New Home Friday - February 9th, 2024

NHA A REAL ESTATE NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 9, 2024

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

HOMEKEEPR Moving Made Simple

E-CREDIT ADVISOR Get Mortgage Ready

DESIGN TRENDS American Society of Interior Designers’ 2024 Trends Outlook

HOMEOWNER TIPS Trick Designers Use to Make Your Home Feel Cozy & Calm

PAINT DESIGN BOARD Virtual Color Consultation

HOUSING UPDATE

Finding the right home is one of the biggest challenges for potential buyers today. Right now, the supply of homes for sale is still low. But there is a bright spot. Newly built homes make up a larger percent of the total homes available for sale than normal. That’s why, if you’re craving more options, it makes sense to see if a newly built home is right for you.

But it’s important to remember the process of working with a builder is different than buying from a homeowner. And, while builders typically have sales agents on-site, having your own agent helps make sure you have proper representation throughout your homebuying journey. As Realtor.com says: “Keep in mind that the on-site agent you meet at a new-construction office works for the builder. So, as the homebuyer, it’s a smart idea to bring in your own agent, as well, to help you negotiate and stay protected in the transaction.”

Here’s how having your own agent is key when you build or buy a new construction home.

Agents Know the Local Area and Market It’s important to consider how the neighborhood and surrounding area may evolve before making your home purchase. Your agent is well-versed in the upcoming communities and developments that could influence your decision. One way a real estate agent can help is by reviewing the builder’s site plan. For example, you’ll want to know if there are any plans to construct a highway or add a drainage ditch behind your prospective backyard.

Knowledge of Reputation

Construction

Quality

and

Builder

An agent also has expertise in the construction quality and reputation of different builders.

If you are interested in buying or building a new construction home, having an agent by your side can make a big difference.

They can give you insights into each one’s track record, customer satisfaction, and construction practices.

Assistance with Customization and Upgrades The most obvious benefit of opting for new home construction is the opportunity to customize your home.

Your agent will guide you through that process and share advice on the upgrades that are most likely to add longterm value to your home. Their expertise helps make sure you focus your budget on areas that will give you the greatest return on your investment later.

Understanding Builder Negotiations and Contracts When it comes to working with builders, having a skilled negotiator on your side can make all the difference. Builder contracts can be complex. Your agent can help you navigate these contracts to make sure you fully understand the terms and conditions. Plus, agents are skilled negotiators who can advocate for you, potentially securing better deals, upgrades, or incentives throughout the process. As Realtor.com says: “A good buyer’s agent will be able to review any contracts before you sign on the dotted line, ensuring you aren’t unwittingly agreeing to terms that only benefit the builder.”

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ARE YOU ONE OF THE TENS OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WITH NEGATIVE ERRORS ON THEIR CREDIT REPORT? If so, these errors are COSTING YOU MONEY every month in the form of higher interest rates!

Call us TODAY at 800.693.9622 for a FREE CREDIT ANALYSIS and to learn how we can SAVE YOU MONEY every month!

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7 TAKEAWAYS FROM ASID’S 2024 TRENDS OUTLOOK Cozy and comfortable spaces with luxury details are emerging as popular choices of homeowners this year. According to the American Society of Interior Designers’ 2024 Trends Outlook, private spaces are offering boutique hotel amenities and spa-like serene bathrooms, while the kitchen has become the focal point to gather in connected and comfortable living. Both the kitchen and bathroom are welcoming warm neutrals with blue accents.

Kitchen Islands Steal the Show

Now the anchor of many kitchens in 2024, the multifunctional space for preparation and dining is also receiving additions like faucets for filtered water and taps for fizzy soda water or hot water for tea. Side-by-side seating encourages the “eatertainment” trend that is being seen across all trend reports including the National Kitchen & Bath Association.

Cleanability Is a Must

A product of the pandemic, homeowners are wishing for cleanability and durability, especially with homes that have pets. As a grout-less option, bathrooms are getting quartz vanities and large slabs or solidsurface panels. Consumers are also looking for matte and brushed finishes that show fewer water marks and blemishes.

Primary Suites Get an Upgrade

Texture-Infused Finishes Throughout Designers are seeing an increase of highly textured surfaces and textiles that add layers of interest in 2024. From seagrass wallpaper to Venetian plaster, walls throughout the home are also getting some extra depth and interest.

Much like a luxury hotel, primary suites are becoming home to beverage stations, refrigerator drawers, and miniature refrigerators to accommodate morning coffee and evening drinks, but also medications and cooling face products. Influenced by self-care spaces, spa-inspired bathrooms are ushering in frameless, doorless steam showers with multiple water sources. Stone, quartz, and marble materials are on trend.

