Fine Homes

Michael Mock asked:


Modern Town House Plans feature Constantly Changing Designs

Modern town homes generally match the current technology trends and usually attract young adults. Architects are constantly changing plans to reinterpret what the idea of modern is. You will also find townhomes that are designed to work with the latest gadgets and appliances. Modern town homes are generally simple and box like as the walls don’t curve like other home designs. There are a few common features that modern houses usually follow, one of which is to not mix multiple design elements together.

Parallel Lines and Geometrical Designs are Popular among Modern Town Homes

Modern town house plans provide homeowners with rooms that are in simple proportions and offer a lot of natural light through the use of large pieces of glass. Modern town houses take advantage of the outdoor world by having the large open windows or walls to bring in the natural surroundings. The property that the home sits on can be included in the design so that it becomes an alternative living room.

The roof of a modern home is usually flat or shallow-pitched while the walls are known to be stone or stucco with a smooth texture. Construction materials can use various types of resources, including glass, stone, concrete, and tree. Of course, designing a custom modern home can incorporate the type of material you want to get the look you desire. A few other examples that are common in modern houses are streamlined metal railings, glass blocks, concrete foundations, and smooth finishes.

Interior Characteristics Allow Spacious Rooms While Maintaining Privacy

While large, asymmetrical windows are common in modern town house plans, they are usually restricted to dining rooms and hallways. These windows can stretch from the floor to the ceiling and not only allow a great amount of sunlight, but can also showcase a spectacular view. In order to keep the rest of the house concealed for privacy, bedrooms and bathrooms consist of smaller windows that can still give the room an adequate amount of natural light without exposing too much to the outdoors.

Kitchens, dining areas, and living rooms are usually designed to form one large room that lets in the perfect amount of natural light. This creates a fantastic impression of having larger living areas while providing a great atmosphere for entertaining. Modern town house plans incorporate eaves that are large and can dramatically stick out. The unornamented walls are designed to make impressive angles, but are kept at a minimum and still create a simplistic appearance.

Modern town house plans are not only enjoyed by those with a large budget. They can be constructed to fit comfortably in various lot sizes, including those that are narrow or on a slope. Modern townhomes can be large or small depending on your personal preference. Modern town homes are generally not restricted to certain rules as other designs are. An innovative idea without trying to recreate a look from the past is part of the concept to build a modern home. The ability to combine different elements allows plenty of creativity while designing a home with a clean and sleek look.

Andrew Szalontai asked:


In my experience as a Langley realtor, it is very easy for novice buyers to buy wrong, and therefore extremely important for them to have a well thought out purchase plan. A plan helps you to fully consider the reasons behind why you are buying. When you know what is really important to you vs. what would be really nice to have, you are much less likely to get swept up in all the excitement and make a poor buying decision.

When making your plan for buying a condo or townhome, be sure to think about the following:

Have a realistic budget and know what your top price is. The goal of your Langley realtor should to get you the best value possible without overtaxing you financially.

If you are considering a floating rate mortgage, crunch the numbers and ask yourself if you could continue to make your mortgage payments with interest rates several points higher than they are now.

Lifestyle – think about the features and amenities that are important for you to have in a particular unit and complex. How much square footage do you need? Is your family growing or shrinking? Do you want a small and intimate 4 unit setting? Or would you prefer the greater choice of amenities that a larger complex may have to offer?

Location – where do you want to live? Is it a specific location? Or are you open to different locations so long as they have the same standard of living? If you aren’t tied to one particular location you can often trade a slightly longer commute for a better lifestyle and greater affordability.

Some things to consider when selecting a condominium unit or townhome complex:

The Strata

Monthly and annual fees – it’s important to consider that larger strata fees are not necessarily a bad thing, and that a complex that has a good budget for present day maintenance can save you a lot of money vs. other stratas that have lower maintenance fees that result in costly repairs down the road.

Is the complex self managed or professionally managed? Professionally managed is usually a better choice – owner managed complexes may not have the expertise to accurately forecast maintenance costs and budget accordingly. Higher maintenance fees are usually a lot cheaper in the long run than costly repairs that stem from poor maintenance.

Do they have an adequate contingency account? Having a proper financial cushion is desirable as it can protect you from the shock of large financial levies in the event of an unforeseen problem.

Does the association have any outstanding legal issues?

Look over the minutes of previous meetings – look for any signs of upcoming expenses… see if there are any recurring issues or contentions. Do these issues have an impact upon you?

