Dog House Building And Buying Guide - HOUSE PLANS

Dog owners have to consider several factors when buying or building a house for their pets. As a true member of your own family, providing your pet with the best home possible is of the utmost importance.

i. Size

A German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Rottweiler and other large dogs should have large houses, while the Chihuahua and smaller breeds will need smaller houses. The door of the house does not need to be based on the height of the dog from the ground to the top of its head, or even taller, as it will lower its head to be able to enter the house. The width of the door should be just enough to accommodate the dog. These height and width measurements can be adjusted if there is a physical requirement to do so. The house should also be large enough for the dog to stand at full height inside, move around and lie down. Owners should remember that a larger-than-needed home will compromise the dog's retention of body heat during the winter or colder months.

ii. Weather Conditions

Some dog houses are made with hinged roofs, a feature that allows owners to raise the roof during hot and humid weather. This flexibility provides adequate air flow to flush out warm air and allow fresh or cool air to enter. In some cases, these roofs can also be lowered, creating a smaller space for the dog and enhancing its ability to retain heat during rainy or cold weather. Asphalt shingles should be used only if there is an adequate insulation barrier separating the roof from the main area of the house. Many house models also come with slanted roofs, ensuring that water drains away during rainy days. Owners should avoid building or buying houses with barn-type or peak-style roofs, as these would attract hornets, wasps and other insects and prevent heat retention. Another option is wind walls, which can be inserted into the dog house to break the wind and keep the house warmer. The house should also be a reasonable distance off the ground to keep it dry. For owners with bigger budgets, some house manufacturers offer provisions for heaters and air-conditioners. These climate control systems help ensure comfort for the dog regardless of weather conditions.

iii. Doors

The front door of the dog house should be located to one side instead of in the middle. This will prevent the dog from being directly exposed to extreme weather conditions and other harsh environmental elements. Some models are designed with removable doors, or with no doors at all. Using a door will help keep the dog house warmer during cold months. An awning type cover can also be used over the opening for added shade and protection.

iv. Easy To Clean And Maintain

- Removable or adjustable roofs

- Doors, partitions

- Wind walls

- Flexibility in cleaning

- Restrict use of paint, stains, or water sealers for the outside of the house

v. Use Wood

Plastic and metal houses are not a good idea, as they are either too hot during summertime or too cold during the winter. Some market experts say that houses made from natural western red cedar wood offer the best insulation for dogs during winter while making them cooler during summer. Red cedar wood oils are also natural repellants of ticks, fleas and termites. Houses made from this material are also maintenance-free on the outside, although owners have a choice of finishing it to complement their property. Sprinkling red cedar wood chips or shavings in the bedding also helps prevent infestation. Owners should also remember that wooden roofs help cut down heat build-up from the sun while helping to maintain reasonable heat retention levels.

vi. Keep The Dog House Elevated

For legless houses, the owner must remember that having it directly on the ground increases the likelihood that the pet would be exposed to cold and wet weather. This also raises the possibility of infestation from flea eggs that hatch in the soil. The owner can use bricks, rocks or stones arranged in a level and stable manner to elevate the house. The elevation will allow air to flow beneath the house and prevent moisture from forming at the bottom.

House Plans: The Best Investments - HOUSE PLANS

Some people thought that owning a house is the best big investment they could ever have. In fact, according to the recent survey conducted in the U.S., 90% of the primary wealth of the people. They never knew that there is something more than what the house can offer -- the house plans.

What people never knew is that house plans are the better investment.

Why? It is because the foundation, the structure, and the beauty of a house depend on the creation and assumption of house plans.

Therefore, it is important to spend some time contemplating on making and analyzing house plans. If ever the plan was not made in such a way that it would provided the optimum protection for the family, then that is not an investment after all.

Hence, it is extremely important to pay close attention to the house plan. Factors that are to be considered when making house plans should be well taken into account. Here are five things to consider when making house plans:

1. Location

Before making house plans, it is important to contemplate first on the location of the lot where the house will be built. Is it near the schools? The market? Or is it located in an area where transportations are scarce?

The point here is that it is important to consider the location when creating house plans. The design and structure of the house should match the kind of environment the neighborhood has.

2. Lifestyle

Do you prefer to live in the city, or the quiet suburban subdivision living? You definitely do not want to dig yourself a debt hole just to build a new house that conflict with your lifestyle.

When creating house plans, it is also important to consider the lifestyle. The total impression that the house will have on its visitors should greatly reflect the kind of lifestyle the family has.

3. Size of the family

Many houses now are so small because developers have to take into consideration the paying capacity of the buyers.

However, if ever you have the budget and the time to supervise the building of your new house, it is important to consider first the size of your family. For instance, the number of your children will indicate the number of rooms that you have to consider on your plan.

4. Environment

It is extremely important to consider the kind of environment the neighborhood has in creating house plans. For instance, if the area seems to be a hot spot, it is best to include some plans on proper insulation of the house so as to conserve energy consumption.

There are also cases wherein the type of soil is also important in making a house. Therefore, it is best to try to consider the kind of soil the lot area has when making house plans. What good will the designs be if the foundation of the house is literally weak?

5. Law and the government

There are cases wherein certain laws apply when building a particular house. These are known as the zoning laws. Therefore, it is best to consider them when making house plans because there are some laws that limits the height of the house to be built or the percentage of the allowed portion that the house will occupy in a given lot area.

The bottom line here is that the overall foundation and stability of a house is greatly dependent on the proper creation and execution of house plans. No wonder why it is considered by the others as the bigger investment.

Dog House Designs - HOUSE PLANS

Dog houses are now not just a matter of shelter for dogs. Today, equal importance, if not more, is given to beautifully designed dog houses which add an extra charm and beauty to the landscape of the owner's house. Hence, new attractive designs emerge regularly, reflecting our evolving choices. T.J Designs, Ash Custom Wood, All Dog Houses, Pet Street Mall, La Petite Maison, Lilliput Play Homes, Petsmart, Petmate, Post Modern Pets, Improvements, Solid Cedar Dog Houses, and Orvis are some companies which provide amazing variety of designs among dog houses.

Dog houses are available in different material--wood, plastic, fenced wires, and much more. The design of the dog house differs accordingly too, keeping in tune with the material used in building the dog house. Among woods, cedar, Asian fir, and pine are possibly the most used in building. Fancy, playful designs such as mansion, bungalow, houses with porches, houses with roof porches, and cabin log house are made up of the aforementioned woods.

Barn-shaped and A-shaped dog houses are possibly the most common designs adopted by novice dog house creators and companies. But the flat-roofed dog house, which provides a generous view of the surroundings, is quite popular too. T.J Designs, Petmate, and Pet Street Mall deal with barn-shaped designed dog houses.

Besides wooden houses, several unique-designed dog house are available in the market too. Precision also provides log houses with slight slanting roofs, a change to the routine flat roofs. Igloo-shaped dog houses are much convenient to clean and maintain too. Improvements and Petmate among others make such homes too.

Completely portable dog houses are those provided by Petmate. It resembles a human tent and is made up of 'heavy-duty polyester' and has 'nylon zipper'. Usually can be set up within minutes, it is a very convenient mobile dog house.

Dog houses completely customized to suit and match owners houses are created and provided by La Petite Maison. Dog houses are either made on the site or made first and then shipped to the desired location according to the size of the dog house.

Large Dog Houses - HOUSE PLANS

Houses are needed for every dog, be it small or large. Each dog deserves it own pretty, secure shelter which it can call its home. No matter how much we pamper our large friends, they too need some retreat of their own.

A large dog house definitely doesn't mean a really big structure. Research shows that dogs don't prefer a large roomy big space to rest. The space should just be enough for them to rest comfortably by stretching out. Such is the case even with large-sized dogs like English mastiffs, Tibetan mastiffs, Alaskan malamutes, Leonbergers, and Neapolitan mastiffs.

Ready-to-use large dog houses are all available in the market. Companies and online shopping centers such as Petsmart, Petco, Paw Homes, Comfort House, Lilliput Play Homes, and seeFido offer beautifully designed large dog houses. Available in different shades and material, these companies offer houses of different designs too. Attractive names like mansion, chalet, barn, stable etc., are used to describe the houses.

Besides the completed large dog houses, there are several kits available, using which we can build our own large dog house for our beloved pets. Spirit Elements, All Dog Houses and House of Hammocks are examples of companies which provide both completed dog houses and dog house kits too. Easy to compile and build, using the basic household tools, such kits are cheap and often offer great satisfaction in building. Customers get to choose among dog houses made of different types of wood and other materials such as plastic.

