The Judy Niemeyer Team Blog

Have you ever chosen a paint color from one of those little paint chips only to get home and discover the newly painted wall in your Mobile Eastern Shore home doesn’t look anything like the paint chip? Frustrating isn’t it? Sherwin Williams has a great tool to eliminate that frustration!

The Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer is an online color tool that allows you to choose the right colors for your Mobile Eastern Shore home. You can view how your room will look when painted with one of their 1,500 colors. Once you have found your perfect paint colors, you can print the color information and a coupon to bring to your local Sherwin-Williams paint store. You can choose from one of their sample scenes or upload your own photo!

View the Demo.

Launch the Color Visualizer.

Have fun brightening up your ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Mobile Eastern Shore home!

Search all Mobile Eastern Shore homes for sale.

The Judy Niemeyer Team knows that selling or buying a Mobile Eastern Shore home is a major event in your life. It represents one of the largest single investments you may make in your lifetime. It is, therefore, our Goal to make this experience a seamless one. Whether buying Mobile Eastern Shore real estate or marketing Mobile Eastern Shore homes for sale, we will provide unparalleled professional, quality service and the most productive approach to achieving your goals.

You can contact Judy by email or by calling 251-990-0569.

Tags: choosing colors, home ownership, judy niemeyer, mobile eastern shore home, mobile eastern shore real estate

Once your home is listed on the open market and aggressively advertised, an offer can come in at any time. Although that is what you want – to sell your home – it may feel like everything is moving very quickly, especially if you get an offer a day or two after your Mobile Eastern Shore home goes up for sale! It’s important to be prepared to make a decision quickly when the offer meets your criteria, but often sellers have a tendency to wait and see if they receive more or better offers. You will ultimately have to decide what to do, but it is not necessarily safe to assume that there will be a better offer in the future.

If an offer comes in that meets all your requirements, it’s good to remember the old ‘bird in the hand’ saying. Sometimes properties stay on the market for months because a seller has refused a first offer to wait for a higher one that never comes. You should definitely have already set in your mind what would be acceptable to you in terms of price, your desired net, deposit, financing, contingencies, incentives, conveyances, and closing date, and careful review of these elements should be helpful in making your decision. Remember, you have three options: accept the offer, reject the offer, counter the offer.

If you are not fully satisfied with the offer presented to you, you can make a counter offer.

Typically, counter offers will state that the seller has accepted the buyer’s offer subject to the following particulars which can address such items as:

• Total consideration (generally a higher price)
• Increasing the size of the earnest money deposit
• Refusal to pay for certain reports or fees
• Changing service providers
• Altering closing or possession date
• Excluding personal property from the contract
• Modifying contingency time frames

Just as a seller can submit a counter offer to a buyer, a buyer can counter the seller’s counter, which will then become a counter-counter offer . There is no limit to the number of counter offers that can be submitted back and forth, but counter offers do contain time expirations . If the two parties involved in the sale of your Mobile Eastern Shore home finally reach an agreement, make certain that everything is in writing!
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Tags: home selling tips, judy niemeyer, mobile eastern shore home, mobile eastern shore real estate

No, this isn’t just another timely spooky story, although it just may have to do with ghosts!  Be you a believer or a scoffer, the fact is that there are pieces of Mobile Eastern Shore real estate on the market which are purported to be haunted and thus far more difficult to sell than an ordinary home.  Known as “stigmatized” properties, these houses have the reputation of being haunted or are the site of a previous violent crime–and the perception of ghosts and gore is not easy to erase.

So what to do?  First, check with your Realtor to see if you’re required to disclose information about the stigma attached to your Mobile Eastern Shore real estate because you could be spooked by a lawsuit if you don’t.  Regardless of what the state dictates, being upfront about your home’s paranormal guests or ghoulish histories is always the best moral policy.  