The regulations

Know the rules and regulations for your unit – Are they consistent with your lifestyle?

Can you own pets? If so how many, what type and what size?

Does the complex have restrictions about certain activities or noise levels? If you are a car repair enthusiast you will want to make sure your potential complex doesn’t have bylaws restricting your ability to work on a car outside your unit.

What about long term guests? If you have frequent guests that stay for extended periods you will want to find out how the strata feels about this.

What parts of your unit are you are responsible for and what parts are joint responsibilities? If you are planning extensive interior renovations your strata may have something to say about it. It’s always best to check before buying than to assume that it won’t be a problem.

Check to see if the unit can be rented. If units can be rented find out how many units are currently owner occupied vs. rented AND how many units can be owner occupied vs. rented. This is an important issue that can affect the resale value of your unit as well as your quality of living. It is generally preferable to have owner occupants as neighbors

The structure

Was the structure built as a condominium or townhome complex? Or was the structure converted from apartments into its current form? Conversions can look very nice with all of their new finishes, but they can have noise and insulation problems.

Your building inspection – having a building inspection done for a condominium or townhome unit can be somewhat different than for a traditional house. Although you are buying a unit, some costs that you might face may be associated with other units as they fall under the responsibility of the association jointly. And some problems may not be discernible without invasive or destructive investigative techniques. In addition to getting your own building inspector who specializes in condominiums and townhomes it is a good idea to ask the strata if they have a comprehensive building inspection survey conducted recently by independent engineers and have your inspector look it over.

Is there a sense of community in this complex? Often you can get a sense of community fairly quickly just by spending time in the common areas.

Do people seem friendly? Do they smile and make eye contact?

Is pride of ownership displayed in the common areas and outside individual units?

Talk to some of your potential neighbors. Introduce yourself and see what they are like and how they react

The ‘extras’

Does your unit come with a parking spot? If so where is it? Having a parking spot 300 meters away from your unit may not seem like a big deal initially, but you may feel differently when you are carrying a bunch of grocery bags by hand 3 months from now…

Storage – does the complex have extra storage? Is it communal? Is it free? How secure is it?

Pools, hot tubs and other amenities – are they well maintained? Would you want to use them? Is there adequate liability insurance to protect you if someone gets hurt while using them?

Get a professional opinion

Even if your realtor is a condo and townhome specialist, you should still consider having a real estate lawyer go over the rules and agreement for your complex. Spending a few hundred dollars to get some expert legal advice can be a very smart investment!

Once your plan is in place, you are in a better position to find the right complex and unit… and well on your way to owning your perfect home!

Andrew Szalontai asked:


Should you renovate?

If your condo or townhome needs some work, making smart renovations can yield a good return on your investment. And doing some work on your condominium or townhome prior to listing can be a great way to get your unit looking its best and to help you sell faster and for more money. But before you get started on renovations or repairs there are a few things that you should think about first:

Will the results justify the time money and effort? Whenever you think about breaking out the hammer and paint brushes you should stop and consider this question carefully. Many renovations do not justify themselves. They fail to increase either the speed with which your home sells or the selling price of your home.

Do the results look professional? Painting your home can make it more saleable, but only if the finished product looks professional. Buyers will not pay more for a poorly applied paint job. Lines must be smooth and finishes must be even. Similarly, an uneven or poorly laid tile job will wind up costing you time and money.

If your inclination and skills are such that you want to take on these tasks on your own then go for it. But if you are uncertain aboutthe quality of your finished product it might be better to get a professional or to pass on the project entirely.

What to renovate:

Unfinished jobs – If there is a partial repair or renovation that you have started but haven’t yet finished then this definitely needs to be addressed. The average buyer is generally not a visualizer or innovator – they won’t see the value of a ¾ finished project. They will just see a big mess. It is always a good idea to finish repairs and renovations before listing your home.

Dark, dated or dingy painted interiors – Paint is arguably the best value for your dollar spent so long as the finished job looks bright and professional. Light or neutral colors are usually a safer bet. Some research indicates that darkly painted homes may take up to twice as long to sell as homes painted with light colors. Light colors also make rooms look larger.

Signs of water damage – repair them immediately. Few things turn off potential buyers more than the possibility of water damage. If you have marks from a minor issue that was addressed in the past then take the time to paint and refinish to remove the signs of water damage.

Kitchens and Bathrooms – other than painting, nothing will give you a better return on your investment then making sure that your kitchens and bathrooms look sharp. If either of these rooms is looking worn or dated, you may benefit from investing some of your time and effort in these rooms.

