Santa Monica Homes
How do most homes ignite during a wildfire? A floating ember or piece of burning wood touches down on a roof, gutter, in a vent, under a deck, or on a porch and ignites leaves and debris, says the National Fire Protection Association. Or else, a surface fire simply takes the fast lane to your home via dry vegetation. With that in mind, fortify your home like the castle it is with these 14 … Continue reading...
If you hate the stink and sting of chlorine, you’ll love saltwater pools. Once primarily a perk in health spas and resorts, saltwater pools have now become popular among U.S. homeowners. Today, about 30% of all U.S. in-ground pools are saltwater. “They’ve literally exploded in popularity in the last decade,” says Erika Taylor of “Pool and Spa News.” “It really does make a difference in the … Continue reading...
Homebuyers and sellers are confident in the housing market, but there are few sales to show for it, according to recently released findings from a survey by the National Association of REALTORS®. The report reveals homebuyers and sellers are stuck in neutral, despite a record 80 percent of homeowners surveyed for the report believing now is a good time to sell and 62 percent of renters … Continue reading...
Refinancing accounted for 35 percent of all mortgages originated in August, unchanged from July, but down from 47 percent at the beginning of the year. Ellie Mae's says, in its Origination Insight Report for the month, that refinancing is holding up especially well among conventional loans where the share ticked up 2 percentage points from July to 42 percent of all loans. As the summer … Continue reading...
Mortgage rates were steady to slightly lower on average today, confirming the end of a somewhat abrupt correction from last week's 2017 lows. In other words, rates rose quickly during the first days of the week and spent the last 3 days leveling off. To put "abrupt" in context and reiterate yesterday's thoughts, the worst case scenario would be an eighth of a percentage point higher in rate from … Continue reading...
Think “room under the stairs for the children,” and the wrong connotations come up (Harry Potter being one of the first to come to mind). You can quite happily give kids a place for sitting and playing that feels like a retreat from the grown-up world. The beauty of this space, of course, is that you could quite happily sit here with a book and a cup of coffee, and hide from the children … Continue reading...
Thomas Ray, REALTOR®
DRE# 01335520
