How to Sell a House With Tenants

Tenants are a definite wild card when it comes to selling a home. On the one hand, there are plenty of horror stories about angry or disgruntled tenants making it impossible to sell a home. On the other hand, a tenant can be a valuable ally in the sales process if he or she is cooperative and motivated to help you sell. In the end it is up to you to gauge your landlord/tenant relationship and to decide how to best sell your home – while the tenant is residing there, or after he or she is gone.

Keep in mind that what a tenant tells you they will agree to do while you are trying to sell your home and what they actually do could be too vastly different things. Most real estate agents will tell you that having an uncooperative tenant will make selling your home next to impossible. Knowing how to sell a house with a tenant is a critical aspect of getting top dollar for your home!

Before hiring a real estate agent to sell your home it goes without saying that you should ask the tenant first if they have any interest in purchasing it. You are going to need your tenants utmost cooperation in this situation so you best respect them by explaining completely the situation you are in and why you want to sell. Giving them first dibs shows you have some compassion for their housing needs as well.

Options for Selling with a Tenant

Wait for the lease to expire

Tenants can wreak havoc on a sale. Some tenants can become angry when they discover that you are selling the home they live in. Other tenants are just not nice people to begin with. Still others are just dirty and will not keep the home in a good state for showings. If you know you have a slob living in your place you can count on this not changing when the for sale sign goes up. Once a slob always a slob. If your long term plan is to sell your home it makes sense to be extra careful when initially choosing a tenant. Let the renters know up front that your long term plan is to sell your home and get the tenants reaction. If you don’t get positive vibes you may be better off waiting for a tenant who 

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How To: Choose a New Roof for Your House - Bob Vila

Whether you are building from scratch or choosing a new roof for your existing home, a wide range of materials are readily available and worthy of consideration. These include asphalt, wood, and composite shingles, as well as slate, concrete, and clay tiles. Style is an important factor, but it’s not the only one. Product cost, material weight, and installation requirements should also influence your selection. Here’s what you need to know:

The Square
Before we talk materials, let’s talk terminology. Roofers don’t usually use the measure “square feet.” Instead, they talk in squares. A square is their basic unit of measurement—one square is 100 square feet in area, the equivalent of a 10-foot by 10-foot square. The roof of a typical two-story, 2,000-square-foot house with a gable roof will consist of less than 1,500 square feet of roofing area, or about fifteen squares.

Cost 
A number of considerations will affect the cost of a new roof. The price of the material is the starting point, but other factors also must be considered. One is the condition of the existing roof if you are remodeling a house—if old materials must be stripped off, and if the supporting structure needs repair, that will all cost money. The shape of the roof is another contributing factor. A gable roof with few or no breaks in its planes (like chimneys, vent pipes, or dormers) makes for a simple roofing job. A house with multiple chimneys, intersecting rooflines (the points of intersection are called valleys), turrets, skylights, or other elements will cost significantly more to roof.

Materials 
Not every roofing material can be used on every roof. A flat roof or one with a low slope may demand a surface different from one with a steeper pitch. Materials like slate and tile are very heavy, so the structure of many homes is inadequate to carry the load. Consider the following options, then talk with your designer and get estimates for the job.

Asphalt Shingle. This is the most commonly used of all roof materials, probably because it’s the least expensive and requires a minimum of skill to install. It’s made of a fiberglass medium that’s been impregnated with asphalt and then given a surface of sand-like granules. Two basic configurations are sold: the standard single-thickness variety and thicker, laminated products. The standard type costs roughly half as much, but laminated shingles have an appealing textured appearance and last roughly half as long (typically 25 years or more, versus 15 years plus). Prices begin at about $50 a square, but depending upon the type of shingle chosen and the installation, can cost many times that.

Photo: stonecreekinsurance.com

Wood.  Wood was the main choice for centuries, and it’s still a good option, though in some areas fire codes forbid its use. Usually made of cedar, redwood, or southern pine, shingles are sawn or split. They have a life expectancy in the 25-year range (like asphalt shingles) but cost an average of twice as much.

Metal.  Aluminum, steel, copper, copper-and-asphalt, and lead are all durable—and expensive—roofing surfaces. Lead and the copper/asphalt varieties are typically installed as shingles, but others are manufactured for seamed roofs consisting of vertical lengths of metal that are joined with solder. These roofs start at about $250 per square but often cost two or three times that.

Tile and Cement.  The half cylinders of tile roofing are common on Spanish Colonial and Mission styles; cement and some metal roofs imitate tile’s wavy effect. All 

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Neal Paskvan is a full time Realtor specializing in Downers grove, Darien,Woodridge, Westmont and Du page county Real Estate

11 Tips for Refinishing Hardwood Floors - Yahoo Homes

It’s incredibly satisfying to bring your hardwood floors back to life. Whether it’s beautiful hardwood that has been hiding beneath carpet or hardwood floors you’ve had and enjoyed for years, uncovering and refinishing your floors can revitalize your home. Hardwood flooring has stood the test of time, stylistically and literally, because of its ability to be refinished.

