Programmable air conditioning thermostats have been a popular home upgrade for several years, and they continue to offer energy-saving advantages, such as, keeping your home at an optimal level of coolness or warmth, custom-adjustable settings, and better regulation of the amount of air that goes into your home.

There are many benefits to upgrading from a traditional mechanical thermostat to a programmable one, and here are the top three:

Energy Usage

Programmable controllers allow you to create a variety of programs so that you can regulate your home’s temperature, while cutting down on your overall energy usage. Many home owners have an evening program that automatically adjusts the temperature in your home while you’re sleeping. This program eliminates any unnecessary usage of your HVAC system, allowing for a longer operating life and less overall energy usage.

Control of Electricity Bill

Of course, less energy usage means your electricity bill will also be lower. By running programs that keep your home comfortable without using too much electricity, you can use your new thermostat to control your utility bills. In addition to running programs for your entire household, you can also use such thermostats to control individual zones. You can choose to heat or cool only certain areas at night, such as your bedrooms and bathrooms.

Complete Control of Heating and Cooling Systems

With traditional mechanical thermostats, you cannot control your home’s temperature when away at work for the day or for an extended period of time. Many people return home and immediately turn up or down the thermostat to warm or cool their home, which wastes energy and leads to higher bills. If you’re accustomed to coming home to a space that is uncomfortably hot or cold, remember that a programmable thermostat will allow you control of your system before you return home.

If you are a first-time home buyer, you may find the borrowing process overwhelming, and deciding who to choose as your lender can be confusing. There are many options available, including mortgage brokers, banks, and on-line mortgage lenders, and making the wrong decision can cost you time and money.

It’s important to study rates, fees, and programs offered by any lender you interview, but here are a few additional tips to consider before choosing who will be your lender when buying a home in Virginia Beach VA.

Ask You Real Estate Agent -Your real estate agent is a wealth of information and can draw recommendations from previous transactions and from feedback from clients. If a lender is known to be credible and reliable, your agent will happily refer them to you.

Call the Lender – Before filling-out an on-line application, call the office and speak to one of their lenders. By speaking with someone, you’ll get an idea of their professionalism, response time, and standards of customer service.

Ask Questions – When you find a lender you are comfortable with ask questions before moving forward. Be sure to inquire about minimum down payments, the process time, rate locks, prepayment penalties, and what could potentially hold-up the loan process.

By following these tips when choosing a mortgage lender for your first home loan, you will feel confident in your choice and in the entire home buying process in Virginia Beach VA

One of the top reasons people sell their Virginia Beach VA homes is they need for a larger home to accommodate their growing family. If your family has outgrown your current living space, you already understand the challenges of maintaining a show-ready home especially when it comes to a child’s bedroom. But, keep in mind that the majority of potential buyers viewing your home may also have children, and staging a child’s bedroom can be a powerful selling factor to families in Virginia Beach VA.

Here are 3 Tips to Staging a Child’s Room

Keep it Organized – Remove all unused toys, stuffed animals, and discarded sports equipment. Thin out cabinets, bookshelves, bulletin boards, and trophy cases. Utilize baskets and toy-boxes to organize needed or sentimental items. Donate all outgrown clothes and shoes to maximize the closet space.

Make it Functional – Furniture placement is crucial in a child’s room. Create more space by replacing a too large bed with a smaller one or with bunk beds, and thin out any non-functioning furniture. Hence the overall room’s function by setting-up a desk and study area, and be sure to add a cute lamp for adequate lighting.

Get Creative – Create a cute room with coordinated colors and themes that appeal to children and teenagers. For older children, you can decorate subtly with gender-neutral paint and borders, and for young children you can opt for cartoon characters or playful themes that come with matching curtains, linens, and throw-rugs.

Buying a home is an exciting time, but it can also be an overwhelming experience unless you are well-prepared and know what steps to take to ensure a smooth and trouble-free home purchase. Whether you’re buying your first home or interested in a larger property in Virginia Beach VA, here are three mistakes you want to avoid when you begin your home search.

1. Having no representation - 

Some Virginia Beach VA buyers feel they don’t need a real estate agent to assist them in their home purchase; however, a professional agent will offer you access to all available properties, provide insight to neighborhoods and communities, negotiate on your behalf, and facilitate the transaction from beginning to end.