Like all dog houses, large dog houses should also follow the basic norms of dog house construction and placement. Dog houses are said to get particularly heated up during summers, and hence, like all dog houses, should always be placed under a shade and cleaned thoroughly always. No matter what the size and design, the comfort and safety of the dog should always be the topnotch concern of all customers.

Custom Dog House - HOUSE PLANS

Have you faced the problem of finding exactly the right dog house? Although multitudes of designs flood the market now, selecting a dog house can be tough, especially when you have a particular design in mind or when you are searching for some truly unique dog house. It's here custom dog houses come in; they can suit your exact needs and make your imagination turn into reality.

Custom-built dog houses are those which are built according to the instructions or plans of the buyer. A number of custom-building dog house companies exist in the market. Some of them comprise of the following--seeFido, Lilliput Play Homes, La Petite Maison, Ash Custom Wood.com, Bavarian leisure Cottages, and Paw Homes.

Research shows that although buyers sometimes prefer their self-designed dog houses, they often complain of high prices involved. seeFido steps in here to make your dog houses convenient both in terms of quality and prices. Providing beautifully designed custom-made dog houses of cedar, it helps to fit in all the sizes and specifications provided by the buyer.

Paw Homes and Bavarian Leisure Cottages, just like seeFido, also built dog houses of cedar. The former company has a range of uniquely designed dog houses as well, bearing names like 'cedar hut', 'constellation', and much more. Bavarian Leisure Cottages is based in Canada and provides custom-built dog houses too. Making its houses purely of wood products, it produces dog houses of highest standards and qualities.

For those in quest and ready to pay in something extra to building a luxury custom dog house for their pets, companies like Lilliput Play Homes and La Petite Maison exist.

Unbelievably designed and constructed, the dog houses made by La Petite Maison are simply too beautiful to be true. It builds houses according to the whims and fancies of the buyer, or houses that represent a replica of the buyers' house, and even sometimes create something completely new. Fabulously made, these custom-built dog houses can be made on the site of the buyer or made at the company and then later shipped to the buyer, depending upon the size and other factors.

Lilliput Play Homes provide luxury dog houses too. Their dog houses are easy to clean, capable of being assembled easy, and even constructed of red cedar, which does not rot.

Why Good Houses Don't Sell? - HOUSE PLANS

When a house doesn't sell as quickly as expected, it's easy (for the owner anyway) to lay the blame on a soft real estate market, or a lousy selling season. After all, neither of those things are the seller's faults, nor under the seller's control. The fact is, though, that 90% of the time when a house doesn't sell quickly, it's due to problems that are within the control of the home's owner. And that's good news. It means that they're fixable - and once they're fixed, the house should sell quickly.

If your house has been on the market and isn't getting the attention and offers that you expected, it may be time to reevaluate a few things. Here are several potential reasons that good houses typically don't sell well. Go through the list and see if your home fits into one of them.

Priced Above Market

The number one reason that a house doesn't sell quickly is that it's priced above its true market value. I don't care what your real estate appraisal says, or how much you need to get for the house, or how much you invested in improvements - the only real measure of your house's true market value is what people are willing to pay for it.

The best way to figure that out is to find out how much people have been willing to pay for similar houses in your neighborhood. Once you know that, you can logically calculate a price for your own house based on the market price for similar houses. Keep in mind, though, that any time you price your home more than 5% above the typical price in your neighborhood, you're taking a very real risk of pricing yourself out of the market.

Poor Photo

If you're not getting calls at all from people interested in seeing the house you're selling, it may be the fault of the photograph of your home in the MLS brochure or web site. While some realtors will encourage prospective buyers to take a look because 'the picture doesn't do it justice', most buyers won't even call about a house that doesn't look good in the brochure.

Invest in a professional photographer to get the best possible picture of your house. If there's a time of day that it looks its best, arrange to take the picture then, and be sure to crop the photo to show the house at its most flattering. That photo is very likely to be the first look that prospective buyers get at your house. You want it to make a great first impression.

Terrible Curb Appeal

You may be losing sales before potential buyers even set foot in the door. Take a walk across the street and look at your house from the curb. That's the first view that people get of your house as they approach it from the street. If the lawn is shaggy and overgrown, or the house is badly in need of a coat of paint, buyers will be wondering what else hasn't been taken care of over the years.

Make sure that your house looks good from the curb. Make sure that shutters are firmly attached, paint is fresh and the lawn and bushes are well-trimmed. The better your house looks on the outside, the more likely you are to get prospective buyers to step inside.

Dirty House

If the house is dirty, cluttered or smells of old tobacco smoke and pet odors, it will be difficult to find a buyer. Very few people want to buy a dirty house. Like a house that appears neglected from the outside, a house that isn't taken care of inside will make buyers wonder what they're getting themselves into. No one wants to spend their first week in a new house cleaning up after the old owners.

Clean up your act before you start showing the house. Get rid of personal belonging or stow them out of sight. De-clutter counters, tabletops and walls. The fresher and cleaner your house is, the better prospective buyers will feel about buying it.

Unbearable Odors

Odors are one of the most insidious deal killers. If you live with pet odors, cigarette smoke and mildew smells all the time, you may not notice them - but potential buyers will. Even if it's not consciously noted, a house that doesn't smell good has a subtle psychological effect that can kill a sale before it gets started.Odors have to be attacked at the source. Take down curtains and wash them with a fresh-smelling fabric softener before re-hanging. Get rid of musty smelling carpets, and stop smoking inside your house.

If you're not certain what it is about your house that's keeping it from buying, ask your realtor to get feedback from those who come to see it. Keep track of their comments to help you put your finger on just what you need to do to make your house more appealing.

House Sitters Love Their Life - HOUSE PLANS

There does not seem to be a lack of home owners who seek out the services of a house sitter. Our modern age has drastically
changed the lifestyle of many. With business travel, military
assignments and even some families owning more than one home,
house sitters never have to fear being without a place to lay
their head at night. There are house sitters who never call one
place home, while others only seek short house sitting
assignments a few times per year. Whatever their lifestyles,
house sitters usually find a home owner who can meet their needs.

Retirees are particularly fond of house sitting. Many of them
make radical changes in their lifestyles when they realize they
are not obligated to stay in one area. Retirees have been known
to pack up a suitcase and catch the next plane to Mexico,
Australia, or wherever the home owner sounds the call from. Many seniors find the change of environment invigorating after years of the monotonous drudgery of employment. Other seniors prefer to take only a few short assignments each year. This gives them the opportunity to visit new areas while still maintaining their home base.

Freelance photographers and writers are also finding the house
sitting lifestyle beneficial. Writers who are creating the next best selling novel--or doing research on a particular part of the world--can house sit for a home owner in that area and experience first hand the life, culture and history of a given spot. The same is true for photographers. Many photographs travel and are in need of a place to stay. When they are matched with a home owner who needs a sitter, the photographer can tell the hotel room good-bye.

Families are also realizing that house sitting gives them a
chance to vacation in parts of the world which would be out of
the question for them otherwise. There are many home owners who
welcome families. Home owners who also need the sitter to care
for pets can be assured their pets will get adequate attention
and exercise when children are in the equation.

There are some house sitters who are unsure about where they want to put down their roots. Recent military people who have lived in for years may want to house sit in different parts
of the world for a while before they decide which area would suit them for a permanent residence. Students are also house sitters. By being a house sitter, this cuts down on their living expenses. This also assures the student of a quiet place to concentrate on studies--away from the distraction of a college campus.

Most house sitters register with a house sitter directory. For a small fee, their information is available to home owners who are in need of a house sitter. Here house sitters can post their information, such as which areas they are available to house sit in, the length of assignments they are available for, what skills they have which can benefit the home owner, and so on.

Besides having the opportunity to see the world, house sitters
benefit because they are not charged rent. In exchange for room
and board, the house sitter maintains the home owner's property
and does regular duties for the home owner while they are away.
These duties can include lawn maintenance, cleaning a pool,
taking care of pets, and more. The needs of the home owner will
be clearly outlined in a house sitting contract.

Being free from rent or a mortgage payment is allowing many house sitters the chance to save their money. Some house sitters have big goals and house sitting gives them the opportunity to achieve them. Whether its starting a small business, saving for a down payment on a home, or paying their way through college, houses sitting is paying off for the sitter.

House sitters are mature and responsible. They know the home
owner is leaving their possessions and mementos in their capable hands. If a problem arises, house sitters are quick to rise to the challenge. If a pipe leaks, or a tree falls in the yard because of a storm, a house sitter is on the job and willing to take the necessary steps to fix the problem. House sitters are also aware that while they may be living in someone's home, it is not their property. House sitter guidelines usually do not allow for parties or over night guests.

