Increase Your Living Space With A Converted Garage

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How Smart Are Today's Appliances

	Your REALTOR® Steve McMichael The Imagine Team  February 2016  Your Homebuying Experts The Imagine Team Copyright 2016 Realty Times All Rights Reserved.       How Smart Can Appliances Be? By Stewart Wolpin       The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is not an appliance show - not yet, anyway. Whirlpool and Bosch had appliances at CES this past week in Las Vegas, but Haier showed mostly TVs in its exhibit space. Other white goods brands such as Sears, GE, Maytag and Electrolux did not show off any major appliances.       Instead, it was mainstream Korean electronics brands Samsung and LG who played "can you top this" where smart appliances - mostly refrigerators - were concerned.       First, Samsung announced its Family Hub Refrigerator (available this May), which is essentially a 21.5-inch vertical tablet with a four-door refrigerator attached.       The Family Hub fridge is equipped with a 1920 by 1080p touchscreen with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and speakers. Its pre-installed apps are family- and kitchen-centric, such as a combined schedule app that syncs everyone's Google or Apple iCal calendars, as well as a food shopping app called Groceries by MasterCard.       Inside the Hub fridge are two fish-eye cameras which snap a photo of the interior contents each time the doors closes. Photos can be viewed on the pending Samsung appliance app for shopping remotely. Interior cameras seem to be a growing smart fridge trend.       LG countered with its Signature refrigerator, which has a view-through window that turns translucent or dark by simply knocking on it. The door opens when you step on an "open door" holograph projected from the fridge onto the kitchen floor - and the fridge is smart enough to differentiate between you and a dog or cat who might happen to wander by. LG didn't provide timing for when the fridge will be available.       Not to be outdone, Whirlpool announced its Connected French Door refrigerator, out this spring, along with a smart dishwasher and smart ranges in both gas and electric. All can be monitored and controlled from Whirlpool's app, so you can check the refrigerator's contents via internal Wi-Fi cameras, monitor and moderate the fridge's varying zone temperatures, or initiate speed ice-making for parties.      Smart Appliance Ecosystems       As a result of Smart Appliances dependence on human interaction, appliances can't perform much "If This Then That" (IFTTT) automation, nor can they work together—the washing machine or dishwasher won't automatically eject its contents once the cleaning cycle is done, for instance, nor can a refrigerator order groceries by itself (at least, not yet). So just how "smart" appliances can ultimately become is an open question.       Despite these intelligence limitations, both Samsung and LG, along with Bosch, are attempting to build appliance ecosystems. In mid-2014, Samsung bought smart-home platform SmartThings, and all the company's 2016 UHD TVs will double as SmartThings hubs and enable on-screen monitoring and control.       Meanwhile, LG is developing an overarching smart home/appliance platform, Smart ThinQ (confusingly pronounced "smart thin cue"). Smart ThinQ will allow LG's appliances to communicate through an Amazon Echo-like tubular Bluetooth speaker hub equipped with a 3.5-inch color screen, Wi-Fi and ZigBee, Z-Wave, Nest and AllJoyn compatibility. There also will be small-button IR/motion sensors that can transmit limited information from normal appliances to the Smart ThinQ app.       Like Samsung, LG wants to make its controls available through a TV; a Smart ThinQ app will be included in the company's webOS 3.0, which will first be available in the company's new Signature OLED TVs, due later this year.       LG continues to promote HomeChat, a text-based, man-to-machine form of communication. But LG's top-of-the-line Signature appliances lack HomeChat, which may imply the feature's abandonment or absorption into Smart ThinQ. Equal Housing Opportunity Steve McMichael The Imagine Team, ePro,ABR  (260)748-2500 Office; (260)602-6606 Mobile Steve@SteveMcMichael.com http://ImagineRealEstate.net Imagine Real Estate(260)440-2035 Fax 221 Lincoln Highway East New Haven, IN 46774

Don't Become House Poor

HOW TO KEEP FROM GOING HOUSE POOR

Written by Jaymi Naciri on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 2:23 pm

The only thing worse than not being able to buy a home when you want to is owning a home and not being able to do anything but sit inside because after your house payment, HOA fee, taxes, and household bills, there's nothing left.

