The Importance of Having a Retirement Plan

American workers and retirees are expressing higher confidence about their ability to afford retirement this year, even though there is little sign they are taking the necessary steps to achieve that goal, according to the 25th annual Retirement Confidence Survey—the longest-running survey of its kind.

A key factor in American’s outlook on retirement is whether or not they have a retirement savings plan. The 2015 RCS by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald & Associates finds that as the nation’s retirement confidence continues to rebound from the record lows experienced between 2009 and 2013, the increasing optimism is a result of those who indicate they and/or their spouse have a retirement plan, such as a defined contribution (401(k)-type) plan, defined benefit (pension) plan, or individual retirement account (IRA).

“Those without a retirement plan seem to understand they are likely to have difficulties accumulating adequate financial resources for retirement: 44 percent of workers without a retirement plan are not at all confident about having enough money for a comfortable retirement, compared with only 14 percent of those who have a plan,” says Jack VanDerhei, EBRI research director and co-author of the report.

This year’s RCS finds that the percentage of workers confident about having enough money for a comfortable retirement—at record lows between 2009 and 2013—increased in 2014 and again in 2015. Twenty-two percent are now very confident (up from 13 percent in 2013 and 18 percent in 2014), while 36 percent are somewhat confident. Overall, 24 percent are not at all confident (statistically unchanged from 28 percent in 2013 and 24 percent in 2014).

However, this increased confidence is based on those indicating they and/or their spouse have a retirement plan. Worker confidence in the affordability of various aspects of retirement has also rebounded. In particular, the percentage of workers who are very confident in their ability to pay for basic expenses has increased (37 percent, up from 25 percent in 2013 and 29 percent in 2014). The percentages of workers who are very confident in their ability to pay for medical expenses (18 percent, up from 12 percent in 2011) and long-term care expenses (14 percent, up from 9 percent in 2011) are slowly inching upward.

Confidence among retirees (which historically tends to exceed worker confidence levels) also increased in having a financially secure retirement, with 37 percent very confident (up from 18 percent in 2013 and 27 percent in 2014). The percentage not at all confident was 14 percent (statistically unchanged from 14 percent in 2013 and 17 percent in 2014).

Workers are somewhat more confident that they are doing a good job of preparing financially for retirement: 25 percent are very confident in 2015 (up from 17 percent in 2013). Overall, about two-thirds are somewhat or very confident about their financial preparations, while one third (32 percent) indicate they are not confident.

However, for workers without a retirement plan, savings remain low and only a minority appears to be taking basic steps needed to prepare for retirement. Only 23 percent of those without a retirement plan have done retirement needs calculation and 64 percent without a retirement plan say they have saved less than $1,000.

Perhaps in recognition of the fact that their financial preparations for retirement may be inadequate, 16 percent of workers in the 2015 RCS say the age at which they expect to retire has changed in the past year. Of those, the large majority (81 percent) report that their expected retirement age has increased. But the RCS also finds that many retirees say they left the workforce earlier than planned for reasons beyond their control.

“Workers still expect to work longer to make up for any savings short falls. However, many retirees continue to report that they retired before they expected to due to an illness or disability, needing to care for others, or because of a change at their job,” states Craig Copeland, senior research associate at EBRI and coauthor of the study. “Consequently, relying on working longer is not a solid strategy for retirement preparedness.”

Among the other major findings in this year’s RCS:

• Saving for retirement: Sixty-seven percent of workers report they or their spouses have saved for retirement (statistically equivalent to 64 percent in 2014), although nearly 8 in 10 (78 percent) full-time workers say that they or their spouse have done so. Among those who indicate they and their spouse have a retirement plan, such as an IRA, DC or DB plan 35 percent report having saved at least $100,000 compared with just 3 percent of those who do not have a retirement plan.

• Why not saving: Cost of living and day-to-day expenses head the list of reasons why workers do not save (or save more) for retirement, with 50 percent of workers citing these factors. Nevertheless, many workers say they could save a small amount more. Seven in 10 (69 percent) state they could save $25 a week more than they are currently saving for retirement.