Technology Is Expected Utility Spaces Maximize Storage Utility and mud rooms are being combined with laundry rooms —embracing color and layering patterns in wallpapers and textiles—to build on much-needed storage and functionality that can be lost by kitchen open shelving and loss of upper cabinets.

Increasingly prevalent in residential design, connected home devices that create personalized routines are becoming the norm. From appcontrolled heating features beneath tile floors to motion sensor lighting, ASID expects technologyenabled homes to be expected including top smart toilet trends like automatic lids and self-cleaning functions.

Soft Edges Offer Coziness In terms of furniture and décor, soft edges are making a comeback. Modular L-shaped sofas with storage and chaise lounges are on the rise, ASID notes. The shift in seating signals a return to true comfort and lounging in the home. ASID says that sculptured furniture and curved accent chairs offer warmth and comfort especially with velvet and boucle coverings. Boucle—while popular in living spaces for a few years—is also entering the bedroom to create additional coziness and warmth.

Trick Designers Use to Make Your Home Feel Cozy & Calm There’s one tip that is statistically proven to promote calm, comfort, and tranquility. That one thing is good lighting. Natural and lowtemperature, “warm” artificial lighting, to be exact. Picture cool-toned overhead office lighting compared to natural sunlight or warm, ambient lighting from a lamp post-sundown – that’s the difference we’re talking about.

1. FLANK A SOFA

5. LIGHT A FIRE

In a living room, a quick and easy way to introduce multiple light sources is to flank your sofa on both sides with some sort of light source. It can be a table lamp on a side table, a floor lamp, an arched floor lamp covering a section of the sofa from above, or a swing-arm wall sconce that you can move closer to and away from the sofa as your needs fluctuate.

If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace in your home, the warm, flickering light it exhales is a fantastic way to introduce a unique light source to a room. If it’s the summer, you can always build a small fire that works more for ambient lighting then it does a heat source.

2. INSTALL PICTURE LIGHTS

Hands down the best light source you can have is from the sun itself. If you have it, make the most of it with tall windows, bright paint, and minimalist window treatments.

Nature and sunlight have a drastic impact on overall mental health and wellbeing, so double down on the benefits with houseplants and fresh greenery.

Long, narrow picture lights above wall art is a chic and sophisticated design statement no matter how you slice it. They illuminate artwork in such an elegant way and provide indirect mood lighting that warms up a space.

Obviously hardwired is ideal, but we’ve seen many plug-in situations that accomplish the look with a drastically more conservative budget.

3. BULBS MATTER You can have multiple light sources in a room, but if you’re using the wrong kind of bulbs, the purpose is moot.

Incandescent refers to the traditional filament-style bulbs everyone recognizes–also known as Edison bulbs.

Incandescent bulbs come in a variety of shapes and wattages. While they’re being phased out in favor of longer lasting, more energy efficient and sustainable lightbulb options, these classic bulbs cast a warm, soft glow that’s inimitable. They look beautiful in fixtures with clear globes where you can see the bulb inside.

4. KNOW YOUR WATTAGE When buying lightbulbs, it’s important to understand the temperature and wattage that you’re going for. Traditional or incandescent bulbs give off a warm glow around 2700K. Twenty to 40-watt bulbs are less bright and are great for floor and table lamps, whereas 75- to 100-watt bulbs are very bright and good for outdoor lighting or ceiling cans. For a cozy, relaxing glow, opt for warm 2700K, low-watt bulbs!

6. MAXIMIZE NATURAL LIGHT

7. UTILIZE MIRRORS Placing mirrors in a room can reflect natural light streaming in from windows and create the illusion of a larger space. Try leaning a full-length mirror against a living room wall, like the above photo, or hang a small mirror above your sofa, fireplace, or console table. Paired with clean white paint, the overall effect is light, bright, and airy.

8. INSTALL DIMMERS If you have a large overhead light fixture like the bedroom above, think about installing a dimmer mechanism. It’s an easy, affordable upgrade that will make your primary light fixtures that much more efficient and functional. Coupled with moody tapers and secondary light sources, a dimmer switch can really add to the ambiance.

9. PAY ATTENTION TO SPACING It’s important to scatter light sources throughout each room in your home. For instance, using an overhead fixture casts light throughout the entirety of the room, and adding a floor lamp behind a sofa and a table lamp on the opposite end ensures there will be no overexposed areas. It allows for lighting flexibility as the day progresses.

BENJAMIN MOORE PAINT DESIGN BOARDS

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