Many house sitters are invited for repeat stays. When a home
owner finds a sitter they like, they will usually ask the sitter to come back when the need arises for them to travel, again. Many home owners and sitters are finding they are forging friendships with each other and they keep up with each others life away from the house sitting arrangement.

Occasionally house sitters will be asked to do more than just
maintain the property of the home owner or care for the pets. For instance, some home owners may own rental properties in the area and ask for the sitter to be on hand for rent payments. Other home owners may live on a farm. House sitters have been known to feed the chickens or horses. Most house sitters love the diversity of these tasks, and welcome the experience. Each home owner is different and house sitters love exploring all aspects of a new assignment.

If you are interested in becoming a house sitter, you can
register with a house sitter directory. You don't have to be a
year-round or full time house sitter, either. There are many home owners who are constantly seeking sitters for short stays, such two. These home owners may simply want to go on a vacation themselves and need someone to watch over their things.

If you would like the chance to see the world for a few weeks--or for months on end--you should seriously consider house sitting. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Do Open Houses Work - HOUSE PLANS

What are the odds that you'll find your dream at a Sunday open house? What is the likelihood that your home will sell at an open house? Open houses are an integral part of the home sale business. But, do they work?

There are two types of open houses. One is for real estate agents. The purpose of the broker's open house is to introduce a new listing to local agents. The chance that a home will sell as a result of a broker's open house is relatively high. Serious buyers usually work closely with agents in order to find a home. By exposing a listing to more agents, you increase the number of showings to bone fide buyers.

Sunday open houses are more of a hit-and-miss proposition. When a home is open to the public, it is open to anyone who wants to take a look. Not everyone who walks through will be a legitimate buyer.

Some open house visitors will be neighbors. This is not all bad. Some neighbors have friends or relatives who may want to relocate into the area.

Most people who visit open houses are directed there by the signs. This means they don't have much information about the house when they walk in the front door. So even when open house visitors are legitimate buyers, they may not be well-qualified for the house in question. They may need a larger house or a smaller house, or something more or less expensive.

The biggest beneficiary of a public open house is often the agent holding the house open. Open houses give agents an opportunity to meet prospective home buyers and sellers face-to-face in a relatively non-threatening environment. An open house can be a source of future business leads for the agent.

From a seller's perspective, there are pros and cons to having a home held open to the public. On the positive side, an open house gives buyers' agents the opportunity to send their clients through the property. Buyers who may be reluctant to make an appointment to see a new listing, will often be willing to stop in at a Sunday open house. Sometimes, they are pleasantly surprised by what they see.

Buyers' agents sometimes make the mistake of screening listings too carefully for buyers. When this happens, one of the only ways buyers will be exposed to a rejected listing is if they find it on their own at a Sunday open house.

Open houses can be abused, however. If a listing is open all the time, there's no reason for a buyer to make an appointment to view it privately. The most productive showings occur when buyers visit a listing with their agent, privately--without the distraction of others.

First-Time Tip: From a buyer's perspective, visiting Sunday open houses can be both informative and misleading. One way to learn market value, and to educate yourself about the inventory, is to look at a lot of houses. Touring Sunday open houses is one way to see a lot of houses in a short period of time. However, if you limit your home search to only those homes that are held open to the public, you may miss out on good listings. Some sellers don't want their homes held open to the public. The only way to see these listings is by appointment.

The Closing: Well-priced listings sometimes sell before they are ever held open to the public. Don't wait until the open house to see a hot new listing if your agent tells you that it might sell quickly.

5 Simple Steps to Sell Your House Fast - HOUSE PLANS

The decision to sell your house wasn't made on the spur of the moment. It may have been spurred by the desire to live in a nicer home, the need to move for a new job or the necessity to get a handle on out-of-control costs. But whatever the reason for the decision, you've got a lot of work ahead of you before you're ready to actually sell your house on the market if you want to get the best possible price for your property. Is this your first time to sell a home? No problem! Read our tips below that will show you how to sell a house.

Step 1: Assess The Value Of Your Property

Pricing your home right is the key factor in selling it in a reasonable amount of time. Setting a price too high will make your home undesirable to buyers. Pricing it too low may, in fact, deter buyers who wonder what's wrong with it - or simply not get you a fair price for your property. Now is the time to do your research.

How much should your house sell for? In other words, what's the 'right' price? It's the price at which homes similar to yours in the same neighborhood have sold recently. You can use the free online home valuation service to find out exactly what your home is worth if you plan to sell your house yourself. Alternatively if you plan to sell your house with an agent, a good Realtor can quickly give you a reasonable approximate price based on recent sales in your neighborhood, coupled with the condition and specifics of your house. A Realtor can also make specific suggestions for things you can do to prepare your home to sell for a good price.

Step 2: Figure Out How Much It Will Cost You To Sell

If you've never sold a house before, you may not be aware of all the associated costs. You'll need to know about these costs in order to help you adjust the asking price on your house, as well as to help you estimate the profit that you'll realize on the house. If you're counting on the sale of your house to finance the purchase of another, this is especially important. These out-of-pocket costs may include:

    * Advertising your home, if you're selling it yourself. This could easily run into hundreds of dollars, depending on the methods you choose.
    * Realtor commissions - typically 6% of the selling price.
    * Closing costs, including attorney and other professional fees
    * Excise taxes on the sale
    * Property taxes and any homeowner association fees


Step 3: Take Care Of Any Needed Repairs

If you've been putting off getting the driveway fixed, repairing the roof or any other needed repairs, the time to do it is now, before you put your house on the market. Some repairs, left undone, will prevent your home from selling at all and others will bring your asking price down. Replacing broken roofing tiles, loose gutter shoring and other minor but unsightly problems will make your house that much more saleable.

Step 4: Get Your House Looking Its Best

Selling for the price you want depends on how appealing your house is. Take a good, hard look at your house, inside and out. Trim bushes, mow lawns, plant a flower bed. Something as simple as giving your siding and windows a good scrub down can freshen its look immensely.

Here are some other things that increase the chances of your house selling quickly:

    * A fresh coat of paint, or just touching up the trim
    * Freshly painted interior walls
    * New carpet or flooring in common rooms like the kitchen or bathroom


Step 5: Have A Garage Sale

Get rid of all the accumulated clutter and pocket a little profit at the same time. That collection of kids' bikes in the garage may be a storehouse of memories to you, but to a prospective buyer they're just clutter - and they will make your garage look smaller. Clear away as much clutter as you possibly can. When you're ready to show your house, it should be as close to move-in condition as possible. The more easily a buyer can picture their own family in the house, the more likely they will be to buy.

Renting a House - HOUSE PLANS

Renting a house or a room in your home is a great business that millions of people take advantage of to make some extra cash. While many people rent houses each year, not all of them are successful. Renting a house can be profitable and rewarding if you manage it properly.

Benefits of Renting a House

The main reason for renting a house is you can gain a large steady income. Many people buy rental houses in areas that have a constant flow of tenants and rent them for much more than the cost of the mortgage. Or, you have decided to sell, but the property value is lower than you expected. Over time, a house rental will increase in value and you will gain capital appreciation in addition to a steady rental income.

Typically, a house will rent for a lot more than an apartment. They generally will offer more space and they are usually rented by groups such as families, professionals or students as an alternative to buying or renting smaller spaces.

Another benefit of renting a house is to use it as a vacation home and only rent for part of the year. Many people buy shore homes and rent them except for a few weeks of the year.

Don't forget about the tax advantages. Any tools, supplies and services you purchase for the house can be a tax deduction.

Challenges of Renting a House

Of course there are many challenges to renting a house. While rental income may be bigger, if a property goes un-rented for a period of time, you stand to lose more if you can't find tenants.

Maintenance of a home rental can also be challenging. Regular painting, lawn care, snow removal can require constant attention or qualified professionals that will cost you money.

Questions from your tenants on how things work, requests for repairs and rent collection can also take away from the experience of house renting.

House Renting Tips

1. Have tenants share some of the responsibilities. If you have a small yard, require the tenant take care of lawn and snow removal. Provide tenants with tools they need such as a mower, rake or shovel and assist whenever possible.

2. Collect utilities in advance. Often utilities will be in your name and difficult to recoup from tenants, especially after they are no longer renting your house. Determine the average cost of utilities used and include that amount in the rent.

3. Make the tenant feel at home. When renting a house, you want the tenant to stick around for a long time. Do something special, or provide a service that makes it hard for your tenants to want to leave.

4. Provide parking or make it easy of your tenants to park a car.

5. Provide laundry. Tenants won't want to drag there laundry in and out of your house rental. This simple feature will go a long way.