• Debt worries dropping: Both workers and retirees are less likely than in the 2014 RCS to describe their level of debt as a problem. Fifty-one percent of workers (down from 58 percent in 2014) and 31 percent of retirees (down from 44 percent in 2014) indicate they have a problem with their level of debt. The types of debt most frequently reported are mortgages, credit card debt, and car loans.

“It is significant that fewer people report having a problem with debt than in the past few years,” says Mathew Greenwald of Greenwald & Associates. “This could indicate progress in addressing this issue and suggests there is more emphasis on debt reduction than on saving for retirement.”

• Planning for retirement: Almost two-thirds of workers (64 percent) say they feel they are behind schedule when it comes to planning and saving for retirement. However, this assessment may not be based on a careful analysis of their individual circumstances. Only 48 percent of workers report they and/or their spouse have tried to calculate how much money they will need to have saved by the time they retire so that they can live comfortably in retirement, a level that has held relatively consistent over the past decade.

For more information, visit www.ebri.org or www.asec.org.

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2015. All rights reserved.

Spring Project Breakdown: Understanding Costs of Home Updates

(Family Features)—As a kickoff to home improvement season, there are many home updates homeowners are undertaking. But before you grab your toolkit or enlist the help of a professional, do your wallet a favor, and conduct a little research.
To help homeowners budget for home projects, HomeAdvisor's True Cost Guide provides the average cost of more than 350 projects coast-to-coast based on data reported by real homeowners.
"When completing home projects, a common concern among homeowners is not knowing how much a home project will cost," said Leah Ingram, HomeAdvisor's personal finance expert.
In fact the True Cost Report, released from HomeAdvisor, found that 38 percent of homeowners don't know how much it will cost to hire a professional for home projects, and nearly 70 percent are concerned about overpaying as a consequence of not having reliable cost information. As a result, almost half of homeowners put off projects or attempt to complete them on their own.
The top five spring projects include:
* Repairing the roof: Maintaining the roof protects a home from the elements and can raise property values. Small repairs keep a roof in good shape for several years and help avoid costly damages. Most homeowners assume repairing a roof can be costly. In fact, according to HomeAdvisor's True Cost Guide, the average roof fix only costs $550.
* Remodeling a kitchen: Kitchen remodels boost a home's resale value and add functionality to the most utilized space in a home. Many factors go into remodeling a kitchen including flooring, plumbing, appliances and electrical. Homeowners in New York hire more pros to remodel their kitchen than any other state in the U.S.
* Remodeling a bathroom: Homeowners can choose from different types of bathroom remodels, depending on style preferences, and budget. The average cost of remodeling a bathroom is $9,000.
* Painting the home's exterior: Painting the home's exterior not only boosts its curb appeal, but it also acts as a home's primary defense against weather, insects, and other damage. Boston homeowners spend the most money hiring a pro to paint their home's exterior and Albuquerque homeowners pay the least to have a pro paint their home's exterior.
* Installing landscaping: Landscaping can dramatically change the look of a house and property. Adding landscaping such as an outdoor patio, flowers or shrubs can increase the value of a home. The average cost of installing landscaping is $2,938.
Source: www.HomeAdvisor.com/cost.  

Big Data's Big Applications for Real Estate

Big Data's Big Applications for Real Estate
By Deborah Kearns

Consumers are hungry for information, and the Internet gives them unprecedented access to all kinds of it with a few clicks. When it comes to searching for a new home, buyers want as much data as possible to help them make informed choices. And sellers want to quickly find market trends and activity to make informed decisions about their home sale.
This is where the concept of big data comes into the picture. Truth is, we’ve always had access to big data, but the Internet just makes it easier for most people to find it faster, says John Heithaus, chief evangelist for RealEstate Business Intelligence (RBI). RBI is a big data subsidiary of mega-MLS MRIS in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic.
Social media, new advertising platforms, improved transactional business processes and more all rely on big data every nanosecond of every day, Heithaus says. Real estate agents need it, too, to help map out their businesses and research market trends so they can expertly advise their clients, armed with the best information possible. While the concept sounds intimidating to some, it’s really not, Heithaus adds.
“Patterns and trends in real estate data can be used to help decide where to locate a new office or how to identify and recruit top-producing agents to your company,” Heithaus says. “Big data also can help you qualify buyer and seller prospects more accurately and achieve higher closing rates. Using big data not only adds value to client interactions but also differentiates your business as a high-tech service firm.”

