Greece for the Holidays

Traveling at Christmas?

I don't know about you.   I love to travel.  In fact, a recent email from Collette Tours noting itineraries for Australia, Europe, British Isles and other designations caused me to pause.

Though I love these United States and have traveled to many states on vacation or business, I find it always interesting to see parts of the world so foreign to our way of life.   There is nothing like being immersed in another culture for a few days or weeks.

Home By Design wrote on a Greece's Tino Islands.  Never heard of the Tino Island.  Perhaps I am nieve.  Yet, this article notes a lovely home created with the elements of the island and the trueness to the natural landscape.  Though these home owners are escaping the busy Athens life style by building on  the edge of the seventeenth-century village of Berdemiaros, having falling in love with views of natural landscape and the solid blue Agean Sea, doesn't that just make you wonder what you are missing by not visiting Tino Island?  Or perhaps Greece?

Imagine getting away this Christmas to share the beauty described here!

2015 could only be better for it!

                             Home Away from Home 

Home Values Improving!!

HOME VALUES GOING UP - CHOICE IS GOING DOWN

Al Clark provides this update on Home Values and what is it it for  YOU!! Read and believe!!!!! Topic Summary: Recent statistics indicate that Home Values are up about 10% year over year and up 1.9% just in the February to March time-frame. (Stats Here) Houses on the market are and commanding multiple offers, many times for more than the asking price. Real Estate Professionals are having problems keeping up with demand, due to less inventory to show buyers. Homes are also selling fast. The median time on market for all homes was 46 days in April, down from 62 days in March and 83 days a year ago. As one example of overall log term price appreciation, homes in the Washington, D.C. area appreciated 300% in the last 20 years.  So What's In This For Me?  As homeowners, we probably have a feel for what our homes may fetch on the open market but do we really know? Even if we are not thinking about selling our homes, are we aware of the equity we have built? What's the impact on a retirement strategy? What about college tuition? Sure, many parts of the country have homes "underwater", (owning more on the mortgage than the home is worth) but those numbers have been improving too. Maybe It's Time To Ask! Online services are available to provide you home values but greatly vary in their results, providing you a "range" of possible values. No computer has the experience and the "feet on the ground" knowledge that your real estate professional does. See that "Email" Link over on the left side? Use it to send a request to your HomeActions provider and just ask them to do a CMA. (Comparative Market Analysis) CMA is the term real estate agents use when they conduct an in-depth analysis of a home's worth in today's market. Then once all the facts are uncovered, a credible market based value can be given to you.

January 2013 LOCAL Market Report--Hampton Roads

Rose & Womble is the Best!!!

Always with the best data on the market and the best agents in the business.    Yes, I am one of them!

Click the link and review all the charts!



January 2013 LOCAL Market Report


Below is a breakdown by price point pulled from the Market Report:

New Weekly Article - Cascais Portugal || Home By Design Weekly Article

Been to Portugal???  I have never been.  

Having read this article, I might just have to go.  If you have been there, tell me your experiences!

New Weekly Article - Cascais Portugal || Home By Design Weekly Article

Fiscal Cliff: Mortgage Deduction On Way Out???

Ever since Mitt Romey made note in August about the possiblity of the Mortgage Deduction being reduced, the Mortgage Deduction has come a focus of the "tax revenure enhancement" forces in Congress.

With the Fiscal Cliff rapidly approaching(less than 45 days!!), House Republicans and President Obama will be looking for a means to avoid going over the cliff.  As is the wonk of political compromise, unseen consequences arise for the expediency required to avoid a crisis.  And the the Fiscal Cliff is a CRISIS!!

Thus, you need to be aware that the Mortgage Deduction will come under attack as will many others like Oil Subsidies and like "Corporate Welfare" deductions/loopholes.   The basis of the attack will to raise tax revenues without "raising tax rates"....kind of like a bank giving free checking with lots of fees for checks, copies of checks and like...significant cost impact hidden by words like "Free" or "No tax increase" pledges.

You and I may debate for hours if this is the right way or the wrong way to increase federal revenues.  Yet, the fact remains the fact.   Fiddling with the Mortgage Deduction, at minimum,  will:

    1. Directly impact the finacial feasibility of home ownership,
    2. Remove the incentive to buy a home
    3. Reduce home values by up to 25%
    4. Cause more homeowners to go under water on their mortgage
    5.  Reduce home affordability for low income, first time home owners and other buyers with
            low reserves.

IF you believe as I do, that the Mortgage Deduction is a value added feature of our tax code, contact your Congress man/woman, Senator, and the President's office.  Let them know where you stand.