6. Pre-wire your house with Cable/DSL service. Your tenants will want this anyway so you are better off having it professionally installed. It will help you rent the house and avoid tenants drilling holes in your walls.

Before you Rent a House

Make sure your insurance covers your house as a rental. Some policies may charge extra if you are renting your house but if you don't let the insurance company know, you may not be covered.

Check with your city or town on regulations. Cities often have rules on what rooms in a house may be used for renting or the number of non family members that may live together.

Take time to research rents in the area. Get the most out of your house rental by getting facts on other rentals in your area.

Buying House Plans Online - HOUSE PLANS

The Benefits of Self Building

Investing in property had always been very popular - and for many very productive and lucrative. However, as the prices on property begin to soar, it is difficult for many to even get their foot on to the property ladder. The alternative is renting, which usually means paying extortionate sums of cash each month to a wealthy landlord - not something that many people particularly want to do, but something that they feel they have to do in order to enjoy their own living space and independence.

However, there is a cost effective alternative for those that really want to get on to the property ladder but feel that they can't afford it. Self-building with house plans has become an increasingly popular solution for prospective homeowners, enabling them to get the home of their dreams at a fraction of what it would cost to buy a ready built home of the same style and calibre.

How do house plans work?

House plans are designed by top professionals - architects and designers that know exactly what constitutes a high quality, desirable home. These house plans are designed to be as simple to follow as possible, enabling purchasers to see construct their homes with ease and speed.

House plans are available for a vast range of property types, so whether you live alone and want your own private little home, or whether you have a large family and need a home that will provide you with adequate space and facilities, you will find something that will suit your needs exactly, and for far less than you imagine.

Using house plans to construct your new home will also give you the benefit of being able to make it as unique as you dare. The construction of new homes by huge corporations has become a little like a factory production line, with entire estates full of identical houses springing up in the matter of a few weeks. There's nothing unique or special about these homes; you would simply be spending years living in a property that looks exactly the same as the one next door, and the one opposite, and the one down the road - you get the picture...

By using house plans to create your home, you can put your dreams in to action. Whatever style, size or type of home you want, there will be a top quality house plan that will suit your needs and budget perfectly. So you can get a house that is truly unique and special, and probably pay less than those that have opted for the "production line" houses.

Looking for unique house plans?

There are so many house plans to choose from that you can achieve just the look and style for your new home. You can even get custom house plans, so whatever your idea of the dream home you can still make it a reality.

Perhaps you are looking for a little hideaway near the lake; maybe you want a cottage in the countryside; perhaps a log cabin is your idea of the perfect home or holiday hideaway; or maybe you want to go for a sprawling, family home. Whatever your requirements and desires, these fabulous house plans can be a great help. With so many styles to choose from you can get a really unique home to suit your needs and your pocket, so why settle for less? Some of the excellent house plan choices include:

    * A frame cabin house plans
    * A frame home house plans
    * Country house plans
    * Log house plans
    * Luxury house plans
    * Small cottage house plans
    * Vacation house plans
    * Victorian house plans


Why use house plans?

One of the main reasons why so many people are keen on using house plans rather than buying pre-built properties these days is the cost. The rising costs associated with buying a pre-built home have made people realize that they can save a lot of money by simply opting for a self-build property, giving them the perfect home at a fraction of the price.

There are other things to consider as well. What are the chances of finding the perfect pre-built home - a home that suits every member of the family down to the ground? We all have different ideas when it comes to the perfect house. You may be more interested in a large lounge or bathroom, whereas your partner may want a huge kitchen and bedroom, The kids might be pestering you for a separate playroom, and you may be thinking how useful a large dining area could be.

When you use a house plan to construct your perfect home, you can incorporate everyone's design ideas in to the plan, thus giving you a home that is ideal for the whole family, and which you can all enjoy for as long as you live there. You can give your home a unique look, plenty of character and you can really stamp your personality on your new home.

Buying house plans online

If you are looking for widest choice and top quality when it comes to buying house plans, then the Internet is by far your best choice. You will find such a vast range of exceptional, stunning house plans online that you can't fail to find something that will match exactly what you are looking for - and at a price that you can afford.

The Internet will provide you with access to house plan by experience, qualified and very skilled designers and architects, so you can be sure of getting quality and durability as well as an impressive design and some really stunning features. And with such a wide range to choose from, there is something available for every budget.

You can browse online house plans from the comfort of your home or office, enabling you to find the right choice at your own pace and without any outside pressure. You can even sit down with the family, discuss your needs collectively and then look at the selection of house plans together to ensure that you get something that will suit everyone.

By going online to search for the ideal house plan you will enjoy many benefits, such as:

    * Affordability, with some incredible low prices available on house plans
    * Convenience, as you can browse house plans without even having to leave your home
    * Being able to discuss and compare house plans with your family
    * Speed and ease of browsing house plans
    * Unrivalled choice of house plans
    * Top quality house plans

With the convenience, ease and choice on offer when you go online to look for house plans, it makes sense to make things simple by harnessing the power of the Internet to take the first step towards the perfect home for you and your famil

Pre-drawn House plans the Benefits and Styles - HOUSE

Pre-drawn house plans are those that are drawn by architects or home designers and then offered for sale, unlike those that are drawn for an individual, with input from the customer. While this method may be a great idea, there are definite benefits to purchasing pre-drawn house plans. Architects and home designers that do custom home designing also do a lot of their own designs, and it is these plans that are offered for sale
They are adept at making plans that utilize available space to the best possible advantage, and at laying out a floor plan to optimize curb appeal.

Custom designing of your home can take months to be completed and is extremely expensive, often up to ten times the cost of predawn or stock house plans. Using custom drawn plans can delay the construction of your home by many weeks There are dozens of home styles and literally thousands of plans to choose from, so you can be sure to find the home of your dreams.

If you find a house plan that you love, but want to make minor changes, most companies can have their designers do that for you, at an additional fee. It is also possible to have your plans reversed, for instance, if your breakfast nook faces west but the view from the north side of your lot is more attractive, you can reverse it. Many of the sites selling house plans will allow you to see a reversed view, of houses you might want to build.

Another service provided by the companies that design and sell house plans, is one that allows you to estimate the cost for building a particular house in your area of the country. The South is the least expensive area to build in and the West has the highest cost .The national average is somewhere in between.

There are dozens of house plan styles for you to browse and hundreds in each category, from A-Frame to Victorian, , from small to large, you can find the right home for your family. There are magazines, books and web sites galore that you can search

Beach houses, are small one story homes, raised above the ground, and usually have an open floor plan, with a lot of windows, to get a good view of the yard.. A low end Beach house with 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, kitchen and Great room would cost, about $74,000.00 to build, according to the national average, and about $15,000.00 more in the west and $8000.00 less in the south. These little houses make great vacation retreats and are also suitable as a starter home or retirement home for empty nesters.

Bungalows are 1 to 1and ½ story homes, They often incorporate features of the Craftsman style house, such as natural building materials, exposed rafter ends and gables. They also sometimes borrow features from the Country or Victorian look.A two bedroom, one bath bungalow in the mid-range can be built for between $70,000.00 and 95.000.00, depending on what part of the country you live in. A low-end two bedroom one bath can be built for $52,000 to 70,000. These cute homes are great for newlyweds or retirees

Large front porches, dormers and a roofline that lies parallel to the road are the main distinguishing features of Country homes. Farm house and French Country plans can also be included in this category. Open floor plans are not common to this type of house. A small country home, 576 square feet, with one bath and two bedrooms, can be built for under $60,000.00 can be erected on your site for under $60,000.00. A three bedroom, 1 and ½ baths, will average about $84,000.00 to erect on your site. .

Craftsman style homes are characterized by the use of natural materials like wood or stone for exterior walls, and rock foundations that slope out towards the ground. They may also include dormers, exposed beams, and overhanging eaves. A two bedroom one bath house in the craftsman style will cost between $52,000.00 and $62,000.00 to build a two bedroom, two bath, home with a 2 car garage will run about $96.000.00.

Another popular house plan style is the French Country home. They are similar to Country style in that they feature front porches, dormers and roof- lines that run parallel to the road. A two bedroom, two bathroom house with volume vaulted ceilings, walk in closets, walk in pantry covered rear porch and two car garage can be built for aproximately$112.000.00 to $133.000.00 depending on where you live.

Log homes make the perfect vacation home since they evoke feelings of comfort and peace. These homes come in various styles and sizes. Wood logs are the main construction material,. A one story, two bedroom, one bath, log home, with a covered front porch, will cost about $90,000.00 to build.

Victorian style houses are generally two stories, with steep roof pitches, dormers, octagonal turrets and of course the trademark gingerbread trim. A two story, three bedroom, three baths home of this style, with an open floor plan, and unfinished basement, can be built on your lot for around $100,000.00.