Pros and Cons
While consumers and real estate professionals alike are benefiting from a huge inflow of data, there’s also such a thing as too much bad data, Heithaus says. Outdated information on websites or data that’s not relevant or value-driven can overwhelm consumers and cause them to make ill-informed choices, he adds.

“That’s why knowledgeable real estate agents make all the difference in the buying and selling process,” Heithaus says. “Having access to big data can never replace the expertise and skills of a trained professional who knows a market inside and out.”
One example of data that can be skewed is the Automated Valuation Models (AVM) used by large real estate search portals. Heithaus says even the best of these algorithm-driven models shows an 8 percent national median variance (and can range as high as 30 percent in some markets.) For a $325,000 house, this is huge in terms of dollar impact, creating a value range swing from $300,000 to $350,000.
“Human nature being what it is, we mentally lock into the higher number, which creates a formidable challenge for real estate agents to overcome depending on their own estimated value. That’s why we need the most recent and relevant local market statistics on hand to back up our valuations.”
What big data might tell us about buying and selling behaviors is one area that promises to help the industry in the long term. At the most recent REALTORS® Conference & Expo, a special session focused on the future implications of big data, particularly how advances in mobile technology could radically change the ways consumers search for real estate online.
Todd Carpenter, NAR’s managing director of Data Analytics, says that mobile devices are providing a wealth of information about how consumers search for homes, and it’s transforming consumers’ experience of buying and selling a home.
“Buyers will increasingly use their smartphone during the search process – oftentimes before first talking to an agent. REALTORS® who adapt and embrace big data will add considerable value to their relationship with clients.”
Winning New Business with Big Data
How do you take an abstract concept like big data and apply it to your day-to-day business? It starts with explaining big data trends in an intelligible way and whittling it all down to relevant, meaningful insights that add value to a real estate transaction.
Jon Wolford is already finding success with using big data. The real estate manager and branch vice president of McEnearney Associates in McLean, Va., says he uses RBI SmartCharts to sift through mountains of information and translate it into easy-to-digest visual charts that inform his agents of the latest Washington, D.C., market trends. In turn, agents take the information – recently sold listings, newest listings and months’ supply, for example – and embed it on their websites as just one avenue of delivery.
“Most often, we’re using the SmartCharts data on social networking sites or in face-to-face meetings with consumers and prospects,” Wolford says. “You can’t just put the data out there, though. It’s what you say about the data that piques people’s interest and sets you apart from the next agent.”
As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace (particularly mobile technology), big data will become a necessary and more immediate part of real estate agents’ businesses.

“Let’s face it: Consumers are far more connected and educated than ever before, and it’s only getting more competitive out there,” Heithaus says. “Smart agents are becoming local market experts and are finding clever ways to show their marketplace what they know to win the business.”
Deborah Kearns is an award-winning writer based in Denver with more than a decade of experience in corporate communications and news journalism. She has covered the real estate industry for more than seven years. For more information, visit www.deborahkearns.com.

When Renovating, Do I Have to Be Concerned with Building Codes and Permits? :: Featured REALTOR - Don Varnadoe

Q: When Renovating, Do I Have to Be Concerned with Building Codes and Permits?

A:  Depending on how your contract is written with the home improvement professional, either you or

Don Varnadoe
(912) 222-2969
St. Simons Island Office

the contractor will be responsible for securing government approval to perform most remodeling jobs.  Building codes set minimum public-safety standards for such things as building design and construction.  Codes vary from one state, county, city, and town to the next, but specialized codes generally exist for plumbing, electricity, and fire.  Each usually involves separate inspections and inspectors.  In addition, permits are generally required when any structural work is planned or the basic living space of a home is altered.  They generally cover new construction, repairs, alterations, demolition, and additions to a structure.  Some jurisdictions require permits to be posted in a visible spot on the premises while the work is being done.  Besides structural changes, permits also may be needed to cover the installation of foundations for tanks and equipment, as well as the construction or demolition of ducts, sprinkler systems, or standpipe systems.

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2015. All rights reserved.

