April 2013 RSS Feed

 According to information taken from the National Fire Incident Reporting System, each year over 75 percent of all fire fatalities occurred as a result of fires in our homes. Fires that affect our homes are often the most tragic and the most preventable. In the latest Topical Fire Report Series for the years 2009 to 2011, fire fatalities in our homes accounted for 82 percent of all those who died from fire.

Significant Findings

Findings from the report indicate that the overwhelming majority of victims suffered from thermal burns and smoke inhalation.

Just over half of all house fire deaths occurred in bedrooms.

Just over half of fire fatalities in the home occurred between 11pm and 7am. This time period was also responsible for 48 percent of…

You've likely heard many different things as a homeowner, and much of what's out there is passed along as truth, when it's anything but. Here, we'll examine a few different household beliefs that simply aren't true.

The Bathroom Exhaust Fan

You may have heard that an exhaust fan is only needed in a bathroom that doesn't have a window. While building code in the past may or may not have allowed bathrooms to be built without exhaust fans, it's still a tremendously good idea to have one. Simply put, bathrooms need exhaust fans to help prevent moisture problems.

The biggest problem is that most people don't open their windows while bathing, or they don't keep them open long enough to remove the condensation.

As people take showers and baths,…

New homes are selling again but the features that were once hot have drastically shifted with the evolving needs of the new home buyer. Since the housing market crisis, home buyers have become more practical with the things they want and need, including a short drive to their job and savings on projected utility costs.  Short commutes and smart use of energy resources Ada County and Canyon County, Idaho are thriving places to be and live.

In the past, buyers were raging about wine cellars, sun rooms, and expansive media rooms. But shaped by today's economy and buyer's wish-lists, builders have made some fundamental changes.

Drawing upon a new study released by the National Association of Home Builders titled, “What Home Buyers Really Want,” the top…

The Patio

You've spent all morning tending your garden, or you've just finished a long overdue maintenance project. It's warm out, and it's time to kick back and have a long, well deserved break. A crisp iced tea sounds heavenly, particularly with that famous ever-present cool breeze wafting past you as you enjoy the sight and sounds in your own backyard.

This is one of the reasons why the patio is such a popular feature with homeowners and home buyers. The patio is not only the place where you can entertain your friends over a tasty meal of barbecued chicken or steak, or sip wine on a warm, summer evening; the patio also adds appeal to your home, and value. When looking for great patio space to entertain friends, new homes in Idaho has proven…

When you hear the words, net zero energy home, a few ideas automatically pop into your head. Right?

But what does it really mean?

For the best answer, we turned to the Net Zero Energy Home Coalition, which defines a net zero energy home as one that produces at least as much energy on site from a renewable source as it uses on an annual basis. These super-extreme-energy-efficient homes balance their energy needs with the use of renewable technologies. In terms of energy, it's a home that sustains itself.

You'll find that there are different degrees of these net zero homes and buildings around the world. Some buildings even supply a surplus of energy while others consume a bit more energy than they produce. These “near-zero energy buildings” or…

Buying a home is an important financial decision. In fact, it's likely the most important financial decision you'll ever make, and likely the largest. It's normal to have reservations. But no matter what your reservations might be, 2013 has shaped up to be the year to buy real estate. It's a fantastic time to get into the market. And in case you need to hear more than just that, here are some rock solid reasons why buying a new home in Idaho is a good idea.

Pride

There's nothing like the feeling you get after becoming a homeowner for the first time. The pride of owning a home isn't like any other large purchase you can make; this is the big time. It means you've made it. It means you've made a solid investment into your future that's rolled up in…

One of two things can happen when you make an offer to purchase a home. Either it's rejected or accepted, and if you're like most other buyers out there, your heart is laced within that offer; and the last thing you want is to have it rejected. But it happens. All the seller has to do is say no and you may find yourself heartbroken, wondering what went wrong.

You may never be able to guarantee that your offer will get accepted, but familiarizing yourself with the top reasons why offers do get rejected can minimize the chance that it will happen to you. And with Boise's tight inventory, multiple offer market-it's more important than ever that the offer you make is as close to perfect as you can get it, the first time, and without mistakes. Sound…

Boise spring days experience bouts of clear, blue skies and quickly evaporating rain. Ideal temperatures and perpetual breezes make for perfect days get outdoors.

As you plan on making this year in Boise one filled with all the outdoor bounty the area has to offer, you'll love how long our days are, streaming in some fifteen hours of daylight in early summer, maximizing the time you can spend outside each and every day.

On the topic of springtime in Boise, just what are the best things to do to make it memorable? The weather recently got warmer and you're likely thinking about all the things out there to fill all those daylight hours. Just like winter, the Treasure Valley is packed with activities that are community oriented for you and your…

The momentum in home remodeling is just another positive indicator that the housing sector is strongly recovering. “The strength of the Remodeling Market Index, especially in owner-occupied properties, shows that homeowners are investing in remodels as home prices stabilize,” says George Moore Jr., the National Association of Home Builders Remodelers chairman. “As owners become more confident that investments in housing will hold their value, they are beginning to undertake projects to improve their comfort that they had been putting off.”

The NAHB index showed improvements in all three of the indicators measured, including maintenance and repairs, minor additions and alterations, and major additions and alterations.

At a six year high, more and…

You have likely heard how markets throughout the nation have been experiencing a rise in home value. Even some of the hardest hit areas are getting back into the fight. We're seeing an increase in home buyer competition which leads to multiple offers on homes happening in multiple regions in nearly every state. In fact, some of the top states with the sharpest increase in home values are: Idaho, California, North Dakota, Nevada, and Arizona.

The positive trendswe saw in 2012 drifted into 2013, contributing to the path of recovery in part because of affordable homes and historically low mortgage rates. In addition, investor activity over the course of the last 6 years has had a significant impact on many home markets. We can thank a large part of the…