the home. Also, getting pre-approved will help you better determine your budget for your home.

Lean On Your Realtor

Talk to your Realtor to gain some useful information. An experienced Realtor (like the ones on The Boehmer Team) will be able to gather more information about what neighboring homes have sold for and the number of other offers the home has received.  This information will help you decide on a strong offer to make on the home.

Hold Back on Contingencies

Contingencies are items that need to be addressed before closing on a home or clauses in the contract that give you an out if something arises. These can be beneficial to homebuyers, but a headache for home sellers. Sellers will prefer to accept a contract on their home that includes the least amount of contingencies. Discuss with your real estate professional the options of making an “As-Is” type of offer limiting the seller’s responsibility of making repairs.

Make a Personal Connection

If a seller has a personal connection with a buyer, they are more likely to choose the buyer they have a connection with. If you know other people in the neighborhood, or have other acquaintances in common with the homeowner, tell them in order to build your personal connection. Some people make their case in writing by including a hand-written letter with their offer describing why they would make the best choice as the homebuyers for the property.

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Whatever you decide, be sure to be prepared and be ready to act fast. If you are afraid of making a mistake after going all in on a home, keep in mind that there will likely be another chance to make some negotiations on the deal after getting the results of the home inspection. If you have questions about making an offer on a home or about the home buying or selling process, contact The Boehmer Team. We’ll be happy to share our expertise. 

 

10 Reasons Why Your Home Isn’t Selling

St. Louis and St. Charles County homeowners listing a home for sale have a common goal – getting their home sold as fast as possible, for the most amount of money. But  what if you have a home for sale in a neighborhood that has historically attracted buyers and it isn’t selling? This frustrating situation can come up for several reasons. We’ve listed ten possible reasons your home isn’t selling along with the remedies below.

1. Overvaluing the Property 
Overprice homes simply do not garner the attention or offers that competitively priced homes receive. Look at recent sales of other homes that are similar to yours in your area to get a better idea of its true value. Experienced Realtors will provide you with a competitive market analysis to help you determine an accurate price for your home. Another mistake is tacking on the cost of any renovations made to the home. Not all renovations translate to added value.

2. Poor Listing Marketing 
One of the top reasons homeowners give for hiring a Realtor is for their home marketing expertise. It is important that your listing description is well written and includes multiple high quality images of the home. Buyers will often skip over listings with poor descriptions and few to no images. Work with your Realtor to create a listing that attracts the attention of buyers and highlights the unique features of your home. Be sure to include multiple high quality photos of both the interior and exterior of your home.
 

3. Being Present at Showings 
While you want to protect your home during the sale process, being present at the home showings can make the sale more difficult. Depend on your Realtor to handle home showings. Know that there are systems in place to track all who enter your home. But mainly, buyers don't want to have the seller lurking over their shoulder during showings or at an open house. They want to be able to discuss the home freely with their agent without unwanted pressure that could make them uncomfortable or chase them away.

4. Being too Attached 
When an offer does come in, if you find yourself unwilling to negotiate even a penny off the sales price, it’s likely you've become too attached to your home. Remember, while you are trying to get the most money for your home, the buyer is trying to spend the least money on the purchase. If you’re not willing to negotiate, you are going to have a lot of difficulties coming to an agreement with a potential buyer. Proper pricing (#1) also minimizes the need for extensive negotiating.

5. It’s too Cluttered/Not Professionally Cleaned 
A cluttered, dirty house will leave a bad impression on potential homebuyers. Even if your home is clean, clutter can make it appear dirty. Consider renting storage or at least boxing up extra items and putting them away to ensure a tidy and clean-looking home. Also consider hiring professional cleaners for windows, carpets and other areas. Check out our cleaning and home prep tips here. 

6. It’s Not Staged
If you've already moved out of your home the empty rooms make it difficult for buyers to imagine living in them. Stage your house with furniture and decor that gives buyers a better idea of how big every room is and how it can be used. This way you make buyers feel more at home when they are taking a tour. Get tips on staging a home here.

7. Too Many Personal Items 
Homebuyers touring your home like to imagine what it would be like if they lived there. It’s hard to this if you have all of your family portraits up. Go ahead and pack up personal décor so that potential buyers have an easier time imagining themselves living there.

8. Overly Custom Home Improvements 
While you may have fallen in love with wallpaper, it doesn’t mean that potential homebuyers will. Same with the brightly colored feature wall and ceiling mural. Though you may find these customizations dreamy, buyers may be calculating the costs of removing these customizations as they look at your home. So if you have a lot of customizations, consider making the home more neutral and inviting to all tastes. This way you won’t scare off buyers who don't want to pay for customizations or features they don't want.

9. Maintenance is Needed
The more repairs that are needed for a home, the less likely a buyer will make an offer on your house. In a busy world most buyers simply don't want to deal with the cost or effort of home maintenance and repairs. So be sure that any repair work is completed, even if it's just tightening a handrail or replacing a broken tile. Well-maintained homes bring more offers. 

- Learn about selling a home that needs repair. -

10. You Chose the Wrong Realtor
Choosing the right Realtor is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when selling your home. Not sure how to find a good Realtor? We’ve put together some great interview questions that will help. After all, a good Realtor can make all the difference in selling your home in a reasonable time frame.

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If you’ve listed a home with one of these things, now you know how to rectify it. The Boehmer Team assists St. Louis and St. Charles County home sellers in achieving their home selling goals. We do so by ensuring the items on this list are attended to. Want expert assistance to sell a home. Contact The Boehmer Team for a no-obligation interview. 

 

December Has Best Deals on Homes

Updated December 11, 2020

Homebuyers are always searching for the best deal on their new home. The busy holiday season in December not only delivers great deals on Christmas shopping, it delivers great deals on homes. And after all, a home could even be a Christmas gift. (To learn more about the best way to do that, click here.) 

