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Cleaning House: Secrets of a Truly Deep Clean |
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Deep cleaning your house is that top-to-bottom, take-no-dust-bunny-prisoners, mother-in-law-quality cleaning that truly maintains the value of your home. Here are frequently overlooked areas that a little spit and polish wouldn't hurt. De-bug the light fixtures See that bug burial ground within your overhead fixtures? Turn off the lights and carefully remove fixture covers, dump out flies and wash with hot soapy water. While you're up there, dust bulbs. Dry everything thoroughly before replacing the cover. Vacuum heat vents and registers Dirt and dust build up in heat vents and along register blades. Vents also are great receptacles for coins and missing buttons. Unscrew vent covers from walls or pluck them from floors, remove foreign objects, and vacuum inside the vent. Clean grates with a damp cloth and screw back tightly. Polish hardware To deep clean brass door hinges, handles, and cabinet knobs, thoroughly wipe with a damp microfiber cloth, then polish with Wright's or Weiman brass cleaner ($4). Dish soap shines up glass or stainless steel knobs. Use a Q-tip to detail the ornamental filigree on knobs and handles. Replace grungy switch plates Any amateur can wipe a few fingerprints off cover plates that hide light switches, electric outlets, phone jacks, and cable outlets. But only deep cleaners happily remove plates to vacuum and swipe the gunk behind. (OK, we're a little OCD when it comes to dirt!) Make sure cover plates are straight when you replace them. And pitch plates that are beyond the help of even deep cleaning. New ones cost less than $2 each. Neaten weather stripping Peeling, drooping weather stripping on doors and windows makes rooms look old. If the strip still has some life, nail or glue it back. If it's hopeless, cut out and replace sections, or just pull the whole thing off and start new. A 10-ft. roll of foam weather stripping costs $8; 16-ft. vinyl costs about $15. Replace stove drip pans Some drip pans are beyond the scrub brush. Replacing them costs about $3 each and instantly freshens your stove. Jane Hoback is a veteran business writer who has written for the Rocky Mountain News, Natural Foods Merchandiser magazine, and ColoradoBIZ Magazine. Read more: http://www.houselogic.com/articles/cleaning-house-secrets-truly-deep-clean/#ixzz1GI9gQwsb | |
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Local Realtor Serves On Governor's Housing Policy Committee |
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Dave Kisamore, Sales Manager with Coldwell Banker Funkhouser Realtors, is a member of the Governor's Housing Policy Advisory Committee. The committee is working to make reccomendations to the Governor on Virginia housing policies. Governor McDonnell recently released the new Virginia Housing Policy website. The site states "Housing helps define communities and is a major component in determining the quality of life for individuals, families, and the Commonwealth general prosperity." A healthy housing market not only supports our national and local economies, but also creates a greater sense of community leading to safer neighborhoods, better public schools and a greater quality of life. Governor McDonnell outlines the housing policy framework as follows:
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Joe Funkhouser Named To Real Estate Board |
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GOVERNOR MCDONNELL APPOINTS
The Virginia Real Estate Board regulates businesses and individuals representing others in real property transactions. The Board writes and enforces state real estate regulations as directed by the Code of Virginia. "I'm honored to accept the Governor's appointment," said Funkhouser. "This board plays a vital role in governing the actions of real estate licensees, protecting the interests of the public and setting the professional standard in our industry. Throughout my career, I have been passionate about Professional Standards of the real estate industry and serving the interests of clients and the public." Funkhouser will begin his four year term immediately. He was previously appointed to this board by Governor Allen from 1995 to 2003 and served as Chairman for nearly seven years. He has also served as President of the Virginia Association of REALTORS® and Vice President of the National Association of REALTORS®. "We applaud the Governor's appointment of REALTOR® Joe Funkhouser to the Real Estate Board," said Scott Brunner, CEO of the Virginia Association of REALTORS®. "He understands dual roles of the Real Estate Board in protecting consumers and serving the licensing needs of real estate practitioners, and he'll bring informed, experienced leadership and wisdom to his role in regulating About Joe Funkhouser Joe entered the real estate business in 1972 after service in the US Military. In 1975 he started what is now Coldwell Banker Funkhouser Realtors. Joe has held leadership positions at the local, state and national levels within the real estate industry. In 1995, Governor George Allen appointed Joe to the Virginia Real Estate Regulatory Board where he served two terms and was chairman 6 ˝ of his eight years on the board. Joe has served on the Executive Committee of the National Association of REALTORS® (the largest trade association in the In 2010, Joe was appointed by Governor McDonnell to the Governor's Economic Development and Job Creation Commission. Within the Coldwell Banker Funkhouser Realtors and Coldwell Banker Commercial Funkhouser Realtors serve the ### | |