 Perhaps as Congressman Forbe did, your representatives will send a email survey to get your take on this matter.

The New Neutral...Interior Design

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Grubb and Rueb opted for a neutral color palette as the backdrop for the entire home, including here in the living room. From there, they added layers of interest via texture in the fabrics, pattern in the pillows, and even the wood grain in the zebrawood coffee table. Various vignettes throughout the home showcase pops of color not only through accessories but also through natural wood finishes. The views in the home are so impressive that Grubb and Rueb didn't want the interior of the home to compete with them. By establishing a neutral color palette, they allowed the sweeping views of Hollywood to take center stage. The dining room is one of the few rooms where a bolder color tends to dominate the look, shown in the custom-made dining room chairs.

The living room was one of the first rooms the team tackled. Neutral-toned furnishings in various textures and tan hues, including a custom-made sectional swathed in Nairobi chenille and a tufted suede bench, complement the room’s amazing view. Even the stained wood pieces, such as the custom-made zebrawood coffee table, function as doses of neutral color, says Grubb. “People forget that the stain on the wood is color,” he adds. “It’s an opportunity to add interest to a room.”   A few of the walls were painted Gentleman’s Gray by Benjamin Moore rather than the entire room, a trick Grubb likes to apply to many of his residential projects. “By painting only one or two walls one color, it gives the room a chance to breathe,” he says. “It emphasizes the color more.”   The neutral furnishings and wall colors were purposefully chosen for the young bachelor, who, like many homeowners, may want to change the look of his home in a few years. “What’s great about what we did with this room is that the client can paint the wall and add new pillows and someone will come over and say, ‘Wow, you redid the room,’” explains Grubb. “The neutral color palette allows you to make changes later and create a whole new look. That’s the beauty of it.”  The home’s base color palette flows seamlessly from room to room, including into the master bedroom and dining room. Here, neutral tones in olives and slate blues are complemented by bolder pops of color via accessories such as the custom-made dining room chairs by Zanchez Upholstery or the artwork above the master bedroom headboard. The designers took advantage, though, of one room’s playful purpose and incorporated bolder doses of color. The pool room’s white walls and exposed wood ceiling and beams serve as the perfect backdrop for a bright orange sofa from Crate & Barrel, a custom-made ottoman by Zanchez Upholstery swathed in a Kravet fabric, and a patterned rug by Modern Rugs. In the end, the client loved the result, which Grubb and Rueb say is the best compliment. “He loves being home,” says Grubb. “We created an environment that he wants to be in.”

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2012

For architect Christopher Grubb and interior designer Jamie Rueb, the project was rare. Most of Arch-Interiors Design Group’s clients come to them with a home in need of design or structural help, not to mention most clients have existing furnishings—artwork, antiques, furniture—that they want to incorporate into the finished product.

 So when a twentysomething bachelor approached the Los Angeles–based firm for help furnishing and decorating his completely empty circa-1942 Hollywood Hills home, the duo was understandably excited. “It really was a start-from-the-beginning opportunity,” says Grubb.

“He only had a few inspiration images, too,” adds Rueb, who says those photos, from magazine spreads and online galleries, consisted of lots of grays and blues. “The home was originally really drab. He wanted it to feel sophisticated and masculine. Luckily, he purchased the home [originally built by an architect] in great condition, so there was no remodeling work needed.” 

 With a blank canvas, the team drew up several schemes ranging from intensely modern to more transitional for their client to mull over. In addition to creating a sophisticated and updated look for the interior, Grubb and Rueb’s goal was not to compete with the home’s expansive and breathtaking views of Los Angeles. “You can literally see the Hollywood sign from his windows,” says Grubb. So the pair chose darker, neutral tones in the grays and blues the client had requested, keeping the view the focus of each room. When the team presented their schemes, they were surprised, though, when their client chose one with bold pops of color brought in through various accents and decor. “He really reacted to the brighter colors,” says Grubb. “It really resonated with him.”

 So the duo ran with the design, keeping the base of each room—wall colors, flooring, and most of the furniture—neutral but adding bold doses of color throughout each space via artwork, accessories, soft goods, or statement pieces. The homeowner kept the original wide-plank oak flooring, which ran throughout the entire home; paired with dark blue, tan, gray, and olive tones, it creates an aesthetically pleasing look.

LEFT: The pool room's light walls and natural wood beam ceiling serve as the perfect backdrop for bolder pops of color brought in by the tangerine sofa and patterned rug. 
ABOVE: The wide-plank oak flooring was original to the home and worked well wit