Luxury homes are huge house with at least 3000.sq. ft of living space, they are characterized by large master bedroom suites.1 walk in closets, and extra rooms which can be used as a library, music room, media center or home office to name a few. A three bedroom, two and ½ bath, luxury home with a two car garage with storage space, breakfast nook, and covered front porch .will cost you between $ 180,000.00 and 240,000.

There are dozens of other house plan style categories, such as A-Frames, Mission, Contemporary, Southwest, and Tudor to name just a few. A web search for house plans yields a mind blowing number of searchable sites. Most of these allow you to search for house plans, by style, number of bedrooms, baths, with or without a garage, or by sq. ft. of living space.

Keep in mind that the estimate price to build, doesn't include the price of the plans, any changes you make to the plans or building permit fees. Despite these fees,
Building your new home from pre-drawn plans will be cheaper and probably faster than having your home plans custom drawn.

What Is My House Really Worth? - HOUSE PLANS

So you want to sell your house. Have you picked your listing price yet? A lot rides on that number. Having your house priced right means the difference between a fast sale, and months or years of hell. So, in an effort to educate sellers, I'm going to share how to figure out what your house is actually worth.

Conventional wisdom will tell you to call in a real estate agent or broker. They will tour your house and look up comparable sales in your area, then give you an opinion as to what your house is worth. But please understand their motivations before you accept that number as fact. In a nutshell, agents will often tell you a higher number and assure you that it will sell without performing any repairs because they want you to sign a listing agreement with them. It's only human nature to choose the agent that gives you the highest number and the smallest repair list. Once you're locked in, you can bet that when it doesn't sell right away because your price is too high, they will start encouraging you to drop your price.

Not that asking an agent is a bad idea, but make sure you do your homework too. So, how do you figure out what your house is worth? Well, there are several ways, some more accurate than others.

The easy way is to just look up your house on one of the house values web sites. It's as easy as typing in your address and getting a number. The problem with these is that they aren't very accurate because it can't take into account the features and issues of individual properties.

The right way to do it is to look up recent sales in your area of homes comparable to yours. Then tweak that number based on your own house and the properties surrounding you.

Let's take a look at the easy and right ways in more depth:

Easy, But Not Very Accurate

There are several websites that will give you an estimated value for your house. Zillow.com is probably the largest and best known. You type in an address, and it will give you an estimate (they call it a "zestimate"), and a probable range of values for that house. It isn't bad, but it isn't great either. I find that the zestimate is often a bit high, I suspect that they are inflating the numbers so as not to anger their audience. I find that the true market value is lower, closer to the bottom of the estimate range. Zillow does give you lots of other useful information though. You can see price trends and the sales history of houses, so you can see how long it took to sell and how many price reductions they had. You can also use the price/sqft of recent sales to take a stab at your house value by multiplying it times the square feet of finished space in your house.

Other sites that you can look at include HouseValues.com and CyberHomes.com.

The Right Way, And Most Accurate

Any real estate professional, such as an agent, appraiser, or lender will tell you is that the price range for your house is determined by the recent sales (within the last 6-12 months) of similar houses in your neighborhood. Most houses in a given neighborhood are going to be of similar age, style, and size. Even if there is variation, odds are that there are going to be several that are comparable to yours. What those comparable houses sell for sets the price range for your house. If the three recent sales of comparable houses in your neighborhood sold for $190k - $230k, then your house isn't likely to be worth $295. Be as objective as you can, and compare your house to those three. Don't worry about assigning any value to bonus features of your house yet, just compare your house to the others based on the common features in all houses. Specifically, how does your kitchen, baths, flooring, and systems (furnace, electrical, roof, windows, etc) compare with those three recent sales. Let's say that yours is in between, not the worst or best, so your house has a base value of $210k.

Good sites to use to find out the recent sales in your area: Realtor.com (search for "Recently Sold" instead of "Homes For Sale"), and Zillow.com (once you find your house, scroll about 2/3 of the way down the page and there's a link on the right "See Sales Similar to [your address]"), or you can go to your local tax assessor's web site and search for recent sales.

This base number is then modified by the pluses and minuses of your individual property. If it is in poor condition, the house's value will be reduced. If it has extras that other houses don't have (like a large sun porch, bonus room, or top-notch kitchen/bath) then the value will be increased.

On negative items, the rule of thumb is that repairs or items that are out of date subtract directly from the base number, plus 10%. The 10% is essentially there to convince someone that likes the house to go through the pain and suffering of renovations after buying the house. So if your house has old outdated kitchen and bathrooms, and needs $25k to update them, then you should expect to deduct $27,500 from that base number. Even at that lower price, the house might not sell overnight. Buyers today want pristine houses. Renovations are a headache that buyers generally don't want to face. With so many houses on the market, they can be choosy.

Some bigger issues such as wet basements, old electrical, leaky roofs, rotten trim/siding, and leaky plumbing are hard to quantify. Let's say your basement has a seepage issue. The floor doesn't even have to have standing water, just be damp and stinky. Dampness might knock $10k off the price, wetter than that will knock $20-25k right off the value of the house. Look at it this way, pretend you're considering two equal houses, but one has a wet basement. How much cheaper would the wet house have to be to make you choose it over the dry one? See how those big issues have such big affects on the value of a house? These bigger issues scare buyers away, and in order to get buyers over their fear of the issue, you need to present a very attractive price.

Extra features, unfortunately, don't directly translate to the house's value the same way that negatives do. That beautiful, $25,000 sun porch you added doesn't necessarily add $25k to your house's value. You're probably only adding $10k to your house's value. It's a sad fact, but in a buyer's market, all the numbers work in favor of the buyer, not the seller. It's unfortunate, but that's the way it works.

So, If your house has a base of $210k, needs $25k in renovations, has a wet basement, and has a sun porch that adds $10k to the value, your house would be worth $172,500. That might hurt, especially if you still had a 2007 value in your mind, but 2007 prices are long gone. You can either accept it now and sell your house quickly, or learn it the hard way through several price reductions over a very painful 12-18 months.

Of course, you could fix those negatives yourself. But are you prepared to hire a good contractor (one that does the work right, is insured, licensed, and handles all permits and inspections), monitor them to make sure the work is done right, and come out of pocket for all those repairs? In this market, you are unlikely to make a profit on your repair investment, but it might make the house sell faster. Or you could just sell it "as is" to someone like me, a real estate investor, save months of work and worry, and get on with your life.

How to Sell Your House Privately - HOUSE PLANS

To sell your house privately can be an exciting challenge for most people but can also be a daunting task especially if you've never done it before. While selling your house privately is never as easy as you think, it's certainly a feasible way to avoid paying thousands of dollars in commission to a real estate agent. If you're confident you can do it or just want to give it a go, you'll need to know the ways in which you can market your house so that you receive a quick hassle-free sale as well as achieving the best sale price possible.

Here are several ways that you can market and sell your house privately...

Sell Your House Privately - Tip # 1: Internet
The Internet is probably the most utilised form of contact for buyers looking for a house so you should have your house listed on the Internet, but on probably no more than two websites (any more than two is unnecessary). Unfortunately the major sites realestate.com.au and domain.com.au don't allow private sellers to list their houses for sale. However there is a loophole...several private listing real estate websites actually subscribe as members to the above websites. So if you list your house with these private listing sites they'll automatically list your house on whichever of the major two sites that they're subscribed to (for a price). Otherwise you can simply list your house for sale on a private sale website such as PrivateSales.com.au.

Sell Your House Privately - Tip # 2: Flyers/Leaflets
According to statistics, something like 80% of homebuyers buy a house within 5km of where they currently live. This being the case, it's a great idea to create your own flyers using Microsoft Word or Microsoft Publisher and have them printed professionally by a printer. Flyers are usually dirt cheap so shop around for the best deal. You'll probably need around 5000 to make a splash in the area (in metropolitan areas) and something like 15,000 flyers would create a good coverage of your local area.

You can deliver them yourself (if you have the time), or you could use a mailbox distribution company such as Salmat or PMP Distribution (These are Australia's two largest distribution companies). Your cost of delivery will probably be a minimum of 5 cents per flyer under a certain delivery amount (say 30,000). This is quite cheap when you consider that you'd either have to deliver them yourself (you could probably only deliver a few hundred per day) or have to pay a commission to a real estate agent.

For ideas on how to design your flyers, simply copy the best ones that you receive in the mail from the larger franchised agencies such as Ray White, LJ Hooker etc. Remember to use a 'catchy' headline at the top of your flyers eg. 'HUGE family house on a BIG 1200sqm block'. Expect a 1% response rate on your flyers eg. Deliver 5,000 flyers and you likely receive around 5 calls.