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Real Estate Firm Merger Offers New Opportunities In Today's Market |
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Two Local Firms Merge To Provide Clients & Associates State-Of-The-Art Real Estate Services
For the last two years, After being approached by Joe, Philip Constable did his own research to see what local firms would be the best fit if he decided to merge his company. "I talked with several Brokers and realized the firm which had the closest structure and business philosophy of ours was Coldwell Banker Funkhouser Realtors," said Constable. This business philosophy is founded on Integrity, Honesty, Professionalism and Knowledge. "Our company is founded on principles that we expect each associate to carry forward in our service to clients and customers," said The thought of a merger between the two firms began last year and was focused on how to provide better service to associates and clients, "Joe and I met many times over the last year to formulate a merger that would bring our two firms together under one roof and create not only the largest real estate firm in the region but also the most professionally trained associates and the firm with the best cutting edge technology in the industry," said Philip Constable who will now serve as Associate Broker and a Sales Manager of Coldwell Banker Funkhouser Realtors. Some of the many tools available to associates include websites, virtual tours, social media, graphic design assistance, marketing consultants and a strong management team of industry leaders. "Our company is here to support our associates. Whether it is a question about building a successful marketing plan or the effects of new laws on our business,we are here to make our associates successful in helping clients," said Over the past 12 months, the combined companies have represented clients in the sale of 662 properties totaling $127,845,895 in sales volume. The firm will now have 95 full service licensees, making it the largest real estate firm in the region. "The size of our firm is a great advantage to our associates and our clients. When someone chooses to work with our real estate firm they are not hiring just one of our associates, they are working with a team of real estate professionals dedicated to their real estate needs," said Funkhouser. Along with its sister company, Coldwell Banker Commercial Funkhouser Realtors, Coldwell Banker Funkhouser Realtors provides services in Residential and Commercial Brokerage, Residential and Commercial Property Management, Farms and Land Brokerage and Property Appraisal. The company was founded in 1975 by For more information about Coldwell Banker Funkhouser Realtors, visit www.cbfunkhouser.com or call (540) 434-2400. | |
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Senate Bill To Extend Closing Date For Tax Credit |
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A bipartisan effort among three Senators is seeking to extend the June 30th closing deadline for homebuyers taking advantage of the federal tax credit. The bill would extend the closing deadline to September 30th if passed by Congress. Read more: http://bit.ly/9U2znA | |
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Joe Funkhouser Appointed to Governor's Commission |
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 Joe Funkhouser, President of Coldwell Banker Funkhouser Realtors, has been appointed to the Virginia Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission. As reported by the Virginia Business magazine, "The commission was McDonnell's first executive order, which he issued the same day he was inaugurated. The commission is charged with developing a plan to encourage business investment and create jobs in the recession's aftermath.The commission will first meet in May and deliver its report to McDonnell in October." Other Commission appointees include Lt. Governor Bolling, the former CEO of Circuit City, Chairman of CarMax, President of the Virginia Biotechnology Association, Director of Workforce for Northrop Grumman, President of the Virginia Biotechnology Park and others.  Read the full story: Virginia Business: http://www.virginiabusiness.com/index.php/news/article/mcdonnell-appoints-64-members-to-development-and-jobs-commission/ Washington Post: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/04/post_675.html WHSV: http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/91546379.html Richmond Times Dispatch: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/state_regional_govtpolitics/article/MCDO20_20100419-222003/338565/ | |
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New Lead Based Paint Regulations In Effect Today |