All cupboard and closet doors should open smoothly. Doorknobs should be tightened where needed. Loose or rattling items leave the impression that maintenance might be low on your list, so fix or replace them.

Faucets and light switches should be shiny clean. If a good cleaning cannot give you this effect then replacing them is inexpensive and easy to accomplish.

If your cabinetry is looking worn or dated and you can’t afford to replace it, think about refinishing and repainting the doors, or swapping old, dated cupboard hinges and handles for more stylish ones.

What Not to Renovate

Don’t jump into big scale renovations without careful thought. If your house is already well maintained, then you probably won’t get your money back by making things even nicer. Yes, it’s usually a money loser… so don’t do it.

Keep consistency in your renovation efforts with the lifestyle of the audience most likely to buy it. A renovation effort where it seems clear that the seller has tried a little too hard to save money will not have a positive effect and will likely just have wasted your time and money.

Jo Williams asked:


Buying home plans is not an easy task. If you are a keen and cautious buyer, you will eventually visit and look into the overall specifications of the house that you plan to buy. Every detail, every spec must be seen and checked out. This may require a lot of time, especially if the home plan you are trying to buy is not near your current vicinity.

But thanks to the fantastic blessings of computer technology we can just pick and choose home plans all over the world through the World Wide Web. This can help you save time and effort throughout your entire buying process. House plan firm directories are available online, and there are many companies in the home plans business.

When you are browsing sites and web pages online, there are some important things to consider. Even if the seller is trying to provide customers with an excellent experience, during the website visit and during the actual transaction with the firm, it does not guarantee you the best house plan that you can get. You should screen and continue to investigate their assets and the services they provide. Some house plan firm directories provide a list of pre-screened house designs. Here, you can choose the location as well as the plan style that grabs your attention.

Homeplans.com has thousands of house design plans you can choose from. These were crafted by professional and trusted designers. They also cater to the needs of buyers who need plan customization, house design modification, as well as reasonable prices. At COOL House Plan Company there are more than 15,000 home plans as well as garage plans designed by known architects in the United States. Searching for your dream house plan is easy here. And the prices? Cool also. At Home Plan Finder you can canvass and search for house design plans suited to your needs. Moreover, they have been selling for over 25 years. In addition, they have the blueprints for all home designs to guarantee the quality designs they provide. And at Global Houseplans, they sell the house design plans created and molded by the world’s leading architects and designers. Plus, there are online attendants that support and answer your questions. Here, you can ask questions and get tips on buying and choosing home plans.

There are also sites where you can browse through online catalogs to analyze and see the wide selection of house plans that are available. The house plans are often categorized for you. From luxury home plans, country, bungalow, small, Victorian, classic, colonial, beach, duplex, they are all online.

Keep in mind there are many user-friendly search engines you can use to see that dream house you have always wanted. By just clicking icons and links, you encounter the fine home plans and designs you have always hoped to own for yourself. With today’s technology, it is possible that you can buy home plans with just the click of the mouse. You can ask for advice and tips online to guide and aid you in buying your dream home plan. So what are you waiting for? Go and check it online!

The Apartment Dude asked:


In most (if not all) apartment communities, burning candles is actually against the rules. Naturally so, because if you are burning candles, you may be putting an entire building and not to mention several people’s lives at stake. Sound severe? It’s not. Fires caused by candles happen more often then you’d think.

All it takes is a small gust of wind, a cat, or your uncoordinated-clumsy boyfriend to knock over that pretty smelling yankee candle and make the whole building go up in flames. That reminds me….did you sign up for renters insurance yet?

If candles aren’t an option you are definitely still in luck. There are several great alternatives to having yourself a little burning wick with melting wax. Check it out:

If it’s a fine scent that you’re after, try Glade® PlugIns®. They come in a ton of different smells that keep your place smelling way better than a measly apple cinnamon candle. Lamp oils or incense are also great options for spreading a little scented love around your apartment. The best part of all of these: none of them use an open flame!

I truly hope that you aren’t trying to go George Washington on me and read by candlelight, but if you are indeed needing the candles for light…please work your way into the present century with an invention called the “light bulb” You could go with electric candles, lamps, or a night light if you are needing to get around in the middle of the night. Needing it for mood lighting? Try opening the blinds a little and letting the moonlight spill in or use the calming iridescent glow coming from your computer monitor. Okay, I’m kidding about the monitor, but you may even want to try using small track lighting with dimmers. They can set the mood really well too.