COLDWELL BANKER PLATINUM PARTNERS LAUNCHES INNOVATIVE NEW WEBSITE

The new home page of www.MyCbpp.com

Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners launched a new and innovative website April 15, 2015 with features designed to streamline the user experience, and make it easier than ever for them to find a home or service. This new platform allows the visitor to search homes for sale and homes for rent using simple searches or using customized advanced searches. The suggestive search, now familiar staples of search engines like Google and Bing, is fully integrated into the entire website.  Users can now search homes in neighborhoods and communities by simply typing in the name of the neighborhood, and the website will deliver every home for sale in that neighborhood.  Individual properties will provide comparisons and details of nearby homes, community statistics and demographics, local school information and neighborhood data. As the web grows more complex, this website is designed to deliver exactly what you want with elegant simplicity. 

With offices in 5 distinct markets and membership in 5multiple listing services (MLS), visitors to the site can search for homes and communities in Savannah, Hilton Head, Beaufort, Bluffton, St. Simons, Brunswick, Richmond Hill, Hinesville, and Vidalia.  Membership in all of these MLS’s provides the accuracy national sites cannot provide, as the information comes directly from its original source.

Get all the information on properties that catch your fancy on www.MyCbpp.com!

Consumer habits have shifted.  Just 3 years ago, users searched the internet on a desktop 85% of the time.  Consumers are now just as likely to use their smart phone as they are their desktops.  Any website not flexible enough to present information in a form that fits the consumers preference no matter what device they use has a tall hill to climb.  “Research shows that homebuyers today are predominantly accessing real estate websites from their smart phones and tablets over 50%of the time. This new site offers accuracy and ease of use whether searching at your desktop, smart phone, or iPad,” states Tom Woiwode, Project and Sales manager of Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners.

Among the many enhancements, the site is fully integrated with social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest and features blog posts by Realtors with the firm.  Sellers can receive weekly reports on web traffic, and buyers can create custom searches based on their own criteria that will automatically alert them when anything that meets their needs comes on the market.  All of this delivered on a visually appealing, intuitive platform without popup windows, distractions, or annoying advertisements.  Most important, consumer information is private, need to know only, and never shared or sold to anyone.

In the last several years, real estate data is everywhere on the internet and accuracy has become one of the largest stumbling blocks for the national websites.  Some may believe with information so readily available, the need for local websites has become obsolete.  “To the contrary, we have found folks to be data rich and information poor, and they seek out local expertise from Realtors to help them turn the data into useful information.  As more data has become available, the use of Realtors has actually increased.  Local websites are where Realtors are engaged.  The local website is the safe harbor where consumers can escape the hurricane of data, and find pertinent, actionable information from local experts” adds Connie Ray, Owner and CEO.

“Real Estate…Done Right” is the motto Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners began using recently to send the message to its clients and customers of the their dedicated effort to provide state of the art technology coupled uncompromising principles of professionalism and service.  The recent launch of this new website is just one of the steps on their journey of excellence.

Congratulations March's Top Agents!

Congratulations!!

What's Hot in Hollywood: A Peek inside Celebrity Real Estate

By Nick Caruso

Regardless of the ever-changing market, there is one kind of buyer who is always on the prowl for new toys and the latest and greatest status symbols; one who is ready to go with copious cash in hand and a hunger to expand his or her portfolio. When it comes to real estate, these buyers are in a league of their own. Welcome to the world of celebrity real estate! A land where real estate is always on fire, where typical make-or-break factors like mortgage rates, inventory and inspections are rarely problematic. It’s a market full of swank palaces, delicious waterfronts and a true luxury market where, for many buyers, the sky’s the limit.

To get a true snapshot of what this unique, high-end market is like, we spoke to Lisa Johnson Mandell, HGTV’s Los Angeles Correspondent covering Hollywood’s most coveted celebrity homes. According to her, celebrities these days are eating up Mid-century Modern architecture and design.

“It’s huge out here,” she says. “It’s a very easy style to adapt to when re-doing a house. You can strip it down, it’s neat, clean, clutter-free—it’s really hot right now.”

