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Tag: Helpful Tips & Tricks

Lifespan of Home Appliances & Other Improvements

Posted on by Solo Team

Attention homeowners and prospective homebuyers! This article is for you.

 

One of the biggest and most overlooked unknowns in buying a home is what repairs will be necessary in the future. Look no further; Solo has demystified the lifespan of home appliances and other improvements.

 

Read on to learn more about how long your dishwasher or new wall-to-wall carpeting will last.

 

This graphic below, from Choice Home Warranty, could be the answer to all of your home improvement questions.

 

The good news is, the bigger the investment, the longer the life span in most cases.

 

While smaller household items – a mattress, rug, or window AC unit – all clock in at a seven year or less life span, some of the more expensive appliances – a washing machine, water heater, or gas oven – should last you closer to fifteen or twenty years.

 

Anomalous to this general rule of thumb is the doorbell, with a life span of 45 years!

 

Note the additional statistics that help the current homeowner considering upgrades: what features tend to be favored in a home, such as gas heating versus electric heating, as well as the standard amount to expect to spend on home repairs and upgrades.

 

How Long Appliances Last

 

Please include attribution to ChoiceHomeWarranty.com with this graphic.

 

Thanks to Choice Home Warranty for sharing this great graphic, and for naming Deborah Solo one of the top realtors in Philadelphia last year!

Opening image courtesy of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

Living Large in a Small Space

Posted on by Solo Team

As fall starts, Philadelphia will once again fill up with new students and young professionals moving into small starter apartments. In this post, organizing expert Lydia Martin gives five great tips on how to organize small spaces for maximum effect.

 

Reduce

In a small apartment, less stuff means less mess. Take inventory of what you own, setting aside what you really use and love, and then trim the fat. Remember the mantra “If it’s not beautiful or useful, get rid of it.”

 

Store

As you attempt to reduce, you’ll find items that you don’t use every day, but that you’re not ready to part with yet. Sentimental items, in particular, will fit this category. Maximize your space by moving these items into deep storage. A basement, attic, or self-storage unit will happily hold what your apartment can’t fit.

 

Digitize

Your media is best stored (not to mention searched for and shared) in a digital format. Scan the physical papers and photos laying around your space. Request only digital statements from your bank and unsubscribe from printed catalogues. Soon, your paper piles will disappear. Remember however to always back-up to an external hard drive or an online program to ensure that your files are safe.

 

Prioritize

Living in a small apartment can lead to some difficult choices about what’s really essential. You might have to decide between a work-space or a dining-space, for instance. Or between your favorite chair and your favorite bookcase. Just remember that your home will be better and more functional when it reflects your current needs and priorities.

 

Maintain

After working hard to reorganize your small space, you may forget that the most important work is yet to come. Maintaining your new system is key! Take a few minutes every day to assess your space, reduce the excess, and rearrange as you see fit. Tiny living is well worth it.

 

For more tips and thoughts, visit www.lydiamartinorganizing.com.

Is Buying Cheaper Than Renting?

Posted on by Solo Team

There’s an old axiom that says buying is smarter than renting. While that may not be true everywhere, a new survey finds that at least in Philly, buying does offer amazing savings.

 

Ask a recent first-time homebuyer and they’ll likely say their parents told them that while renting is okay at first, buying is a much better option because it serves as a very real investment in the future.

 

According to Philly.com, a recent survey shows that Mom and Dad were right.

 

This finding was established by Trulia, a popular real estate website. It holds that even over a period of just seven years, buying a home in Philly at the current median price of $175,000 would be 48% cheaper than renting a home at the current median price of $1600 per month.

 

This may sound obvious, but the very same survey finds that in places like New York or Los Angeles the opposite is true. Philadelphia’s large supply of reasonably-priced homes helps us avoid the affordability issues facing these other major cities.

 

In addition, this conclusion holds particularly true in certain neighborhoods in Philadelphia’s urban core, where steep property value increases in communities like Graduate Hospital or Passyunk Square push house hunters to buy as soon as they can.

 

It’s important to remember that a house needs to be both a place to live as well as an investment. Renting can be a smart decision for a while, but buying gives you the ability to create a home that perfectly suits your needs and tastes while also serving as a strong investment.

 

Ultimately, knowing the facts and figures that guide the real market are an important first step in buying a home the right way.

Solo Real Estate’s New Video Platform

Posted on by Solo Team

At Solo, we recognize how important good online research has become to conducting a successful house hunt. With that in mind, we’re excited to announce a new initiative at Solorealty.com, where select online property listings will now feature original videos giving you unparalleled access to the great homes that we represent.

 

The video below is an example of our new tour series – it explores 1109 Spruce Street, a beautiful Washington Square-area apartment. We hope that with videos like these, our clients will be able to truly experience the ins and outs of Solo’s variety of properties, in turn using these videos as a resource to make the right real estate decision. (For access to rental listings with videos, click here.)

 

It is my pleasure then to invite you to watch the following clip and share in an exciting new facet of what Solo Realty has to offer! — Deborah Solo

 

Managing the Chaos of Moving Day

Posted on by Solo Team

After careful searching and tough decision making, people often forget the final hurdle of getting a new home: Moving Day. Just those words alone can strike fear into people’s heart; however, with the help of Paul Benjamin at EZ Storage, we’d like to share a few key tips to keep your moving day under control.

 

First, it’s important to acknowledge that successfully moving into your new home or apartment requires more than hiring movers or renting a truck and finding friends to help you in exchange for beer and pizza. There are in fact lots of factors that one needs to consider before moving day. For instance, it’s important for urban dwellers to remember that moving within Philadelphia presents its own unique challenges. Narrow streets, limited parking and heavy pedestrian traffic mean that those who don’t come prepared for every eventuality are in for a bumpy ride.

 

Of course, with good planning any move can be done right. With that in mind, Paul from EZ Storage has offered us some advice to help you move smoothly and keep your sanity:

 

Make a Moving Day Game Plan
Do some basic research before your move: Find out where you can park your truck/car, what the local street traffic patterns and rush hour is like and when your new garbage day is (you’ll have lots to toss out when you’re done). Contact the super, landlord, building manager or condo association (of both your current and new homes) to find out how to best execute the move. Also, don’t forget about your neighbors: if they have children, consider moving earlier in the day to avoid making noise and starting things off/ending them on the wrong foot.

 

Think About Packing and Labeling 
Consider purging (selling or donating) some of your belongings before packing and then be sure to box up and move your valuables (like laptops and fine jewelry) personally. It will also help to consider if you’ll have separate storage with your new residence. If so, label moving boxes in advance as to which go straight to the basement storage unit (for example) and which go directly into your apartment. Of course, you should also label items according to the room they belong in, bathroom, kitchen, etc.

 

Being Prepared on Moving Day
Charge your cell phone completely and ensure landlord, manager or super’s numbers are saved. Keep a local storage company’s number handy in case of unwelcome surprises, like furniture that won’t fit through the door or a malfunctioning freight elevator.

 

As seasoned real estate professionals, we feel these tips are a great way to ensure your moving day success.

 

To learn more about the moving and storage experts at EZ Storage, check out their website here.