Sell Your House Privately - Tip # 3: Newspaper
Newspapers are the most traditional way of advertising a house for sale. There are two ways you can advertise in the newspaper. You can have a 'display ad' which is simply a 'picture ad' along with a certain amount of text allowed (these are the most expensive ads but you can specify the unit size of the display ad from a small one unit up to an entire page depending on your budget).

The other type of newspaper ad is a 'classified ad'. A classified ad is a text-only ad that allows headings, bolding, underlining, bordering and even some coloured text to make the ad stand out. All of these features come at an additional cost but classified ads are the cheapest types of newspaper ads available. Prestigious and/or expensive houses usually work best as display ads since this is where your target buyer is looking for these types of houses.

Sell Your House Privately - Tip # 4: Magazines
Advertising your house for sale in magazines is a more niche way of advertising your house simply because magazines usually have a specific niche that they're targeting their publication to eg. 'Country Property Magazine'. This is not necessarily a negative; in fact it can be very positive because you have more qualified homebuyers looking in these publications for a house. Most magazines will have display ads as well as classified advertising available; again it depends on your budget as to what ad you'll use.

Sell Your House Privately - Tip # 5: Word of mouth
Word of mouth is often overlooked as a possible way to market a house. You can spread the word through family, friends, workmates, business colleagues, schools, membership clubs that you're involved with, sporting teams. You could create some flyers and hand them out, send out a broadcast email for friends to forward or even organise a private open house for friends and friends of friends.

Sell Your House Privately - Tip # 6: Signage
Signage is a great way to attract local interest in your house. It'll create a stir in the neighbourhood and may even help you achieve a sale if one of your neighbours friends wants to move to the area. You can have a sign made by most printers; the material or product to ask for is a 'corflute' sign to advertise a house for sale. Most printers are probably involved with a local real estate agency and create them often. It may set you back a few hundred dollars but shop around and see what you can do.

Sell Your House Privately - Tip # 7: Open House
Your end goal with all of your marketing is to get potential buyers to inspect your house and one of the most common ways for buyers to inspect houses for sale is through open houses. They offer buyers a somewhat anonymous way of inspecting a house without any sales pressure. It's a great way to screen buyers to see which ones are ready-to-buy so that you can spend the most time with those buyers. Create your own Inspection Register and get the names and contact numbers of everyone who inspects your house. This is not only good for the sales process but also for general security of your house. Have a set presentation for when you first meet potential buyers to let them know about some of the features of your house. It's a good idea to have brochures or flyers on hand to give to buyers.

Questions to ask potential buyers are:
Have you been looking for a while or are you just getting started? (if they've just started looking they will need to be educated about prices in the area. They can potentially be time wasters as they don't have any reference points to compare your house with others. In addition to this, the type of house they think they're looking for could be completely different from the one they actually buy after they've completed some research.

Are there any features that you particularly like about the house?
How does this compare to other houses you've seen?

Sell Your House Privately - Tip # 8: Investor Groups
There are always investor groups or buying clubs that have a database of members that are constantly on the lookout for investment opportunities and could be suitable for you to approach to sell your house. A few downsides to these groups is that they'll want to buy the house for the lowest possible price and generally won't be emotionally driven to buy the house which can affect your end selling price or even negotiating power. If you have a particular urgency in selling your house then this option could be for you. A lot of these types of clubs promote the fact that they buy houses for cash with a quick settlement period. Several of these groups include WeBuyHouses.com.au and The Investors Club

Sell Your House Privately - Tip # 9: Postcards
Postcard marketing is a more unique and modern way of promoting your house for sale. They work the same as flyers except that your ad is printed on postcards that are then distributed to letterboxes. It's best to have them distributed by companies such as Salmat and PMP Distribution.

Sell Your House Privately - Tip # 10: Publicity
Publicity is probably THE most underutilised way to sell a house privately (or through an agent). Publicity is great for a number of reasons; first of all, its free, and secondly and most importantly, publicity promotes your house from a third party perspective. Instead of you saying 'my house is so great...' you have a third party saying 'this house is great, you should go and see it!'.

Some of the top real estate agents have connections to local newspapers and publications and use them regularly if they have a house to sell that has some unique aspect to it. To gain publicity for your house you'll need to stick with local publications as they're the ones looking for local news, stories, people, business info etc. Here are several points of interest that you can exploit (write a press release about) that may get you're house into the local paper:
Unique house
Quirky
Odd colours or features
Unique street appeal
Amazing gardens (rare flowers or plants)
Famous previous owners
Well-known street
Local businessperson owns the house
Award winning house

Here are some catchy headlines to give you an idea of what to write a press release about:
'How this house went from being an asbestos health hazard to a dream house in 37 days'
'For Sale...the cleanest house in (suburb)'
'Why this is the most quirky house on (Smith) Street...'
'Why I painted one room of my house seven different colours...'

Try to think of weird and wonderful things about your house and really hone in on one specific point that makes your house newsworthy. Email, post or fax your press release into a specific person that writes about property related matters in your local paper. Include a photo as a teaser.

Matt Adams is Author of the book: 9 Secrets to Sell Your House For More in Any Market. In his book Matt shows homeowners how to quickly and easily sell their house for the highest price in the shortest possible timeframe, it's so simple, anyone can do it.

If you'd like to:
- Sell your house for more money (regardless of market conditions)
- Sell your house fast (even when the media says houses aren't selling)
- Save thousands of dollars on advertising (how about free?)
- Discover the most effective house selling methods (my little-known house selling secrets)
- And be in a position of power when selling your house (I'll show you how)

Price My House - The Only 3 Strategies - HOUSE PLANS

The three best strategies to price a house are to:
1. Get An Appraisal

2. Drive and Research Your Neighborhood

3. Look at "Recent" Sold Comps (in a buyers market you want last 2 months or less depending on your area if you can even find any...)

Use all three of these methods. Don't just use one!

Other strategies to look at are the 5 Day Home Auction or Round Robin Method. This lets you know how much someone will pay as you start with a low price around 70% of your homes value to attract buyers. The low price attracts a lot of people and you end up with anywhere from 3-6 serious buyers bidding up the price. All this takes is a week, which is nice.

A fifth way is a CMA or Cost Market Analysis which costs around $300. We don't recommend this option as it costs around the same as an Home Appraisal. When pricing a house its best to use the best three methods together, don't just go with the 1 appraisal. And if your doing the Sell Your Home in 5 Days Method, your house will be priced based on the buyers you get to your open house auction.

Get A "Full" Appraisal

This is usually around $200 - $400 and will depend on your property and geographic location. This is the best way to price your house because appraisers don't have a financial interest in your homes value. Make sure you get a "FULL APPRAISAL" and not a Desktop Appraisal or "Pencil Search". Desktop Appraisals or Pencil Searches aren't as in depth as a full appraisal and therefore not as accurate. They don't even come to your house to appraise or look at other houses when comparing. There just at their desk comparing info online.

Don't confuse a BPO or Brokers Price Opinion as an Appraisal. BPOs are usually done on homes that went into foreclosure and the bank is getting the house back. Full Appraisals are where the appraiser comes to the house and looks at stuff and compares other houses by driving by and takes multiple pictures. A Full written appraisal will present irrefutable evidence to a seller that the price was arrived at in a scientific way rather than pulling figures out of thin air. Agents do have a financial interest, that's why its best to stay away from playing the CMA games with them.

Appraisers are legally liable for any mistakes they make. So they want to price your house as accurately as they can. Use an Independent Appraiser and not one that works with a real estate office. The best Appraisers hold a professional designation. The most widely known designations are SRPA, SRA, and MAI. These designation are issued by the Appraisal Institute, and demonstrate an appraisers commitment to continuing education and ethical standards. The standards required to obtain these designations exceed those set forth by state licensing/certified requirements.

Be sure to let the appraiser know you are selling your own house For Sale By Owner. You want to get an expert residential appraiser not a commercial or BPO specialist for foreclosures. The best way to find the BEST Appraisers is to go to the AppraisalInstitute.org. Type in your zip code and pick a couple to interview. Make sure they have Residential in their Property Types.

Drive & Research Your Neighborhood

You should do this with two people and make a game out of it. Try guessing the price each house is trying to sell for. You'll know what its selling for if you grab their flyer from the flyer box, call their number on their sign, even if its an agent. Drive your neighborhood to see what other homes are for sale in your neighborhood, and if their similar to your house, look at the price. This is the same thing buyers do when their looking to buy. Look at the 5-10 of the closest houses that relate to your house. Similar beds, baths, square footage, lot size, backyard, other features. You can get the Sunday paper for your area and check out all the open houses closest to your house.