While different neighborhoods in LA are cooling off, others are picking up. What’s really heating up lately is Los Feliz, which according to Johnson Mandell is “even hotter by the second.” Los Feliz was originally home to many of the greats including Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford, but has since been appealing slightly more to the middle class, with loads of bungalows popping up and quickly being snatched up and redone.

Though (slightly) less may be more in Los Feliz, that certainly isn’t the case in other parts of this lavish area of coastal California. Take Hacienda De La Paz, for example, with its 51,000 square feet of living space, located in the exclusive gated city of Rolling Hills. An estate 17 years in the making, the home has its own marble-walled ballroom and a 10,000 square foot Turkish bath (or hammam), with hand-crafted ceilings and 24-carat gold-plated tiling. You have to see it to believe it.

Or how about the Beverly Hills home of Notch (aka, Markus Persson, Minecraft creator)? It took $70 million to outbid Beyoncé and Jay Z, but Notch secured himself 23,000 square feet, 15 baths, 8 bedrooms and 5 different bars, including a tequila bar, vodka bar and a candy bar. The real jaw-dropper? It has a car showroom that doubles as party central: it can showcase Maseratis or Ferraris on rotating display turntables that could also be used as dance floors. (Basically, it’s a home most of us can only dream about...or see on TV!)

What’s missing in these two homes that seemingly have everything? Their very own vineyards, which Johnson Mandell says have become quite the commodity for many of the west coast’s luxury and celebrity buyers.

“Everybody wants a vineyard these days,” she says. “The bigger and better the wine-making facilities, the more prestigious your house is.”

If agriculture is your thing, an olive grove with olive oil pressing facilities are also very in. “They’re super ‘status symbol’ right now,” she says.

Another rarity to us common folk that’s winding up on many celebrities’ must lists: spa rooms with pink salt walls, which Johnson Mandell says is “a really big deal” in the LA market. Himalayan pink salt helps purify air which can relieve respiratory conditions and seasonal allergies. They can also naturally cleanse the air in a room without risks of synthetic purification methods.

Ritzy amenities aside, the Los Angeles/Hollywood market is truly one of its own; in fact, it remained largely unchanged even throughout the recession, a very trying time for many other markets in the nation.

“During the recession, the houses that were $8 million and above—prices didn’t go down. People who had a lot of money were snapping them up anyway. It wasn’t actually a problem.”

That said, Johnson Mandell noted that celebrities with homes valued under $5 million did take somewhat of a beating. Today, however, there are plenty of homes in that price range and it’s currently a quite healthy market.

“The challenge out here is finding the cool pocket listings that don’t go in the MLS. People like Ellen DeGeneres and Leonardo DiCaprio—celebrities who buy and sell a lot of homes – those are the ones they’re looking for.”

More Celebrity Scoops from Lisa Johnson Mandell:

Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston has also been busy in real estate. He built a beach house on the Ventura County coast that is totally green and uses all sustainable materials. Cranston tore down the old property on the land to make way for his new pad that is run via solar and wind energy. Even the treatment on the walls is green and malleable – nicks or scratches can be massaged out of it. It just may be the future of celebrity real estate. Learn more about his unique and futuristic home here.

Speaking of Breaking Bad, Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) sold his Mid-century Modern in the Hollywood Hills for $2.5 million and bought another older, Spanish style home for $3.3 million. Says Johnson Mandell: “He’s a smart real estate investor. It’s a better location, but they’re both really cool, tricked out, tastefully done homes.”

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West recently purchased a home in Hidden Hills. With two pools, a master suite and a vineyard in the front yard, the home could easily host a 500 person fundraiser, and that’s including parking all the cars on the property, says Johnson Mandell. The home boasts incredible landscaping and an aesthetically pleasing property but had one exception when the couple moved in: an ugly shack of a home on a hill overlooking their backyard, which the couple bought for an additional $3 million. “In any other market, the sellers wouldn’t even have gotten $300,000. They could’ve sold it earlier, but they were waiting for something big—they were crazy smart,” she says.