Okay, that’s the first step.  Then what?  Be sure to pay attention the appearance of your property—inside and out.  To minimize the presence (imagined or real) of ghosts, your home needs to look spirit-free and inviting on the outside. Clean up a dark, forbidding atmosphere; clear away any dead trees, especially those with hanging branches; replace rusty iron gates with a white picket fence, get rid of unwanted residents like stray cats and spiders. On the inside, think warm, bright, and clutter-free. Getting rid of darkness and gloom that could promote the idea of spirits may require removing outdated, musty furniture, antique rugs, old pictures of ancestors, and other items that contribute to an “eerie atmosphere” so that you can alleviate any pre-conceived notions in potential buyers.

If you simply cannot dispel persistent beliefs about the “dark side” of your Mobile Eastern Shore real estate, you may have to resort to (gasp!) bringing in a ghost buster.  David Frankin Farkas, owner of HouseHealing.com, makes a full-time living by ridding properties of specters and/or negative energy.  Farkas claims that formerly-haunted houses frequently sell in a matter of days after he has completed his task.  Click here to find groups who will investigate paranormal activity in your home.
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Tags: judy niemeyer, mobile eastern shore homes, mobile eastern shore real estate, stygimatized property

Given the number and severity of natural disasters world-wide this year, it is no wonder that owners of Mobile Eastern Shore real estate are becoming increasingly concerned about their insurance coverage for damages caused by these disasters, especially floods. According to FEMA, flooding is the number one natural disaster across the United States, and this spring brings with it the probability of extremely high water and flooding.       

Since your basic homeowner’s insurance policy will not cover damage due to rising water, (i.e. water that collects as a result of an overflow of a body of water or surface water runoff), you would be well advised to research flood insurance policies for your Mobile Eastern Shore real estate. Think you’re safe because you live in a moderate-to-low-risk flood area? Think again. About 25% of all flood insurance claims come from areas with just such a designation!       

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a federal program that offers flood insurance to homeowners who reside in an NFIP community. It is a good idea to determine your community’s flood risk. There are three types of policies available to owners of Mobile Eastern Shore real estate: the standard dwelling; general property (for businesses and apartments); and residential condominium building association, and each can be purchased through most leading insurance companies (you can call NFIP at 888-379-9531 for a referral) for a relatively low fee paid once a year. Average residential premiums cost about $570 a year, but a low-risk policy can be had for as little as $129 and covers the foundation of your home and the equipment needed for the home’s normal function (i.e. furnace, water heater, and electrical system). You can also purchase additional coverage for furniture, appliances, and personal possessions 

As with other types of insurance, it’s important to know exactly what your policy covers, information about deductibles, rates, payment, and claim procedures. One area not covered is the basement, so finished walls, floors, and personal belongings found there are not claimable. For residential policies the maximum coverage is $250, 000 for the structure and $100, 000 for personal property. For businesses and commercial properties the limits are increased to $500, 000 for both. Rates are set, do not vary from agent to agent, and depend on factors such as your home’s age, type of construction, and location. Like other policies, having a higher deductible lowers the amount of the premium but will reduce your claim payment.  Be advised that unless flood insurance is required by your lender, there will typically be a 30-day waiting period before your policy goes into effect.       
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Tags: flood insurance, insuring your home, judy niemeyer, mobile eastern shore homes for sale, mobile eastern shore real estate

In recent years of ever-increasing fees by service repair companies and continued belt-tightening by home buyers, the provision of home warranty protection plans by sellers has become a rather common–and even expected–incentive. The knowledge that they won’t be hit by unexpected repair bills in the first year after purchasing their Mobile Eastern Shore home is reassuring to buyers, especially first-timers who have no experience in home maintenance.

A home warranty plan is essentially a service contract that covers a major housing system, for example, plumbing or electrical wiring — for a set period of time from the date a house is sold. The warranty guarantees repairs to the covered system and is renewable.

How Much Does a Home Warranty Cost?

They are fairly inexpensive, typically ranging from $250 to $400, depending on coverage. Home warranty companies sometimes run special sales and either discount policy prices or offer additional coverage for the same price. The policies are prepaid for a year in advance, at which time they expire or can be renewed.