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EPA Issues New Regulations for Renovation, Repair and Painting Activities Under the Residential Lead-based Hazard Reduction Act of 1992, Congress required EPA to develop regulations to address renovation, repair and painting (RRP) activities in single and multi-family housing built before 1978. The purpose of the new rule is to reduce children's exposure to dust containing lead paint created during the course of these activities. This rule goes into effect on April 22, 2010. These rules require contractors and renovators to get trained and certified in EPA's new lead-based paint work practices. The rules apply only to licensed contractors – do-it-yourselfers will still be able to do RRP work on their own without being trained or certified and without getting fined. View the National Association of Realtors Video: Compliance responsibilities for real estate professionals under this new rule are minimal. However, real estate professionals with some property management activity and property managers may face some additional compliance activities. There are no new disclosure compliance responsibilities, no new forms, or revisions to the existing disclosure forms. If any testing is done associated with any Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) activities, the results of that testing must be disclosed. - The bulk of responsibility to comply with this new rule rests with contractors and remodelers. They must be trained and certified by EPA to conduct the new lead paint safe work practices while performing RRP activities in pre-1978 housing, by April 22, 2010. - Only trained and certified contractors should be recommended to clients. - For Realtors who also have some property management in their portfolio: if they do the RRP work themselves for properties that they manage, they need to be trained and certified in the new lead-paint safe work practices. If they hire outside contractors to conduct this RRP work for them, these contractors must be trained and certified. - For property managers: in-house workers who perform RRP activities must be trained and certified in the new work practices. If they hire outside contractors to conduct this RRP work for them, these contractors must be trained and certified. - All workers must be trained to comply with the new rules on April 22, 2010. Workers will not be "grandfathered in" if they are in the middle of a RRP project. Work on the project must stop and all workers must be trained before work can continue. Exemptions: These rules may be waived under the following conditions:
For additional information on this new rule, please go to http://www.realtor.org/government_affairs/lead_paint_main | |
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The Race To The Finish Is On! |
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Buyer activity in our local market is high as the race is on to contract prior to the April 30th Federal Tax Credit deadline. In conversations with local real estate professionals and home inspectors, it is estimated that as much as 40% of current buyers are in the market to take advantage of the tax credit. |
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Federal Administration forces banks to accept short sales |
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A new program from the Obama administration hopes to take a plunger to theshort-sale process by essentially forcing banks to accept less than theborrowed amount for a property. It will also pay those delinquent homeowners$1500 to help with relocation. The idea is that a short sale isbetter for everyone -- banks, underwater owners, and communities. Banks willtake a hit, but less of one than if the home went into foreclosure. Homeownerswill take a credit hit, but, again, less than with a foreclosure. Andcommunities would avoid having empty, foreclosed homes sitting around. This is economics on a grand scale,so -- despite what various talking heads say -- it's really impossible to knowif and how well this will work. But the Administration hopes it will be anotherfoot helping to kick-start the economy. | |
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McMansion Days Are Over??? |
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The term "McManison" was popularized during the boom in the real estate market. Dictionary.com defines the term as 'an excessively large home built on relatively small acreage', synonymous to 'starter castle'. As Americans purchasing power increased during the market buildup so did their desire to have a larger home. Are the days of the McMansion over? CBS MarketWatch reports that the average square footage of a new home is down to 2,480 from 2,520. If this trend continues buyers may look towards more efficient homes and pay less attention to owning the largest home on the block. | |
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Week In Review |
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Weekly Residential Market Report Week Ending October 9, 2009  Current Properties Available on the Market: 914 Current Properties Under Contract/Pending:140 Average Listings During A Week in 2009: 35 Average Under Contract A Week in 2009: 18 Average Sold A Week in 2009: 16 | |
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The Week In Review |
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Weekly Residential Market Report Week Ending October 2, 2009 BRIEF ANALYSIS Strong sales in August lead to more closings in October while current under contracts continue fall below yearly averages. If these numbers continue, we can expect to see more homes closing in October, but sales falling off as we head into the Winter season. Here are this week's numbers:  Current Properties Available on the Market: 903 Current Properties Under Contract/Pending:136 Average Listings During A Week in 2009: 35 Average Under Contract A Week in 2009: 18 Average Sold A Week in 2009: 16 | |
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The Week In Review |
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Weekly Residential Market Report Week Ending September 25, 2009 BRIEF ANALYSIS New Listings were once again below the yearly averge for the third week in a row. Under Contracts were also below yearly average this week. Here are the numbers for this week:  Current Properties Available on the Market: 914 Current Properties Under Contract/Pending:151 Average Listings During A Week in 2009: 35 Average Under Contract A Week in 2009: 18 Average Sold A Week in 2009: 15 | |