Scarlett Johansson snatched up a new estate in Los Feliz. “She was really smart to buy in that area. She’s had some mishaps with her real estate, but she got a relatively good price on that house,” says Johnson Mandell. The $3.88 million home is a traditional Spanish Colonial style that's on a good chunk of land and extremely private thanks to its walls and hedges. It’s at the end of a cul-de-sac and accentuated with lots of mature foliage. With her husband living in Paris and her busy A-list schedule, Johansson doesn’t have a money pit, but rather this manageable 3,500 square foot crib.

For a mere $13 million, Rihanna's rental on a gated and private Pacific Palisades knoll has recently come back on the market after being on again, off again. It's estimated that the eight-time Grammy winner was willing to fork over $65,000 to $100,000 per month for the privilege of living there for an undisclosed amount of time. It's sleek, sexy and super clean, with seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms in 11,000 square feet of living space connected by an elevator.

Lisa Johnson Mandell is an author, critic and reporter who has been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, Fox News, CNN, PBS and the BBC, as well as publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. She has interviewed hundreds of celebrities, and as the Los Angeles Correspondent for HGTV's Frontdoor.com, has toured their homes. For more of her Hollywood real estate scoops, visit her website At Home in Hollywood.

This post was originally published on RISMedia's blog, Housecall. Check the blog daily for top real estate tips and trends for you and your clients.

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2015. All rights reserved.

Ask the Expert: What Is the Best Way for an Agent Team to Increase Production?

In today’s Ask the Expert column, we spoke with Randall Standard, CEO of Voicepad, a leading source for lead-generating mobile and Telecom technology, and inventor of TeamPhone, who shares his insights into the best way for an agent team to increase production.
Randall Standard: If you look at the most successful teams in America, the one thing they all have in common is they have systems. Just like a brokerage, to maximize profitability, teams need systems that are centralized, automated and always available.
One area that offers a great opportunity for increased production, especially for teams, is to focus on handling calls that originate from the curb.
Some of the highest quality leads in the industry originate from the front yard of a listing. These people are ready to buy a home, and when they call, they want their call answered.
Yet we’ve found that 42 percent of all calls originating from the curb today terminate in an agent’s voicemail.
It’s not the agent’s fault. No one can be available 100 percent of the time. But if a team has the right technology, they can identify which of these calls are a real priority and not just another caller ID from out of town.
Think Mobile
When buyers call from the curb, they’re standing in front of a home they either want to see or have questions about.
Teams need technology that takes advantage of information derived from phone calls. Unlike Web leads, phone calls tell an agent who the buyers are (often by name), their cellphone numbers, and, with the right technology, the listings that have captured their interest.
Unfortunately, 90 percent of yard signs today give buyers just two options: Call the broker/team phone number or an agent’s phone number. There’s a high likelihood that neither of these phone numbers will be answered when called (evenings and weekends), and the buyer simply moves on down the block, calling another yard sign until somebody actually answers the phone. This happens millions of times a year.
The real estate industry has aspired to respond quickly to missed opportunities for years. But that’s the point. It’s much harder to follow up on a missed opportunity than it is to actually handle an inquiry when it arrives. Technology such as simultaneous ring and speech-enabled listing data are now available on the phone numbers that teams are using, and they’re relatively inexpensive and easy to implement. It’s a lot cheaper than having a human available to handle calls 24/7.
Imagine how your team’s production would increase if you provided every buyer who called your yard signs with updated audio-based property info (in multiple languages), including an automated text link to property information that can be tracked by phone number and name.
Remember, almost all sign inquiries originate from a mobile phone. The great opportunity for the real estate industry—which remains very call-centric—is to leverage the information gained from phone and text inquiries and convert them into actionable leads (i.e., phone number and name, versus an email address).
Agent follow-up attempts are much more successful with a potential homebuyer’s phone number (to call or text) than a Gmail address. If you doubt this, just ask any agent.
For more information, visit www.voicepad.com.

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2015. All rights reserved.