According to a study by Attom Data Solutions, December is the best month and December 26th is the best day to get the biggest discount on a home.

The study by Attom Data Solutions found that overall, December is the best month for deals if you are buying a home. Homebuyers and investors searching during the holidays will face less competition in the marketplace. Also, they will have more motivated sellers, which could give an upper hand during price negotiations.

The analysis, based on closing date, found that only ten days of the year offer discounts below estimated market value (no months do overall). Seven of the best days to buy are in December, when savings can average as much as $2,500 or more. Also one day in October, November and February each offer extra discounts for homebuyers with saving of $500 to $1,000.

Attom’s study covers the last five years of sales. Previous years have had more days of good deals but a particularly hot seller’s market in the last few years drove the number of days for deals down. As the market cools down the number of days for deals will go up again.

Using the same data from the study one can also see days that homebuyers are least likely to get a good deal. The days where homebuyers can expect to pay up to 9 percent over the estimated home value are May 28th, 29th, and 30th.

The days that are linked to the best deals are related to holidays and down times when it comes to buyers making offers. With many people busy over the holidays, sellers become more motivated to offer deals. Keep in mind that the study is based on closing dates, so the days are related to down times when buyers are making offers.

For example, the deal day in October is the 12th, when buyers can get a $1,000 discount, are from offers that were most likely accepted over the Labor Day weekend holiday. And on February 12th, when buyers can get a $500 discount, offers were probably accepted around the New Year.

Looking at the study overall by month, buyers pay just 0.5 percent over the estimated home value in December. While June shows buyers can pay 7.3 percent above the estimated home value.

Meanwhile region can affect the best month to buy a home too. Cold seasons tend to offer the best discounts. While Hawaii isn’t as affected by seasonal sales, every other state shows the best discounts from October to February.

Something we have experience with that is not mentioned in the study are year-end deals offered by homebuilders. Homebuilders offer some of the best deals of the year at the end of the year. The greatest year-end type savings are often times tied to homes that can close by the year’s end.  Most homebuilders have a preferred lender that is able to close a home very quickly to secure year-end driven promotions. Check out our New & Now and New & Almost Ready For You pages to see new homes available where these deals might apply.

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The Boehmer Team is available for you almost any day of the year. That’s one of the great reasons to work with a team; we have the availability to match your schedule and needs. And you don’t have to go to a national website to find a good deal on St. Louis or St. Charles County area real estate. Our local website gets updated with new listing information multiple times a day while the national sites only get updated every few days. Click on over to TheBoehmerTeam.com or contact The Boehmer Team to assist you in finding a great deal on a new home that is perfect for you.

*See the full Attom Data Solutions report at: https://www.attomdata.com/news/home-prices-and-values/top-10-best-days-of-the-year-to-buy-a-home/

5 Reasons to Consider a Villa or Carefree Home

Homebuyers often forget a superb option when looking for St. Louis or St. Charles County real estate – villas (sometimes referred to as carefree homes or low maintenance living). Villas are sometimes attached homes, but could also be freestanding homes, situated within a villa community. While some might think that villas are just for retirees, many of today’s villas are created for everyone. Here are five reasons to consider a villa for your next home purchase.

1. Low Maintenance

Villa communities are created with low-maintenance living in mind. Like many single-family home communities, villa communities have a homeowners association or HOA that oversees daily community operations. However villa community HOA’s usually offer a lot more with regards to maintaining your property including the exterior maintenance, lawn care, landscaping maintenance, and snow removal.  Some association fees even cover structural home insurance.

2. Amenities

Many of the amenities you get in a single-family home and community are offered at villa home communities. Villa homes are usually created to offer privacy by providing buffer zones between entrances to homes, have private decks and/or secluded patio areas. Shared walls are built with sound and fire proofing materials for additional privacy and security. Also, planned villa communities sometimes include community green spaces, a clubhouse, a pool and tennis courts. 

A lovely deck in Lake St. Louis at a villa community built by Bridgewater Communities.

3. Affordability

Villa owners often see money savings when comparing villa community HOA fees and what they include to the cost of hiring individual services for exterior maintenance, lawn care, landscaping and snow removal. Also, villas have proven to hold their value at resale as more and more homebuyers discover the advantages that a villa home provides. In fact, increased interest in villa homes has lead to the creation of many luxury villa communities for the villa buyer who craves more space and designer details. 

Spacious and open villa home kitchen in St. Peters.

4. Security

If you travel frequently or only occasionally but for an extended period of time, a villa home is an excellent option. With exterior maintenance done for you, the exterior of your villa home will be kept in tip-top shape while you are gone. This thwarts potential thieves looking to break into homes that appear unoccupied. A leaky roof or gas leak is less likely to go unnoticed in an attached villa home where neighbors share a wall or roof. 

An open floor plan at a villa/carefree home built by Bridgewater Communities.

5. Location

While single-family homes may be built in a secluded neighborhood removed from town, villas are often in areas near shopping, banks, hospitals, vibrant entertainment and dining options. You may find a perfect villa that is closer to your office, shortening your daily commute or making your commute doable by bike or by walking. The right villa could even negate the need to own a car. 

A beautiful villa/carefree home in St. Charles, MO, built by Fischer & Frichtel.

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The Boehmer Team helps homebuyers buy or build the perfect villa/carefree home and helps home sellers list and sell their villa when they are ready to move on. We are villa experts that are well versed in all types of homeowner association agreements and can assist in making sure you understand everything that is included with a particular villa community. If you are considering buying or selling a villa/carefree home in the St. Louis or St. Charles County are of Missouri, contact The Boehmer Team. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have about villas and would love the opportunity to serve you.