New Home Friday - December 29, 2023

NHA A REAL ESTATE NEWSLETTER

WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE MARKET An update of the real estate market

DECEMBER 29, 2023

HOMEKEEPR Moving Made Simple

E-CREDIT ADVISOR Get Mortgage Ready

DESIGN TRENDS Ring Out the Old and Ring In the New Kitchen Paint Colors for 2024

HOMEOWNER TIPS Organizing Trends Pros are Relieved to Leave Behind in 2024

PAINT DESIGN BOARD Virtual Color Consultation

HOUSING UPDATE

If you’re thinking about retirement or have already retired this year, it’s a good time to consider if your current house is still a good fit for the next chapter in your life.

Fortunately, you may be in a better position to make a move than you realize. Here are a few things to think about as you decide whether or not to sell and make a move.

How Long You’ve Been in Your Home From 1985 to 2008, the average length of time homeowners typically stayed in their homes was only six years. But according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), that number is rising today, meaning many homeowners are living in their houses even longer (see graph below):

Retirement can bring about major changes in your life, including what you need from your home. Whatever your home goals are, your real estate agent can work with you to find the best option.

How Much Equity You’ve Gained Additionally, if you’ve been in your house for more than a few years, you’ve likely built-up significant equity that can fuel your next move. That’s because the longer you’ve been in your house, the more likely it’s grown in value due to home price appreciation. Data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) illustrates that point (see graph below): HOW HOME PRICES HAVE GROWN OVER TIME Percent Change in Home Prices Over the Years

HOMEOWNERS ARE LIVING IN THEIR HOMES LONGER IN RECENT YEARS Survey Taken Mid-Year

SOURCE: NAR

When you live in a home for a significant period of time, it’s natural for you to experience a number of changes in your life while you’re in that house. As those life changes and milestones happen, your needs may change. And if your current home no longer meets them, you may have better options waiting for you.

While home price growth varies by state and local area, the national average shows the typical homeowner who’s been in their house for five years saw it increase in value by nearly 60%. And the average homeowner who’s owned their home since 1991 saw it more than triple in value over that time.

Consider Your Retirement Goals Whether you’re looking to downsize, relocate to a dream destination, or simply be closer to loved ones, your home equity can be a key to realizing your homeownership goals.

NAR shares that for recent home sellers, the primary reason to move was to be closer to loved ones.

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At eCreditAdvisor, we keep credit repair fast & simple.

When you call us a personal advisor will review your credit profile to determine how our program will effectively increase your credit scores.

Then your dedicated credit coach will provide a customized plan to quickly exceed the minimum credit qualification thresholds of a mortgage.

Kitchen Paint Colors Going Out of Style in 2024 - and the 5 Colors that will Reign Supreme

Some kitchen paint colors, designers say, are feeling outdated. Here are the colors you could use instead.

Subtle Pink instead of Harsh Red

Red is a strong and bold color for the kitchen – the workhorse of the home – but lately we've been witnessing a color shift to a softer, subtle hue – enter pink. Rich, elegant, and nuanced pink is undisputedly the color trend of the moment. A warm pink lends sophistication to a scheme. A versatile hue, it can veer into a playful pastel or brighten into deep coral. With its clear ties to the natural world, warm pink is used for painting accent walls and brightening a kitchen or dining area with splashes of color that symbolize and promote health and vitality.

Choose Pastels in Favor of Dark, Unforgiving Colors

Replace Gray with Beige & Taupe

The power of a beige kitchen color palette to add warmth and elegance to the heart of our home should not be underestimated. A soft scheme of harmonious neutrals creates a reflective backdrop to the ever-changing light of the seasons. The broad spectrum of neutral, earthy shades they conjure up offers rich inspiration for creating a soothing scheme. From creamy limestone shades and the oaty tones of untreated linen to the grayish-browns of weathered oak and warm earthenware ochres, neutral shades can be as captivating as color.

From peaceful pinks to blissful blues, pale sugary shades will give the illusion of space and create a restful atmosphere in the home. 'Pastel colors offer a charming alternative to neutrals or dark shades; they are calm but embracing, soothing but uplifting, and can give added life to a room without being overpowering', says David Mottershead of Little Greene.