How Do They Work?

Although specific plans provide for specific types of coverage, most operate the same way.

• If a home system or appliance breaks or stops working, the home owner calls the home warranty company.
• The home warranty company calls a provider with which it has a business arrangement.
• The specific provider calls the home owner to make an appointment.
• The provider fixes the problem. If an appliance is malfunctioning and cannot be repaired, depending on contract coverage, the home warranty company will pay to replace and install the appliance.
• The home owner pays a small trade service fee (less than $100).　

Types of Coverage

Because all plans differ, you will want to ask specifically what is covered. Ask your real estate agent to recommend a proven plan and inquire if upgrades are available for your Mobile Eastern Shore home. Pay close attention to whether the home warranty company will pay for repairs to make certain types of systems or appliances compliant with new regulations and be aware that they won’t pay for pre-existing conditions. Usually covered are heating and cooling systems, water heaters, appliances, electrical systems, inside plumbing stoppages, ductwork, ceiling fans, and garbage disposals.

Advantages Of Offering a Warranty Plan
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Tags: home selling incnetives, home selling tips, home warranty, judy niemeyer, mobile eastern shore home, mobile eastern shore real estate

Why? How? What? Where?

Let’s start with the why? The most common incentive to clear away clutter occurs when you’re selling your Mobile Eastern Shore real estate and want to stage it for prospective buyers. Real estate agents will tell you that clutter-filled, disorganized homes appear smaller, and every website offering tips for a fast sale includes–and stresses- the need to show a clutter-free home. Another strong reason for eliminating clutter is to lower the stress in your life by having everything in its place ((how nice it would be not to spend valuable time and energy looking through clutter for misplaced items!) and returning home to a serene and neatly organized setting. (Polls and studies have shown that physical surroundings do indeed affect one’s level of stress. ) Other mess-removing motivators include selling unused items to bring in extra money, donating still-good items to people who need them, and joining the green movement by recycling unwanted possessions.

How to begin such a daunting task?

All “experts” in the field strongly advise tackling the job in small steps. Begin with one room at a time, play soothing music, and allocate 20 to 30 minutes a day to the job. Bring to each room boxes or bins labeled keep, toss, donate, and recycle. Be ruthless!! If you haven’t used an item in the past year, remove it from your Mobile Eastern Shore real estate. (Hint: also check expiration dates on foodstuffs when you de-clutter the kitchen.) Assess your storage capacity and discard accordingly.

What should you dispose of?

The most obvious clutter creators seem to be mail, clothing, newspapers and magazines, documents, books, and home décor accessories. Think, too, about furniture, baby items, food, toiletries, appliances, bedding, electronics, and hardware. Have you heard about the “80/20 rule”? It is generally believed that you can safely let go of 80% of the papers you’ve kept.

Where should your unneeded/unwanted treasures go?

For many of them, the answer is, of course, the trash. (You can easily arrange for bulk pickup for large items.) Others may be candidates for recycling. Perhaps you can list some of them under the Free tab on Craig list or search nearly 5000 groups who use discarded materials.

Ask around your community for organizations which would welcome used books and toys–libraries, hospitals, nursery schools, churches. Give old magazines to doctors’ offices. Lions Club groups collect old eyeglasses, and many organizations eagerly accept working but unwanted cell phones. There are innumerable websites which suggest new homes for your discards. Try RecycleNow.com or Earth911.com (supplies locations of local charities by zip code). Many organizations such as Goodwill Industries, Salvation Army, and Disabled Veterans, have handy drop-off boxes or centers or will come to your Mobile Eastern Shore real estate location for pickup. (Extra bonus: in addition to the joy of giving to others, you may also receive a tax deduction for your contributions.)
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Tags: de-clutter, home selling tips, judy niemeyer, mobile easter shore real estate, mobile eastern shore homes for sale

Installment I of this two-part series debunked widely-held myths concerning items inside your Mobile Eastern Shore home. Now it’s time to expose more money-costing beliefs dealing with credit cards, taxes, shopping, and insurance.