2. Waiving a home inspection -

Having a home inspected by a qualified home inspector is the best way to learn the history of the property and to detect any repairs or problems. A Virginia Beach VA home inspector will provide you with valuable information about the property and point out both the positives and negatives allowing you to make an informed decision before moving forward with the purchase.

3. Skipping the mortgage pre-approval process -

It’s vital to determine your budget and to review the different mortgage programs available to you before you start looking at homes. Without mortgage pre-approval, you won’t know your true budget for your Virginia Beach VA home purchase. Having a pre-approval will allow you to focus on the homes in your price range.

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There are many options when considering a kitchen makeover, but keep these three basic elements to keep in mind, and you’ll have a successful kitchen remodel for your Virginia Beach VA home.

Design

For many Virginia Beach VA homes, the kitchen is not a separate entity unto itself but an integral part of the living space, and the design should be functional and contribute to the feel of the rest of the property. If the home is laid-out more traditionally, then, you can really get creative in your new kitchen design.

Material

There are many choices available today. With so many options, it’s easy to find the right cabinets, countertops, and appliances that reflect your personal taste and work within the design of the space. Materials include an array of natural and synthetic options that work well in both large and small kitchen areas.

Budget

The cost of a new or remodeled kitchen will depend on several factors, including, the materials chosen, the amount of upgrades, and the size of the kitchen. Customized features or high-end upgrades will cost more than using traditional or builder-grade options, but many savvy home owners use a blend of both to keep the cost down, while adding personality to their new kitchen.

When you list your home with a real estate agent in Virginia Beach VA, an important part of marketing your property is holding an open house for your home. Many sellers are apprehensive about having their home open to public viewing and believe that most prospective buyers will schedule a showing time an agent; however, when a real estate agent holds an open house, it is a wonderful opportunity to capture the interest of multiple buyers, including those, who have not had the opportunity to schedule a showing with their agent.

Below are a few steps you can take to ensure a successful open house in Virginia Beach VA

• If the weather permits open the windows and all doors with screens. If it’s too cool or too hot outside to open windows, set your thermostat at a comfortable temperature.
• Turn on all the lights and open drapes and blinds.
• Turn on ceiling fans, including those on patios and front porches.
• Display fresh flowers at your home’s entrance room or foyer as a welcoming to buyers.
• Place fresh-baked cookies in the kitchen for buyers to enjoy.
• Leave classical or seasonal music playing softly.
• Make sure the lawn is neat and toys or tools are stored properly.
• Unlock any locked doors, such as storage areas in the garage or basement.
• If you have a pet, if possible, make arrangements to take it with you during the open house.
• Before leaving, make a final walk-through to ensure every room is straightened, clean, and inviting. 

What should you do to get your Virginia Beach VA home sold? Our local housing inventory is lower than it has been in years, so if your home is not getting showings, or if you are having steady activity with no offers, here are a few things you should consider doing to get your Virginia Beach VA home sold.

Pricing – Pricing your Virginia Beach VA home right, at the beginning of the listing, is crucial to getting the most activity and the best possible price. You want to be the best home in your price range and neighborhood, so when buyers view it, they will see the value immediately.

Closing Costs – Offer closing cost assistance to help those buyers, who are struggling with the needed down payment. In Virginia Beach VA, typical seller closing cost assistance is between 3 – 6 percent. Offering to pay even 3% of the buyer’s closing cost illustrates that you are a serious seller.

Home Inspection – Having your Virginia Beach VA home inspected prior to listing will give you the opportunity to repair items upfront. When your home goes under contract, allow the buyer to have their own home inspection without the worry of any major surprises.

If you are interested in more information about selling your Virginia Beach VA home, contact me today!

Planned communities in Virginia Beach VA provide residents a simple lifestyle by offering a place to live, work, socialize, and relax in one area. Additionally, planned communities have a wide variety of home styles, top-of-the-line amenities, inviting outdoor spaces, and solid retail and business infrastructure.

Location – Developers of planned communities in Virginia Beach VA secure prime locations, which are generally located within a close proximity to schools, historic areas, shopping, dining, and recreational sites.