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The Week In Review |
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Weekly Residential Market Report Week Ending September 18, 2009 BRIEF ANALYSIS New listings are down this week and the yearly trend line has now shifted to a negative slope! This is good news for equality in supply and demand. This week was one of the most level markets conditions we have seen this year with 23 new listing and 23 under contracts. Here are the numbers for this week:  Current Properties Available on the Market: 921 Current Properties Under Contract/Pending:155 Average Listings During A Week in 2009: 36 Average Under Contract A Week in 2009: 18 Average Sold A Week in 2009: 15 | |
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30 Year Fixed Rate Hits Lowest Level Since May |
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According to data released this morning by Freddie Mac, the 30 year fixed rate mortgage has fallen to the lowest level since May 28. The current rate is 5.04% with a .7% point. Historically low interest rates means now is a great time to buy a home! | |
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Will Housing Sales Fall As The Season Does? |
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Step outside and enjoy the Fall season! Low humidity, leaves changing colors, preparing for tailgate parties, kids back in school....so many reasons to love this time of the year! But, what does the season mean for housing sales? Before we get to what historical numbers tell us, lets look at why this year may show stronger than normal sales numbers: 1) The $8,000 Federal First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit expires the last day of November. 2) Historically low interest rates. 3) Access to many financing programs for today's buyer. 4) Large invetory of homes allowing buyers room to negotiate in most cases. The combination of these buying incentives have not existed in the past. Today's buyers should be in the market and taking advantage of these rare conditions. These factors should lead to strong sales throughout the Fall season. Historic numbers would suggest this will not be the case. Since 2005, sales have dropped on average nearly 3% between the 2nd and 3rd quarters and nearly 27% between the 3rd and 4th quarters. These numbers indicate this Fall will push sales to the lowest numbers we have seen in many years. Will the advantages of today's buyer's market overcome historical data? What do you think? Stay tuned for sales data as we 'Fall' into the seasonal market.  Source: Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. This information is believe to be accurate, but cannot be guaranteed. | |
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The Week In Review |
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Weekly Residential Market Report Week Ending September 11, 2009 BRIEF ANALYSIS A slightly slower week as new listings, under contracts and solds dipped below the yearly average. Now that football season is here and kids are back to school, it will be interesting to track market activity as we head into the fall season. Check back this week as we write about the history of the local housing market during the fall season. Here are the numbers for this week:  Current Properties Available on the Market: 928 Current Properties Under Contract/Pending:148 Average Listings During A Week in 2009: 36 Average Under Contract A Week in 2009: 18 Average Sold A Week in 2009: 16 | |
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City's First 'Green Roof' |
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Today's Daily News Record featured an article on the 'Green Roof' at Urban Exchange. Urban Exchange is a residential and commercial development located in historic downtown Harrisonburg. It features two buildings, each with four floors of residential space for lease. Coldwell Banker Commercial Funkhouser Realtors is offering the residential and commercial space for lease. | |
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The Week In Review |
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Weekly Residential Market Report Week Ending September 4, 2009 BRIEF ANALYSIS Score one for the supply side this week. New Listings jumped up 43% this week to a level not seen since the spring market. Homes going under contract decreased 10% since last week. Again, proof in the numbers that this is a great market for buyers in so many ways. If you are thinking about purchasing a home or investment property, now may be the right time for you. Here are the numbers for this week:  Current Properties Available on the Market: 917 Current Properties Under Contract/Pending:147 Average Listings During A Week in 2009: 36 Average Under Contract A Week in 2009: 18 Average Sold A Week in 2009: 16 | |
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New Zoning Ordinance Proposal in Bridgewater, VA |
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Bridgewater may see changes to its zoning ordinance soon that will limit the number of people allowed in a single-family home. The ordinane will allow for 3.1 people per bedroom according to the Daily News Record. | |
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Coldwell Banker Funkhouser Realtors
Coldwell Banker
Funkhouser Realtors
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Commonwealth of Virginia