5 Ways to Increase Curb Appeal, Value

(Family Features)—Whether you're planning to list your home for sale soon or you're simply working to maintain features that attracted you to the charming abode in the first place, careful attention to curb appeal is a must.
In the real estate world, the saying to avoid judging a book by its cover does not apply. The exterior of your home sends an important message about its character, and even its value, making people eager to see what is inside. This first impression sets expectations for the entire property for potential buyers, appraisers and even your guests.
Keep your house looking young and inviting with these five home care tips:
1. Look at the landscaping. Curb appeal is about the whole picture your home presents, which includes your lawn, shrubs and features such as flower beds and rock gardens. Keep grass neatly trimmed and prune vegetation for a well-kept look. Also give your home a thorough look from the street. Are trees or shrubs obscuring an appealing architectural detail? Does vegetation dwarf your home, making it seem small? Would a pop of color from some flowering plants add to the overall look?

2. Beware of dingy dirt. Because you see your home every day, you may not realize the exterior has become dull with a layer of dust and dirt. An adjustable pressure washer will let you wash siding, garage doors and shutters without stripping paint as well as delicate items such as glass top patio tables. Then switch to the high flow mode, which delivers up to five gallons per minute for extended reach to clean second story windows, eaves and gutters or to blast away hard-to-reach cobwebs and insect nests.

3. Update with paint. If a thorough washing leaves a ho-hum look behind, it may be time to revisit your home's exterior color scheme. Even modest adjustments, from pale beige to a deeper tan, for example, can completely alter the look. Or, focus on adding color to the trim, door and shutters if new, all-over color is out of the question.

4. Wash where you walk. The favorable impression created by impeccable landscaping and a fresh, clean facade can be swept away in an instant if sidewalks, driveways and patios are unsightly. Skip the messy buckets and brush, and instead reach for a high pressure, high flow pressure washer such as those featuring Briggs & Stratton's POWERflow+ technology, which include adjustable pressure and flow as well as power-soaping detergent tanks to let you clean tough stains then quickly wash them away with a single machine.

5. Dote on the details. Decks, fences, mailboxes, birdbaths, gazebos and other decorative features all factor into your home's exterior image. Thoroughly clean these items, repair any loose or broken pieces such as fence slats, and apply a fresh coat of paint or stain, if needed.

Source: www.powerflowplus.com.

Get Inspired by Outdoor Living Ideas :: Featured REALTOR Pam Gouty

(Family Features)—Inspired by neighbors, home improvement shows and social media channels like Pinterest and Houzz, today's homeowners are entering the deck planning and building process more informed than ever before. But sorting through this wealth of information and inspiration can make it hard to decipher what's really hot for today's outdoor spaces - and to choose what's right for your home. 

Pam GoutyFeatured REALTOR
South Carolina
(843) 271-1240

Surveying the wide variety of options is the first step in deciding how you'll approach designing your outdoor space. Start by considering some of the top influences expected to dominate the outdoor living landscape this season, according to the experts at Trex Company, a manufacturer of wood-alternative decking and railing.

Designing outside the box. Gone are the days of simple squared-off decks and basic slab patios. Regardless of the size of the yard - or budget - homeowners today are thinking and building beyond the basic square space. Remodelers and architects report increased interest from customers in decks with multiple levels, curves, cantilevers, pergolas and even walls to create three-dimensional interest and define different functional areas.

Bringing the indoors out. The lines between indoors and out will continue to blur as homeowners look to extend the style, comfort and function of their interior spaces to their outdoor living areas. More and more indoor activities are migrating outside with the addition of features such as outdoor kitchens, dining nooks and fireplaces. Demand also is up for features like integrated benches with cushions and accent pillows, storage components and lighting, along with accessories such as ornamental post caps and railing with decorative balusters similar to those found inside the home.

Tropical staycation. From New England to Southern California, the look of the tropics will dominate as a top outdoor design scheme. Materials that evoke the ambiance of an exotic island getaway are all the rage, from tiki torches, cabanas and waterfalls to deck boards featuring warm colors and multi-colored streaking inspired by tropical hardwoods.

High performance, low maintenance. While aesthetics drive many deck-building decisions, performance is just as important. Increasingly, homeowners are seeking high-performance, low maintenance materials that allow them to spend more time enjoying their outdoor living space than maintaining it.

This motivation has contributed to the continued innovation and popularity of composite decking and railing. Unlike wood, high-performance wood alternative decking such as Trex resists fading, staining, scratching and mold. Upkeep is hassle-free with no sanding, staining or painting required, and food and drink spills wash off easily with just soap and water.

Source: www.trex.com.