There's no need to go any further than 1 mile from your house if your in the city. If you live in the country you may need to travel farther. When driving the neighborhood, look for Real Estate Signs, grab the flyers in the flyer boxes. Pretend that your house hunting! Get into detective mode and call the real estate offices and ask them for a list of the homes which have been sold in your area within the last 3 months. Find out what price they were listed at, what they were sold for, and how long they were on the market. If an agent asks questions, tell them you just want to see if this house is priced right that you saw at an open house. If agent asks for your info, you can make up a name but then again, everyone has caller id. You may not call the agent but driving your neighborhood is absolutely necessary. You have to do this!

Also, keep a list of your homes. When you go out make sure to bring a notepad to take notes on these houses your researching. Write down the address of each house that's for sale, that's relative towards your house. Write down what you like about their house and any notes if it has a leg up on your house. That will help you to make improvements on your house. If another house has a new kitchen and you expect your house to sell for same price, but both houses are relatively similar in every other aspect, your probably going to need to do some updates to your kitchen as well and look at other possibilities that would make your house better than the one with the updated kitchen.

Get Current "Sold" Comps

Companies like Real Quest owned by First American Title have online tools to price your house. These AVM companies usually do provide accurate information as they go off the real estate closings (houses that just closed or sold). Since First American is the largest title company in America, they have one of the largest databases, and most up to date AVMs. But, they don't let You customize how the SOLD COMPS are generated when you just buy a single report. So its hit or miss. The report may give you some really good and accurate homes to compare your house to and maybe not. The reports on Real Quest are $9.99. Just click on sellers when you get to Real Quest, enter your property info, be sure to put commas in the right place. Once it brings it up you can click on it and if you want, proceed to buy the report.

Other AVMs to use are Electronic Appraiser. You can also go over to Zillow. Your not interested in the Zestimate. Those prices are usually not as accurate. Just enter your address. When the new page comes up, scroll down and look towards the bottom right. It will say Recent Comparable Sales. Click on the link below that that says, See All Comparable Homes. Look for homes that are close to your size and location. You want to make sure apples are compared to apples. You want to look at properties similar to yours. They have to be the same beds, baths, sq. ft of house, lot size, properties "SOLD" in your neighborhood in last 3 - 6 months at no more than 1 mile away, in some cases less.

Drive by these properties that sold and see how they compare to yours. All your trying to do here is see if theres any relevant data on recent homes that just sold to give you an idea of where the markets at. If your house is in an area where a lot of the houses are similar this option works well. If your an in area where houses aren't similar and each area varies from block to block the prices it returns back might not be as accurate.

CMA - Cost Market Analysis

Don't use this option. A Cost Market Analysis is done by a real estate agent or broker. They usually charge $300 for this. If you have a friend in the biz and they don't mind, take em up on it. Just be sure there not throwing a RANDOM GUESS on what the price is. If you don't have a friend or relative that's got their license and has access to the MLS info, your probably stuck paying for this. If you try and call an agent and do this they will want to ask you all kinds of questions.

One thing they'll try, is to figure out what you expect to get for you home by asking you a lot of questions prior to giving you your estimate of your homes value. Then they adjust the value higher to match your expectations. What the agent does is look at the MLS information on SOLD properties that are closest to your home and compare them. They try to find the closest match to properties sold that match your house. They compare location, bedrooms, baths, Year of Construction, Garage, square footage, lot size, views, features, etc... They should be comparing apples to apples. Depending on the in depth study they do, a different brokerage may get a totally different price. Your also paying $300 for this, so you may as well pay that to an Appraiser. The major reason we don't recommend a CMA is because the agent might price you house high on purpose and then call back in a few weeks to see if you want a "professional agent" to sell your home.

5 Day Auction Method

The Sell Your Home in 5 Days Auction Method tells you your price based on what people are currently willing to pay for it. You will find close to your highest price because there will be 2-5 buyers or so all competing for the same house. If someone wants the house, they will outbid others to get it. To learn more about this strategy you can buy the book How To Sell Your Home in 5 Days, 3rd Edition on Amazon. There are all kinds of people trying to sell courses on this for around a thousand dollars. Just buy the book. The book is missing some key marketing points but covers everything besides massive marketing.

How to Open a Halfway House Or a Recovery Home - HOUSE PLANS

To begin with, let us tell you that this article is going to smash any preconceptions out there regarding opening a halfway house in the USA. You do not need a license, permit, or any other document to open a halfway house. If any person, government official, government agency, zoning commission, etc. tells you otherwise, they are engaging in illegal and unfair practices. Know your rights (see bellow links to know your rights).

NATIONAL LAWS (ADA) ALWAYS SUPERSEDE LOCAL LAWS.

Just for a hypothetical situation; let's say that 3 people who have depression decide to become roommates in a home. Should they be shut down and kicked out of the neighborhood because of their disability? Does that mean they have to get a license or permit to stay? Of course not. They are protected under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), as well as other determinations (see links below) against such discrimination. Havingchemically dependent persons in a home is no different!!! Alcoholics and addicts have the same laws to protect them.

It is a well known fact that City Councils have tried to stop halfway houses in their neighborhoods by stating that a halfway house with alcoholics and/or addicts, in other words disabled persons, (and alcoholics and addicts qualify as disabled under the ADA), must not have roommates (as in 2 people in a room at a house), which prevents most halfway houses from opening.

If you have a house, and you want to open a halfway house, and your mortgage payment is $700.00 per month (see additional expenses at the bottom of this paragraph), there are many things to consider before accepting residents into your house. Let's say, hypothetically, you follow licensing and zoning guidelines. With the average charge to a resident with a substance abuse problem, being around $125.00 per week, you can see that if you went with what the license division / politicians tell you, (which are illegal tactics), you would be out of business shortly. Keep in mind that in addition to your mortgage payment are things such as: utilities, phone service, water, food, furniture, cooking utensils, beds, sheets- basically everything you would need to survive, etc.

On the other hand, if you did not license your house, you could put in 2 or 3 people in a room and keep your halfway house open. In other words, helping others to get a hand up at living sober. Please read more details below...

NATIONAL LAWS (ADA) ALWAYS SUPERSEDE LOCAL LAWS.

How to open a Recovery Home, Halfway House, Sober Living Home OR starting a Half Way House/Recovery Facility*- Resources to assist you. This article includes information on the standards and requirements of opening and operating a Halfway House/Recovery Home- NOTE: Not every county in the United States approaches standards and licensure in the same way- it is best to contact your local licensure department and/or zoning division.

The first thing you should know about opening a halfway house is that you do not need a degree or special certification to open one, and that most operate without a license/permit. Also, under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and The Fair Act Amendment, as well as other determinations, makes it illegal to discriminate against halfway houses and the people who own, operate, and live in them. Please see our links below for more information concerning these issues. There are a number of other important issues to cover concerning opening a halfway house that are vital to know.

You must first decide where you will operate. Once you have determined a location you have a choice in whether to license* the facility or not. There are also other permits, inspections, zoning variances, etc. to explore prior to opening up a halfway house. Please keep in mind that it is your choice whether to obtain a license, permit, and other certifications for the operation of a halfway house. If you choose to open a halfway house without a license, there are certain parameters you must operate under to make sure you are not shut down by the county/city you operate within. It is always best to check into what is required, allowed, and not allowed by contacting your local licensure agency and zoning department.

Most halfway houses that are not licensed are mandated to NOT provide on-site counseling or other wrap-around services- to avoid additional

paperwork and hassles, you could provide these services at a local church or other building. Most halfway houses that are licensed may need to

obtain a zoning variance, simply because (in the eyes of politicians) you are basically operating a business in a residential area. You may find that

because you are licensing it, the county (Zoning Commission) will limit the number of people you can have in any one room and at any one residence.

A halfway house that is going through the licensing process (and this may take months, even years to work out) will be required to have certain

structural adaptations made (water/fire sprinkler lines installed- which is very expensive) wheel chair accessible, parking and traffic issues to deal with, etc.