And if you are using candles for heat…please…PLEASE…use something that can actually provide you with real warmth like your central heating unit.

When you actually think about it…candles really aren’t that practical…so I figure…who needs ‘em? Those archaic-old lighting utensils belong in a wax museum.

For more info on apartment living, check out: ApartmentHomeLiving.com

The Apartment Dude asked:


Maybe you are just now experiencing winter this year or maybe you are in an area that’s been hit several times by the freezes, ice overs and wintery mixes. There are a number of things that you can keep in mind to help make your apartment life a lot easier during these times of cold.

Drip, Drip, Drip- First off, protect those pipes! If you are expecting an overnight freeze, it is very important to leave one of your sinks dripping to prevent the pipes from freezing, busting, and your apartment building having a terrible leak.

Plants are People Too- Okay, so plants aren’t really people of course, but they are effected by freezes just as we are and can in fact be killed by being stuck out in the freezing cold. So, if you have plants on your porch, you’ll want to bring them inside if possible. If you can’t bring them inside, cover them with some bed sheets, to try and help sheild them from the blistering cold.

Pets- Bring any and all pets inside. Just because they have fur, means nothing in the face of a wintery mix.

Heaters- Crank up the heaters to be safe. With a central heating unit you should be in good shape, but to prevent your electric bill from sky rocketing, be sure to turn off the heater when your apartment is not being occupied. Try not using space heaters if possible, but if you do, always remember to use them safely!

Layers and Blankets- Break out the ugly old ski jacket or the millions of blankets. Whatever you need to do to maintain your comfort, do it! Trust me, staying warm is well worth the embarrasment of a silly old jacket, or the work of getting your old heavy blankets out of storage.

Parking Lot Care- If the roads freeze over and you absolutely must drive on the iced roads, use extreme caution everywhere…especially in the parking lot of your apartments. Let your car heat up a little before you begin driving and be careful if you are sliding around in the parking lot.

Many of us love the winter, but we ALL need to take the right precautions and most importantly, be cautious of the dangers and prepared to overcome them.

Frank Gichuhi asked:


The most important factor in saving costs will be to ensure you have an optimum designed house floor plan. This means that all the spaces are architecturally designed to avoid unused wasted space. As a general rule of thumb, circulation space i.e. space used for corridors e.t.c should not be more than 20 % of the floor area.

Plot sizes are increasingly getting smaller and smaller in Kenya. The average size of a plot in Nairobi is 50 feet by 100 feet. This means that architects have to be very ingenious in design so as to fit in the maximum number of residential units in case of flats and apartment designs.

Room sizes can be designed with the furniture in mind and living room and kitchen doors placed in the middle where the circulation space passes inside the room as opposed to along one edge of the room.

For residential units for rent, the living room can be joint to the dining room to save space since if both rooms are created, they will take in more space.

Careful use of minimum practical dimensions can also greatly reduce costs. For example, the width of a toilet can be reduced up to 800mm and corridor width can reduce to 1.2 meters.

The door swing placement should also be carefully selected such that the doors swing to the edge of the wall in bedrooms so as to leave ample space inside the room. Care should be taken to avoid the bedroom doors opening with the full bedroom view for privacy reasons. Inbuilt wardrobes also reduce cost of wardrobe constructions.

Use of angle parking as opposed to 90 degrees parking also increases the number of vehicles that can park within a unit.

Roof pitch can also reduce the cost in that a less stepper pitch covers less surface area than a steeper pitch.

Lastly, the floor to ceiling height can be kept to a minimum of 2.4 meters. This will reduce the costs in that the quantities of materials used in construction of the extra walling will be reduced.

Dr Green asked:


Getting the low down on real estate investing straight from Donald Trump is sure to be an educative experience and it will certainly show you how to succeed enough in this line of business to perhaps even become the next real estate investing tycoon for yourself. In fact, it may actually surprise you to learn that in order to become wealthy from the real estate business you need not make any substantial investments. Though at the same time it must be admitted that real estate investing with enough capital is a sure and easy way to build sustainable as well as real wealth.

No Time Like The Present To Get Into Real Estate Investing

To be sure, according to Donald Trump, with mortgage rates not very high at present and with tax laws leaning towards investing in real estate, there is no time like the present to profit from the gold rush in real estate investing that is taking place right now. In addition, he also points out that as many as twelve million homes are transacted in any given year which means that if you know the real estate investing business well enough there is sure to be many lucrative deals on offer that will come your way and from which you too can earn a decent amount of money.