CREDIT CARDS:

1. Carrying a balance on your credit card is a good thing.

While using your credit card is beneficial for your credit score, carrying an unpaid balance just means that you will have to pay interest on that balance each month. It’s far better to save that money and buy something new for your Mobile Eastern Shore home–or for yourself, for that matter.

2. Using store credit cards will give you discounted prices and save you money.

Not always so. The APR on some store cards is sometimes more than double the average consumer credit card! You can check this out for a wide array of stores. Stores such as Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Sears are included on the site.

3. If you pay at least something toward my credit card debt, you’re not late.

Wrong. Unless you pay at least the minimum payment amount on time, you’re considered late and risk being reported to the credit bureau, and black marks on your credit record can damage your ability to borrow money, refinance your Mobile Eastern Shore home, get low insurance rates, or even get a job.

TAXES:

If you’re married, you must file a joint tax return.

Not so. Normally to do so is more expensive, but in certain situations (such as substantial medical expenses incurred by the spouse with a lower income), filing separately may pay off financially.

SHOPPING:

1. Coupons worth 25 or 50 cents just aren’t worth bothering with.

This may appear to be true, but they can turn into $1.00 or more worth of savings if you buy the item on sale and purchase at a store which doubles the value of coupons. Here is valuable information about coupons.

2. When it comes to holiday gift shopping, the earlier the better.

This may be a bad idea on two counts. Too often, gifts purchased prior to November 1^st may not be returnable or exchangeable after Christmas. It also pays to remember that  many stores have big sales and offer larger savings the closer the holiday approaches.

INSURANCE:

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Tags: homes for sale, judy niemeyer, mobile eastern shore, mobile eastern shore home

Far too many consumers hold beliefs, supposedly based on conventional wisdom, that simply are not true and may actually be costing them money. So, it’s time to debunk these theories and set the record straight!

HOUSEHOLD MYTHS:

1. You must rinse dirty dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

Your dishes won’t get any cleaner, according to tests by Consumer Reports. Just scrape off excess food into the trash or garbage disposal. Another reason not to pre-rinse is that by doing so, the detergent doesn’t have any grease or grime to stick to, so detergents attack dishes instead, making them appear cloudy, scratched or etched, according to the Whirlpool Institute of Kitchen Science. Rinsing in the sink wastes both water and energy because you’re probably using heated water to do so.

2. Ceiling fans help cool a room.

Ceiling fans don’t actually cool the air in your Mobile Eastern Shore home. They create a wind chill that keeps skin cool, so don’t bother using a fan in an empty room, says the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Star program. Using fans is a cheaper way to keep you cool only if it allows you to use less air conditioning.

3. More coils means a better mattress;

A queen-size mattress with at least 390 coils has plenty, says Consumer Reports. Even mattress companies say the most important buying tip is to actually lie on the mattress to determine if it’s comfortable.

4. Store batteries in the freezer to prolong their life.

Not required or recommended for batteries produced today. In fact, humidity from cold temperature storage can harm batteries. To maximize performance and shelf life, store batteries at normal room temperatures with moderate humidity levels.

5. Freshen your garbage disposal with lemons.

No! Citric acid from lemons will corrode the metal inside the disposal in your Mobile Eastern Shore home.

6. In-tank cleaners for toilets are fast, easy, and efficient.

Fast? Yes. Easy? Yes. Not efficient, however. They don’t get completely rid of buildup which can ruin the toilet. It’s better to pour vinegar down the overflow tube of the toilet in your Mobile Eastern Shore home. It’s more efficient and much cheaper!

7. It’s better to keep the AC on all day than to try to cool down a hot house at the end of the day.

No! Cooling a hot house uses less energy than leaving the AC on all day, even at a high setting.