A few smart strategies can help you avoid becoming house poor.

Think hard about that preapproval amount

Just because the bank tells you that you can buy a $400,000 home doesn't mean you have to spend all $400,000. It might be that you're not comfortable with a payment that high if it means you won't have a cushion and can't continue to contribute to your savings.

Things you'll want to consider:

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February 2015 News Letter

	Your REALTOR® Steve McMichael The Imagine Team  February 2016  Your Homebuying Experts The Imagine Team Copyright 2016 Realty Times All Rights Reserved. Mortgage Rates Fall       In Freddie Mac's results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.79% for the week ending January 28, 2016.     A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.66 percent.      The Fed stood pat this week but kept its options open for a rate increase in March. This week's housing releases confirmed the momentum of home sales going into 2016. A hesitant Fed, sub 4% Mortgage Rates Source: Realty Times U.S. averages as of January 28, 2016: 30 yr. fixed:   3.79% 15 yr. fixed:   3.07% 5 yr. ARM:     2.90% mortgage rates, and strong housing fundamentals should generate a three percent increase in home sales this year. Garages: Not Just For Cars Anymore     With larger, more luxurious kitchens now the heart of many houses, and first-floor laundry and mud rooms the new activity centers, it was only a matter of time before the garage also underwent a transformation.      Despite the fact that 82 percent of homes have garages, the space is often "the largest, most underutilized, most abused, and most often ignored room in the house," wrote Bill West in his book, Your Garagenous Zone.        Many people still struggle to find enough space amid the junk in their garage to park a car. But there's a growing desire to create cleaner, more organized spaces that can contribute to a home's "wow" factor, says West. It may not raise the price in most markets, but it helps win a beauty contest if the buyer is deciding among a few homes. Giving Your Kitchen A Boost When Selling    Most experts agree it is not always cost-efficient to remodel a kitchen in anticipation of selling.     There are ways to make your kitchen sparkle before you put your home on the market.     Repair leaky faucets and remove stains from the kitchen counters and sink.     Clean the interior of your oven and dishwasher, as someone is sure to open them. Dirty appliances can convey an impression that will extend to the rest of the house.     "Before taking out walls or committing a lot of money, you have to ask, does it need a facelift or major surgery," said Jason Feldman, director of style, innovation, and design for Home Depot.     "There's no point in replacing cabinets or making structural changes if all that's needed are a few cosmetic improvements." Can Home Staging Really Win Over Buyers?     Home staging can influence buyers' perceptions of a home and even motivate them to pay more, according to the National Association of REALTORS®' Profile of Home Staging, a survey of more than 2,300 REALTORS® representing buyers and sellers.      Eighty-one percent of REALTORS® who represent buyers say that staged homes make it easier for their home buyers to visualize a property as their future home. Forty-six percent of buyer agents also reported that staging makes their buyers more willing to tour a home they viewed online, and 45% say that buyers tend to view the value of the home more positively if it is decorated to buyers' tastes.      Twenty-eight percent of agents said their buyers are even more willing to overlook other property faults if a home is staged, according to NAR's survey. Buyer agents also say that staging can potentially influence how much their buyers are willing to offer for a home. According to the survey, thirty-two percent of buyer agents surveyed say that staged homes increase the dollar value buyers are willing to offer for a home by 1% to 5%; 16% said it could increase offers by 6% to 10%.      However, not everyone chooses to stage a home in prepping it for sale. Forty-four percent of seller agents say they only suggest that sellers declutter and fix property faults, and they do not recommend that their clients should professionally stage the home. Equal Housing Opportunity Steve McMichael The Imagine Team, ePro,ABR  (260)748-2500 Office; (260)602-6606 Mobile Steve@SteveMcMichael.com http://www.fortwaynehomesonline.com Imagine Real Estate(260)440-2035 Fax PO Box 444 New Haven, IN 46774