5D
REAL ESTATE/T[|)e CiatlstU $on
Thursday, March 2, 2006
T\irn refund into new home
Continued from page 4D
local Realtor can provide you
with information about the
various builders’ closeout
deals and promotions that are
available today
Put your tax reflmd to great
use. If you are entitled to a
tax refund, invest it wisely
Take advantage of the sea
sons best opportunities, buy
your own home
ROUSD K. HAWKISS is a
Real Estate Agent w ith Coldw'ell
Banker United Realtors. He can
be reac hed ca (704) 840-5762 or
w^\M'jvlandhaw'fdnsjrom
Deck out your home with some
advanced hving space creativity
Continued from page 4D
ers are stylized baroque
balusters of maintenance-
free aluminum and view
expanding options made of
glass. Tlie company’s “Scenic
Series” of glass balusters
comes in two styles - the
Frontier, a simple rectangu
lar design with beveled edges,
and the Contour, a curva
ceous figure-eight design.
Both are available in clear or
tinted versions.
“When you sit on your deck,
you’re actually at eye level
with the rails, so it makes
sense to make the balusters a
focal point,” Jones says.
Even if a new “designer”
deck is not in the budget,
adding balusters, postcaps,
or centerpieces can give a
tired deck a brand new look.
New balusters are so easy to
install that do-it-yourselfers
can make dramatic up^ades
in their existing decks over a
weekend. Jones says virtual
design tools, like the one on
the Deckorators Web site
{www.deckorators.com),
make it possible to see just
how different a deck can look
with some dramatic updat
ing.
Sometimes even the “per
fect home” with lots of interi
or space feels different when
the weather warms up.
Cherjd and Richard Basanti
of Naperville, Dl. moved into
theii’ house in the winter, and
when spring arrived they
realized they lacked outdoor
space to entertain and keep
an eye on the children play
ing outside.
“Our house had a small
deck, but it was not very func
tional. It sat up high on our
house and offered no privacy
from our neighbors,” Cherji
says,
The Basantis hired a con
tractor and converted their
old deck into a multi-level
entertainment space, takiiig
advantage of the slope of
their land to create privacy
and square footage. Tbday,
Cher>d says her deck, which
includes attractive designei'
balusters and matching post
caps, gets as much use — and
compliments — as their inside
space.
“Remodeling yom- home for
financial reasons has actually
become more of a gamble
than an investment,” says
financial planning expert
Viktor Szucs, a certified
financial planner with Quest
Capital Management in Dal
las. “It’s always best to invest
in enhancements for yourself
rather than for resale purpos-
Although expensive media
rooms and gynmasium-sized
master suites may be popular
items for wealthy homeown
ers, a new deck or renovation
of an existing one meikes
sense for a broader range of
people. “Remodeling Maga
zine” says decks are expected
to remain a top project for
homeowners interested in
adding value, space and
return on investment.
Key to maintenance-free landscaping
Continued from page 4D
If you dread the idea of
spending hours on yo\ir
hands and knees on a weekly
basis pulling these undesir
able plants, make this the
year you put down landscape
fabric. “The great thing
about landscape fabric is it’s
pretty much a permanent
solution to your weed prob
lems if you use the right prod
uct. It’s installed on top of the
soil and is permeable to air
and water so your desirable
plants still get everything
they need to thrive,” says
Neal Caldwell of Dalen Prod
ucts, Inc., makers of the
Weed-X and Weed Shield
brands of landscape fabric.
In addition to being an
effective weed barrier that
prevents the imdesirable
plants from setting down
roots in the soil, landscape
fabric also conserves mois
ture close to the roots, which
in turn help® reduce stress on
the plants’ root system grow
ing beneath it. Some land
scape fabric brands are
designed for erosion control,
but also claim to control
weeds. The fabric needs to be
very porous for erosion con
trol which is something you
do NOT want in a weed con
trol fabric (too many openings
for weeds to penetrate), so it’s
important to use a material
designed specifically for con
trolling .weeds.
When installed on top of a
new plot, all you have to do is
roll out the fabric, cut an “x’
and plant, then put down a 1-
to-2-inch layer of mulch over
the fabric. If you’ll be
installii^ it in an existing
bed, you’ll need to cut slits or
holes to fit around the plants
already in the ground.
Because of its permanent
nature, landscape fabric is
intended for use in beds that
don’t change fix)m year to
year (under shrubs, around
trees, etc). It is also effective
at stopping weeds imder
decks and patios; under walk
ways and paths; around
swimming pools and hot
tubs; and under sandboxes
and backyard diildren’s play
sets.
For more information about
the benefits of landscape fab
ric, and detailed instructions
on how to install it, Ic^ on to
www.gardeneer.com. Weed-X
and Weed Shield are made
with the same patented dual
layer material which has
been rated number one for
stopping weeds by 8 univ«^-
ty studies.
You can find Weed-X at
Wal-Mart, and Weed Shield
at Ace and TVue Value hard
ware stores and through dis
tributors at garden centers
nationwide.
Make your home a tme work of art
ARVCU: RESOURCE ASSOCIATIOS
Your home is an expression
of you and it’s your haven
fiom the hustle and bustle of
today’s fast-paced world.
That’s why it’s not a surprise
the results of a homeowner
survey found 45 percent said
they would change the look of
a room at least once a year if
they could do so simply and
affordably
By some accoimts, women
can make up to 85 percent of
home buying decisions, and
often seek functional, usable
spaces in their kitchens and
cozy bathrooms that provide
a touch of affordable luxury
Many women also prefer
charm and character in their
homes, not cookie-cutter
designs. Finally, they typical
ly want natural li^t and the
ability to keep things in order,
with minimal maintenance.
lb meet the demand for
functional luxury, PeUa Cor
poration created a new
design solution with its
Designer Series collection
featuring windows and patio
doom with window fashions -
fabric cellular shades, blinds,
grilles, and dewrative panels
- protected between panes of
glass that can easily be
changed by the homeowner
for added stjie, amvenience
and safety Ihis product is
ideal fOT the kitchen or bath
because the cordless design
keeps the look sleek and sim-
{ide above a sink or a bathtub.