8. Turning a computer back on uses a great deal of electricity.

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Tags: household myths, judy niemeyer, mobile eastern shore home, mobile eastern shore real estate

Congratulations! After a long search, you have finally found “the” home, your offer has been accepted, and you’ve signed innumerable documents. Now what? Before you begin to actually move, you need to find a homeowners insurance policy that protects your large investment and meets all the needs of your Mobile Eastern Shore real estate. At this point a wise purchaser will make another investment–one of time–to find the right policy in terms of cost, coverage, and service.

COST:

• The amount of your insurance should cover the cost of replacing or rebuilding your Mobile Eastern Shore real estate holding. That amount is not the same as market value (or even what you paid) since you already own the land. To determine the replacement cost of homes, many insurance companies use software that considers the features of your home and calculates the cost to rebuild. In addition, most policies include coverage for up to 125% of that cost.
• Personal property. Most policies cover personal property at 50% to 75% of the replacement value of the home. Consider adding separate endorsements (also called riders or floaters) for valuables such as fine art, expensive collections, jewelry, etc. How much extra does each of these “extras” cost?
• Explore consumer guides and online sites and interview agents for price quotes. The site for state insurance departments will give you typical rates charged by major insurers in your state. Check Ambest.com and Standard and Poors to ascertain financial stability of the companies you’re considering.
• Don’t consider price alone. Look for quality service and a solid track record. Registered complaint information can be found at NAIC.com.
• Discounts. Many companies will give you a discount in price if you insure both your car and your Mobile Eastern Shore real estate with them. Ask about other discounts for adding preventative devices such as smoke detectors, deadbolts, security systems, storm shutters, roof reinforcement, modernized plumbing, heating and electrical systems, etc. In addition, because they are at home more often and thus able to quickly detect problems, over 55 retirees often receive discounts.
• Credit rating. Since insurers are increasingly using credit information to influence the price of policies, the higher your credit rating, the lower the cost.

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Tags: home buying tips, homeowners insurance, judy niemeyer, mobile eastern shore homes for sale, mobile eastern shore real estate

It’s summer, the time of long weekends away from your Mobile Eastern Shore home, fun-filled day trips, and long-awaited vacations. Unfortunately, it is also the time of high gas prices in an already difficult economy, thus making road trips expensive. However, before you feel forced to rethink your plans because of fuel costs, you can take steps to improve your gas mileage and lower expenses; in fact, the Consumer Federation of America has predicted that by practicing these tips, a driver can increase his/her mileage by as much as 13%! So read on–and save!

CHANGE YOUR OIL AND OIL FILTER REGULARLY:

Just as you must change the filter on the heating/cooling system in your Mobile Eastern Shore home, you need to do the same for your vehicle. Because the engine needs to breathe to create maximum power and efficiency, you can gain up to 23 miles on a tank of gas just by replacing the filter.

CHECK YOUR TIRES:

Did you know that more than one fourth of all passenger vehicles have under-inflated tires? Proper inflation can save you 11 cents a gallon of gas.

KEEP YOUR ENGINE TUNED UP:

Want to save 15 cents a gallon? Make certain the car engine is properly tuned up. Use synthetic oil to reduce friction, increase efficiency, and help with mileage. In addition, you should keep fuel injectors clean by using an injector cleaner once or twice a year.

CHECK THE WHEEL ALIGNMENT:

In addition to wearing out your tires at a faster rate, improper alignment makes your engine work harder and reduces mileages by as much as 10%.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DRIVING HABITS:

Five good ones in particular positively affect gas mileage. 1. Drive smoothly. Be patient in accelerating and stopping to save up to 68 cents a gallon. 2. Slow down! For each 5 mph decrease, your fuel consumption is reduced by 7%. 3. Keep your foot off the brake. “Riding” the brake will both wear out your brakes and cost you close to $1.35 per gallon of gas! 4. Avoid excessive idling. For every two minutes not spent idling, you’ll save nearly 1 cent a gallon. 5. Use cruise control on the highway. Maintaining a constant speed will generally save you money

REDUCE THE LOAD YOU CARRY:

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Tags: gas mileage, judy niemeyer, mobile eastern shore home, mobile eastern shore real estate