(Credit: patrisyu/Shutterstock)

Here are 11 aspects of the process you may not have known about.

1. Three Types of Finish

There are three kinds of finishes you can choose from for your floors.

Polyurethane, oil- or water-based. Polyurethane has varying degrees of luster with a plastic-looking finish. It can darken or yellow the wood over time, though some new formulas don’t affect the wood as much. While good for high-moisture or high-traffic areas, it can be extremely difficult to spot-repair if nicked or gouged.

Varnish. Matte-glossy finish. Varnish comes in a variety of lusters, with the higher gloss being most durable. It darkens with age, though more slowly than polyurethane, and is easily spot repaired.

Penetrating sealer. Natural-looking finish that brings out the grain of the wood. Penetrating sealer may also darken over time, but it provides good protection, especially when waxed. It is the least durable of the finishes but the easiest to repair.

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6 Last-Minute Real Estate Tax Tips for Total Procrastinators - Finance - realtor.com

Well, you don’t have much time left. So get busy! Whether you own or rent, there are real-estate-related tax savings for all to claim—if you file on time:





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Neal Paskvan is a full time Realtor specializing in Downers grove, Darien,Woodridge, Westmont and Du page county Real Estate

Goodbye, Granite: The 6 Hottest Countertop Finishes - Reviewed.com Dishwashers

Goodbye, Granite: The 6 Hottest Countertop Finishes

\For years, granite has been the go-to material for high-end countertops. Despite its expense, weight, and ubiquity, it still remains the countertop of choice.

But at EuroCucina 2014, there was a huge variety of granite alternatives on display. From stainless steel to tempered glass, from ceramic to wood... we’ve seen the future of your kitchen, and it’s not granite.

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Tempered Glass

German design house Leicht showed off a lovely tempered glass countertop in a number of its model kitchens. The thick, translucent material is tough and has a pleasant tactility, while still remaining easy to clean. According to company reps, it’s also available in a huge variety of colors.

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Ceramics

Leicht also made use of ceramic counters, which one representative described as the “closest thing you can get to indestructible.” The material is scratch-resistant, easy to clean, and cool but not cold to the touch. And the dark gray finish we saw paired beautifully with the wooden surround.

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Nanotech Materials

The most unusual alternative countertop we saw at EuroCucina came from Italian designer Arrital, courtesy of Arpa Industriale. Referred to as a “nanotech matte material,” the Fenix NTM countertop is anti-reflective, anti-fingerprint, self-healing, and soft to the touch without being... well, soft. It felt great under our hands, and looked great in Arrital’s modern kitchens.

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RELATED: This Glowing Quartz Is Right Out of Lex Luthor's Lair

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Wood

We saw solid wood and wood-finished countertops everywhere at the show, often contrasting with or overlaid on a stone or synthetic material. Everything from mahogany and ebony to light pine and bamboo was used, and often paired with matching cabinetry to create a minimalist yet warm look. In some cases, wood was even paired with granite, though that was less common.

At least one of Snaidero's EuroCucina kitchens featured an overlapping combo of wood and stone.

Arrital also mixed wood with synthetic finishes to interesting effect.

Leicht also got in on the wood-and-stone game... and even mixed in a little granite. Cheeky!

Rossana eschewed granite and paired its dark wood countertop with luxurious marble.

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Stainless Steel

Look, stainless is nearly as played out as granite. In fact, we just ran a whole story about why it’s probably a terrible idea to overdose on gleaming silver in your kitchen. But plenty of designers at EuroCucina made a virtue out of this particular vice and made stainless countertops look fresh and new again.

In addition to its nanotech finish, Arrital showed off plenty of stainless.

Italian designer Rastelli showed off a huge stainless countertop at EuroCucina.

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Neal Paskvan is a full time Realtor specializing in Downers grove, Darien,Woodridge, Westmont and Du page county Real Estate

Median Sales Price for 562 - Darien and more

Median Sales Price for 562 - Darien and more

Neal Paskvan is a full time Realtor specializing in Downers grove, Darien,Woodridge, Westmont and Du page county Real Estate

Within the next five years, Baby Boomers are projected to have the largest household growth of any other generation during that same time period, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard. Let’s take a look at why…

In Merrill Lynch’s latest study, “Home in Retirement: More Freedom, New Choices” they surveyed nearly 6,000 adults ages 21 and older about housing.

Crossing the “Freedom Threshold”

Throughout our lives, there are often responsibilities that dictate where we live. Whether being in the best school district for our children, being close to our jobs, or some other factor is preventing a move, the study found that there is a substantial shift that takes place at age 61.

The study refers to this change as “Crossing the Freedom Threshold”. When where you live is no longer determined by responsibilities, but rather

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OFTHE STORYNeal Paskvan is a full time Realtor specializing in Downers grove, Darien,Woodridge, Westmont and Du page county Real Estate