Swap a Dated Navy for Cobalt, Lapis and Cerulean Switch Out White for a Mood Boosting Yellow

From pretty primrose to zesty lemon, yellow paint brings warmth and sunshine to every surface it touches in a lightfilled kitchen. ‘This cheery paint color imbues the room with optimism and is perfect for bringing a sense of positivity into the home,’ says Justyna Korczynska, senior designer at Crown. ‘Yellow kitchens are also very soothing, particularly when paired with cool, calming tones such as greys and pale, muted blues.

Navy blue will always be popular, but lately, designers have been considering softer, subtler, serene variations in the modern kitchen. A shade that's always been popular in the world of interiors, ocean blue is set to be 2024's kitchen paint color du jour. ‘Ocean blues, like lapis and cerulean, are the most wonderfully genderneutral paint colors,' says Nicole Salvesen, co-founder, of Salvesen Graham. However, avoid using cold blues in north-facing rooms. Instead, find those that have some warm tones in them and they will be a brilliant backdrop for artwork, texture and timber.’

Organizing Trends Pros Are Relieved to Leave Behind Next Year

Many people set the intention of using the start of a new year to get more organized—once the holidays are over and decorations are put away, it's nice to create a blank slate for yourself at home. That said, there are some organizing techniques that professionals would rather that you skip over entirely.

Park explains that there's no need to line items up in 1. OVERLY CURATED REFRIGERATORS rainbow order—simply corralling them neatly is what We've all seen images on social media of beautifully truly matters. styled refrigerators with items lined up by color or ‘Marisa Smith, the founder of MACmomorganizing sorted inside pretty bins and baskets in lieu of standard stays away from organizing by color for this reason, plastic bags from the grocery store and Tupperware with the exception of closets. There's nothing to lose containers. While Janelle Williams, the founder of when organizing your clothes by color.

Organized by JWC, maintains that of course 4. USING SOLELY ACRYLIC BINS refrigerators should be somewhat organized, she is eager for people to say goodbye to overly styled Acrylic bins are certainly a popular choice for many, but fridges that aren't all too functional for most Smith is a proponent of skipping the all-acrylic look and households. "Most families I know cook big meals on mixing things up a bit when it comes to storage weekends, so we need a place to store the leftovers— containers. She suggests varying materials and textures overly curated refrigerators don’t necessarily in the pantry instead. accommodate this," says Williams.

5. MICRO SORTING KIDS' TOYS 2. USING TOO MANY LABELS Smith calls this approach unrealistic and advises Many assume that professional organizers and label keeping categories more general instead. Children will makers go hand in hand, but according to Williams, be children, and sorting their toys will not come easy to there actually is such a thing as having too many labels them—so make it easier by allowing them to sort their throughout the home. "Labels help us remember where toys into categories they can understand rather than to put things back, but depending on the individual or micro sorting. "Label bins with photos or pictures of the situation there may be no need for a label," she says. category so cleaning up is easy," she suggests.

If you're still inclined to use labels in some instances, be mindful of the ones that you select for your home.

6. ATTEMPTING TO STORE BULK PRODUCTS IN A Williams also prefers to shy away from labels that are SMALL HOME large in size in favor of smaller, more subtle-looking Last but not least, Smith is eager to see clients living in options. small spaces with limited storage stop purchasing items 3. ANY TACTIC THAT'S OVERLY AESTHETIC, SUCH in bulk. "I always say buy for the space you have, not AS COLOR CODING the space you wish you had," she says. As tempting as it may be to save a few dollars by buying the larger pack Sandy Park, the founder of Tidy with SPARK of toilet paper or paper towels, you may not be doing recommends functional organization over "pretty" kinds yourself a favor in the long run if you lack sufficient because she believes that a more functional system is room to store dozens of rolls! easier to maintain in the long run—meaning that you're more likely to keep the space tidy.

BENJAMIN MOORE PAINT DESIGN BOARDS

BEFORE

About us See how new paint colors look on your home... BEFORE IT'S PAINTED! Be "Color Confident" with a Virtual Color Consultation

Tell us your color preferences, and take our style quiz.

Our designers will create 3-5 initial designs for you to see online, then work with you to create more designs until you find the one you love.

See Custom Designs Enjoy that feeling of knowing you'll love the paint color after your home is painted. No more guesswork!

AFTER

REQUEST A CONSULTATION