The truth of the matter is that whether you are like Donald Trump, who has made a fortune out of investing in the skyscrapers of New York, or just an average real estate investor the same principles will work in either case and there is no difference except the size of the property being transacted. This of course, raises the question of how an average person can indulging in real estate investing profit the Donald Trump way. The answer is that one should follow one of the philosophies propounded by Donald Trump and that is to improve any location.

As a matter of fact, this is the same way that Trump first succeeded in real estate investing when he began by closing a deal on a twelve hundred unit foreclosure deal in Cincinnati, Ohio. At this time, Trump along with his father turned an apartment complex into a wonderfully successful real estate investing proposition without even investing a penny. Thus, you can take a leaf out of his book and also try to improve locations just like he did in his first real estate investing business venture.

Another tip worth learning from Donald Trump is learning from the knowledge he gained regarding how the government helps property buyers even though they (the buyers) did not have much financial clout. If you too can learn how to avail of such governmental aid, it could put you in a stronger position when you get into real estate investing. Furthermore, you must also be as passionate about this line of business as Trump is, because only then will you also be able to profit from your endeavors.

Trump in fact likens his penchant for making deals to a painter painting on canvas or a poet writing wonderful poetry. Thus, you can draw your own conclusions about whether being passionate about real estate investing will prove to be as profitable for you as it was in the case of Donald Trump. The fact of the matter is that today New York has some very notable examples of the Trump success story in the form of the well-known Trump Tower, The Trump International Hotel & Tower, The Trump Park Avenue and Trump Building located at 40 Wall Street. In addition, the Trump success story has made him owner of a number of golf courses and he is at present also developing another huge building.

Of course, an average person indulging in real estate investing won’t be blessed with having the kind of knowledge that Trump owns, and he also won’t have the kind of money that Trump commands. However, if you can understand and know what it takes to succeed in this line of business, you too can earn at least a small fraction of the fortune that Trump has earned by learning from the master himself.

Dr Green asked:


If you know what you are doing then real estate investing can be the most effective, and profitable, way to invest your money long term. But what about real estate investments for the short-term, quick return investor? In today’s real estate market many people are shying away from real estate investing because it seems like everyone is getting foreclosed on and making a profit in real estate is impossible. You have to remember that real estate investing, just like the stock market or any other investment, is cyclical. Yes the market is down right now but that is only after many years of a boom in the real estate market that created many new millionaires and added to the portfolio of already established real estate investing experts. So you can rest assured that the U.S. economy, and the real estate market, will make a comeback. If you really look at it, logic would suggest that it will make a huge comeback and if you want to be part of that initial windfall then the time to get involved is now.

Just like any other investment real estate investing is risky so always know that there is a risk to investing in real estate. But the chances that your real estate will appreciate in value are very good over time. It is just a matter of how long you can afford to wait. What you should be doing is scouting out properties to invest in because right now many prime pieces of real estate are available for prices that they may never be available for again. Homes that you never thought you could afford could be bought off the foreclosure market for a fraction of their original cost and held by you to be sold for a profit later. But what can you do in the interim to quickly increase the value of that home and maximize your profits even more? It is called house flipping.

Flipping Is The Fast Money Maker

Flipping a house means that you purchase a property at a price that is significantly below its assessed value, fix it up, then sell it for a profit. In a normal real estate market this is the best way to make fast money in real estate investing. But in a market like this you have to be a little smarter with your real estate investing and realize that flipping is still the way to go but the cycle will take a little longer than it does in a good market. A house flip that would normally take weeks you may have to hold on to for months in this market, but with the rate of foreclosures so high, and the possibility that the government may give large tax breaks to people that buy foreclosed properties, the return in nine months or so could be very large.

Normally in a house flip you would buy a house in need of repair because those are the ones that have depreciated in cost but not necessarily in value. You would do the repairs and then put the house on the market for a large profit. If you take the time to become a little savvier with real estate investing then you can use this current mortgage crisis to become a house flipper that invests in foreclosed properties, fixes them up and then waits for the upturn in the market to sell them at a huge profit. The only variables you need to contend with is how long before the upturn and can you afford to hold the properties while you wait for the market to recover? If you can come to grips with months of holding costs then this may be the perfect time to make your money in real estate investing and you can add value to your real estate with the quick house flipping technique of fixing up the property to add even more value.