There are some overhead details to work out before you start taking in residents. You should know how many residents you will have in each room, what you are going to charge each resident, and what services are included in this cost or rent. You may also have to contend with residents coming in with no money, or that some residents will be late and/or short of the entire rent monies owed. It's up to you how you handle these situations. If you have a house ready to use as a Halfway House (providing you have decided whether to license it or not) and your mortgage payment, for a 4 bedroom home, is $700.00 per month (estimate), you will also need to factor in start-up and continued costs like food costs per week, water and utility costs, household needs, (paper towels, toilet paper, dish soap, cleaning chemicals, phones, etc.), as well as monthly and yearly costs, (beds and sheets, TV, computer(s), Internet connection, towels and face clothes, shampoo, dishes and utensils, pest control services, vucuum(s), maintenance, etc.)- basically everything you would need if you were starting from scratch in a new home (considering you have nothing on hand) only this time it is for X number of people. Also include additional items, if licensed, like license and permit charges, health inspection fees, reports, paperwork and filing, accounting, etc. With the above example you can clearly see that many licensure and zoning variances would limit you to having only 4 people at your house, so meeting your overhead is not possible- you would be operating in the red every month.

Fair Housing Act

A case in point (actual court case) in which, for a period of more than 1 year, a city violated the provisions stated within the Fair Housing Amendments

Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended by the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, 42 U.S.C. §§3601-3619) and denied the operating of a Halfway House within a residential area.

In an effort to assist individuals, agencies, religious affiliations, etc. open recovery places and tackle the unfair and illegal tactics politicians and others are using to stop them, NICD has put together some basic, and very needed, resources to aid in the journey. Counties are using zoning

codes/variances to try and control halfway houses/sober living homes and the total census allowed within these centers. Some of the bias is a

NIMBY, (Not In My Back Yard) situation, while others include property value concerns. In any case, the reasons for discrimination and unfair tactics are not based on fact or material circumstances. These counties and individuals are in violation of the law as it relates to the ADA, (Americans With Disabilities Act), Section 36.209 section 510 which describes alcoholics/drug addicts as people with disabilities. The Federal Fair Housing Act, (see link below), 42 USC section 3604(f)(2) makes it unlawful "to discriminate against any person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection with such dwelling because of a handicap." The 42 USC section 3604(f)(3)(B) provides that unlawful discrimination includes failure to make "reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices.

providing some resources that you can use in starting up a program.

There are numerous obstacles to overcome in trying to open up a halfway house for alcoholics and/or drug addicts. NICD will attempt to help you by

Note: Please feel free to copy/print this page, as we have waived the copyright for this page only.

Some additional concerns you may encounter:

The next section has some rules that should be a part of any quality run halfway house. In addition to these is a section for navigating your way

through getting your residents into benefits and entitlements.

Specific: Halfway Houses Rules- A good halfway house should have rules. We have constructed some that we feel are essential.

RULES & REGULATIONS

IMMEDIATE DISCHARGE

*Being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs

*Possession of alcohol/drugs

*Possession of weapons

*Threats either verbal or physical, or acts of violence, fighting

*Property destruction or altering the physical construction of the premises, including interior walls

*Failure to submit a U/A (which are always at your cost)

*Unaccountable or discrepancies in times off of premises

*Lies, either found on your intake paperwork or otherwise, stealing, unusual behavior, and any criminal activity

*Failure to comply with rules and/or staff directions

1. You are required to attend at least 3 12-Step meetings per week, have a program book, (Big Book, NA Text, etc.), and have your meeting slip

signed by a member of the group, and not another resident, and attend on-premises "House Meetings" which are held 2 times per week, 1-2 hours per meeting.

2. House meeting attendance is mandatory, (which means you must arrange for employment that does not interfere with these meetings), there are

no exceptions to this rule.

3. For the first 30 days you are to remain on premises, (during this time you are expected to be working on your steps), and must arrange 12-Step meeting attendance with another resident who is not on restriction, and this must be pre-approved by the house manager.

4. You are required to sign-out when leaving the premises, and sign-in upon return- all leaves must be pre-approved by the house manager in

advance, and any inconsistencies in leave times are grounds for discharge.

5. Rent must be paid every Friday directly to the house manager, and kept up to date without exception.

6. You must see the house manager at least 1 time per week to discuss your recovery program- it does not count as a visit to discuss program while paying rent, unless the house manager chooses to do so.

7. You must obtain a Home Group and a Sponsor (You must provide a contact name and phone number), within the first week of residency, and this will be verified.

8. You must have Steps 1,2, and 3 in writing, and present these in the House Meeting by the 3rd week, along with a copy to the house manager.

9. You are required to be employed full time, and you are not permitted to quit a job without first discussing it with the house manager, (employment status will be checked on periodically).

10. There are certain types of employment that are not allowed, and you must speak with the house manager

11. No cab driving, working in bars, clubs, or places that sell alcohol.

12. Your room must be kept neat, with your bed made at all times, rugs vacuumed, toilet cleaned, kitchen area clean, which means absolutely no

glasses, dishes, forks, knives, spoons, etc. left in the sink at any time, and any trash disposed of in a timely manner.

13. You will be assigned daily and weekend chores (these are mandatory as part of your stay).

14. All vehicles will have current tags and insurance, and this must be verifiable. Also, there will be no storage of vehicles, and no working on vehicles on the premises.

15. Bikes and other modes of transportation must be stored in the appropriate locations, and security for these are at your own cost.

16. Any situation that requires police involvement must be discussed with the house manager before the police are called, (any police involvement

without house manager approval will be grounds for discharge).

17. There are absolutely no visitors allowed on premises without prior approval from the house manager.

18. There will be no congregating outside, no loud music or discussions, no walkmans, caps, sunglasses, bandanas, or inappropriate dress allowed, and you are required to attend to daily hygiene needs.

19. No one is allowed in another residents room- period.

20. There are no sharing of clothes, personal property, loaning money, borrowing vehicles, including bikes by either staff or residents.

21. You may be requested to submit to a U/A at any time, which may include either with cause or without.

22. Any resident who is aware of a rules infraction and does not notify the house manager immediately will be subject to discharge, which includes

finding out later that you knew about it.

23. All rooms are subject to inspections at any given time, and any room that does not pass inspection may cause all residents in that room to be

discharged.

24. Smoking is not allowed in rooms.

25. There will be no illegal hook-ups of cable, or use of cable boxes. Cable hook-ups will be done legally, at your cost, and your risk. If bills are not current you will be required to cut-off services until the bill is paid for.

26. Phone hook-ups are your responsibility, as are the bills that go along with it.

27. Any cooking done by residents requires immediate clean-up.

28. Any delegation, directive, or request that is made by staff will then become a rule.

29. Any medical conditions and/or injuries must be brought to the attention of the house manager.

30. Calls to 911 for medical conditions, injuries, etc. must be approved by the house manager before calling.

31. If there is an emergency, call 911, and then notify the house manager immediately.

32. Any and all medications, including pain pills, psych. meds, aspirin, Advil, cold, flu, sinus, etc. will be kept, and locked up by the house manager and dispensed according to the instructions on the bottle- any Rx. or

33. House shut downs will occur if chores are not done, the grounds and buildings are not cared for, rooms are not kept clean, or general attitudes are not in line with house etiquette, and is done so at the discretion of the house manager.

34. All rules and regulations are subject to additions and changes at the house managers discretion.

This is not a complete list of all the possible rules and/or violations that may happen, so to insure a healthy, happy, drug and alcohol free recovery

environment please do your part to use common sense when it comes to either doing or not doing something that may affect yours and others

continued stay.

Finally, staff will not take the role of cop, lawyer, or investigator. This means discharges will occur without investigation of who did what, what was said, who is, or who is not at fault.

The NIMBY Syndrome, (Not In My Back Yard), is one area that an owner of a recovery home / halfway house will have to contend with. It is usually best to address this issue up front before you open, or before construction is started. Your local Zoning Commission office should be able to provide information on the area you plan on opening the halfway house in. The census bureau can provide information on the neighborhoods make up, (economic base, average salaries made, gender average, average cost of homes in the area, and other good information to educate yourself with).

Check to see if there is a homeowners association, as that could be your best bet in getting to know your neighbors, and them getting to know you.

You should plan on going to one of their meetings before you open, but definitely after you have been armed with the information that you know will come up for discussion. Some concerns will be on whether or not you will accept violent offenders, psychiatrically unstable residents, how your home will affect property values. You can convince people that you plan on running a safe, drug free, and strict program by bringing a copy of your intake protocol and halfway house rules. Let them know how you plan on handling the situation when one of your residents comes up positive on a drug

screen. You should develop, in writing, protocols for dealing with this and other situations- there should be a plan of action that all staff and residents are to follow in any given situation. There will be some fear there, as no one wants a drug addict discharged/kicked out in their neighborhood at 1:00 A.M. on a weekend or any other time.

You need to arm yourself with the facts and also how you will handle all sorts of possible situations. If you take the lead and let your neighbors know, before they ask, what they can expect from you, you will go far in gaining their trust. Just be sure you follow through as you promised. It will pave the way to open another site, if you want to, if you have a great relationship with those that live around your halfway house.