Architecture
- Most planned communities in Virginia Beach VA offer a wide variety of housing styles from condos and townhouses to executive single-family homes. Whether you’re starting out, downsizing, or growing your current family, a planned community is the perfect place to start your home search.

Amenities – A well-planned community has plenty of greenspace that works to enhance the homeowner’s lifestyle by providing plenty of places for physical activity. Most Virginia Beach VA communities incorporate an array of amenities including pools, tennis courts, golf courses, lakes and ponds, walking and biking trails, clubhouses, and several playgrounds.

Community – Many Virginia Beach VA home buyers enjoy the sense of community found in planned neighborhoods. It’s common for a planned community to hold weekly or monthly neighborhood outings and summer camps for the children, and both offer a great way to get to know your neighbors.

]]> http://bradley-team.com/blog/tyson/2013/06/why-you-should-consider-buying-in-a-planned-community/feed/ 0 http://bradley-team.com/blog/tyson/2013/05/enhance-your-virginia-beach-home-with-an-outdoor-living-space/ http://bradley-team.com/blog/tyson/2013/05/enhance-your-virginia-beach-home-with-an-outdoor-living-space/#comments Fri, 31 May 2013 12:38:13 +0000 tyson http://bradley-team.com/blog/tyson/?p=254 Spring and summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors in Virginia Beach VA. With moderate temperatures throughout the year, many home owners enhance their properties with outdoor living spaces. If you’re thinking of adding an outdoor living space to your home, flagstone may offer the perfect affordable solution.

Flagstone is a popular option for home owners in and around Virginia Beach VA. Priced for almost any budget, flagstone is a sedimentary stone that is split into thin layers and commonly available in chocolate, buff, green, red, gold, white, and the ever-popular beige.

The variety of colors, versatility of uses, wide availability, durability, and natural beauty of flagstone make it an ideal materiel to use in a range of landscaping projects in Virginia Beach VA. It has a natural non-slip surface, which is perfect for outdoor structures, walkways, retaining walls, planters, built-in seating, and patios.

Installing flagstone is much like putting a puzzle together. The slabs are usually cut or broken into irregular shapes, which adds to the beauty many fin in the look of the random, less contrived pattern of flagstone. The fine-grained surface contains flakes and specks of mica that provide a natural glitter and glimmer under natural daylight.

Since flagstone is an impermeable surface and does not allow for the passage of water, it’s important to review your property drainage before selecting flagstone as your outdoor living choice. Speak with a local qualified contractor to discuss your design options and how to best enhance your Virginia Beach VA home with a beautiful and functional outdoor living space.

]]> http://bradley-team.com/blog/tyson/2013/05/enhance-your-virginia-beach-home-with-an-outdoor-living-space/feed/ 0 http://bradley-team.com/blog/tyson/2013/05/7-simple-tips-for-keeping-your-home-cool-this-summer/ http://bradley-team.com/blog/tyson/2013/05/7-simple-tips-for-keeping-your-home-cool-this-summer/#comments Wed, 29 May 2013 17:12:08 +0000 tyson http://bradley-team.com/blog/tyson/?p=242 When you have your Virginia Beach VA home for sale during the summer months, it’s important to keep the thermostat regulated for unexpected showings. Buyers need feel comfortable when looking at a property, so they have ample time to explore all the benefits and features. If the temperature in your home is too warm and doesn’t provide a comfortable atmosphere, buyers and showing agents aren’t going to stay inside very long. An insufficient cooled home may bring-up questions about the efficiency of the cooling system, which can be a red flag to many Virginia Beach VA home buyers.

Use these simple steps as a guideline for keeping your home cool while it’s on the real estate market in Virginia Beach VA:

1. Have your air conditioning system serviced by a professional before listing your home.

2. Replace air filters every 3 months.

3. Close the flue in your fireplace chimney so cool air doesn’t escape.

4. Add weather-stripping to windows and doors to create a tight seal.

5. Use appliances during the cooler parts of the day or evening.

6. Install shades or blinds to block the heat of the sun.

7. Use ceiling fans to circulate the air, especially in rooms on higher floors.