Plus with the window fash
ions iHX)tected between the
^ass, they may never need
dusting and are safe fium
splatters. .
With blinds available in 10
popular colors and cellular
style shades in 15 of today’s
hottest color options, instant
transformations to a room as
the seasons change or as the
decor of a home evolves is
easier than ever. New this
year are snap-in decorative
panels which are textured,
colored or nature-themed
inserts that create a truly
unique look in Designer
Series windows or patio
doors. The panels allow in
natural li^t but obscure the
view, ideal for creating priva
cy in a room as well as an art
ful window treatment.
“We’re seeing the trend to
personalization extend into
home design, both in new
construction, and remodeling
and replacement projects, so
we’ve designed our windows
and doors to make it easy to
compliment those trends, and
repress your personal st)de,”
said Sherri Gillette, Pella’s
Designer Series brand man
ager.
The decorative panels that
fit perfectly between the
panes of glass allow you - the
homeowner turned designer -
to make a bold statement for
a feature window, add a tran
sitional design element for a
patio door leading to a gar
den, add privacy to a bath
room or create a stjhsh look
for a bedroom. They also can
quickly and easily be dianged
over time or as tastes change
transforming Pella windows
and patio doors into true
woiks of art. For the ultimate
in personal expression, d^o-
rative panels can be cus
tomized to include an image
of your favorite pet, person or
place.
Kitchens and baths — rooms
most fi^uented by guests
and those living in the home -
remain tc^ in rooms being
revamped, fueling a $170 bil
lion-plus home-improvement
industry, according to house
and home editors on
BHG.com. As design deci
sions go, it’s important that in
addition to personalization,
privacy plays a key role.
A popular option for privacy
is the top-down blind or
shade, especially for the bath
and bedroom, because this
design allows in natural light
at the top of the window, as
the top of the window is
uncovered, and the lower por
tion remains covered for
added privacy and security
“Designer Series windows
and patio doors truly connect
form and fimetion since they
make such a st>de statement
while reducing cleaning time,
and they also help lower the
cost of your utilities,” said
Gillette.
Researchers at the Univer
sity of Iowa foimd that Pella
Designer Series windows and
patio doOTS with between-the-
glass blinds can help keep
your home cleaner and
healthier - windows with
roomside blinds can harbor
200 times more indoor air
borne allergens, according to
data fix)m this ongoing
research conducted by the
Department of Occupational
and Environmental Health.
What’s more is the Depart
ment of Eneigy says energy
efficient choices for a home
can save families nearly a
fourth on energy bills.
In addition to the benefits of
improved aesthetics, along
with time and money sav
ings, sound and noise reduc
tion is a tangible result of
window replacement pro
jects. For example, Pella
Designer Series windows and
doors with triple-glazing and
laminated glass can reduce
exterior sounds as much as
85 percent. This is at least
double the sound perfor
mance of a single-glazed win
dow. By comparison, an
eight-inch concrete block
reduces sound by 95 percent.
Pella takes it one step fur
ther by allowing the home-
owner to design the windows
and patio doors for their
home from the comfort of
their home. You begin by
going to www.peUa.com —
there you can choose your
interior options — select a
room color, window fashion,
fashion operation, grille, inte
rior stain color, and hardware
finish. Next, select exterior
options like screen type, pro
tective exterior EnduraCUad
cladding color and glass
options. Once you’ve finished
making your selections you
may print the final design,
request an appointment with
a PeUa representative and
watch your designs come to
life in your home.
Tb find a local Pella Window
& Door store near you or to
contact a local Pella expert,
call 888-84-PELLA or log on
to www.pella.com
Your source for community news and views
Cljarlotte ^05it
World
OF
Real Estate
Realtors, Mortgage Funding, Investors,
Contractors, and More!
To join this page of ADVERTISERS
Please call
Your Personal Executive:
Pat McNair ext. 106 •
Jeri Thompson ext. 104
Sheryl Bradford ext 107
Eran Farrer-Nash ext. 113
OWNING YOUR FUTURE
Homeownership is a national priority. HUD is the
nation’s housing agency committed to increasing
homatwnership and dedicated to helping first-time
buyers and minority families become homeowners.
Each year, HUD programs and services help tens of
thousands of families accomplish the dream of a life
time: owning a home.
Most likely, you’ll need to borrow money to buy a
house. Getting a fair deal will help you to keep your
home and b(X)st your home equity wealth. Home
equity is the part of the value of your home that
belongs to you—the value of your hou.se minus what
you owe on the mortgage. Your goal is to get a loan
that doesn’t include high fees or a high interest rate.
With low fees and a low interest rate, you can pay
down your debt more quickly and own more of your
house.
Watch You Wealth
The wealth you accumulate in a hou.se is no different
than money in a checking or savings account. Be as
careful and attentive to your home equity as you
would be to your bank account. Be cautious about
refinancing or borrowing again.st your home equity.
Remember, refinancing isn’t always a gcxxl idea.
Don’t let someone sell you a loan you don’t need or
can’t afford. Be wary of pitches like "NO CREDIT,
NO PROBLEM" or random mail promising favor
able mortgage rates. If it sounds t(X) gcxxl to be hue,
it probably is.
For more information, call 1 (8(Xh 569-4287 or go to
www.owningyourfuture.gov and select "Buying a
Home."