5 Easy, Inexpensive Ways to Add Value and Comfort to Your Home

If you’ve been thinking about increasing your home’s value or just making your living space more comfortable, these ideas can help you start off simply. Before you start knocking out walls and renovating your roofline, consider these ways to make a big difference…cost-effectively!
1. Spruce Up Your Curb Appeal

Buyers often decide whether to look at your house before they even get out of the car. So, before you spend a lot of time and money remodeling the inside, take a good look at the outside. Washing windows, repainting trim, planting flowers and small shrubs, trimming tree branches and overgrown bushes, fixing screens, resealing your driveway, and mowing the lawn can make a big difference. Start out by making a list of 4 to 7 simple projects and then set aside an hour or two each day. In just one week, you - and potential buyers - will be surprised how appealing and welcoming your house looks when driving up.

2. Does Your Entryway Invite People In?

A cozy first impression is crucial. Now that you’ve boosted your curb appeal, it’s time to turn your attention inside - starting just inside the front door. To make sure your entryway invites people to come in - rather than turnaround and run - try adding a wicker chair and table outside the door along with a fresh coat of paint to your foyer.

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GRAND OPENING of

PAWS Park of Santa Ynez Valley

Paws Park of Santa Ynez Valley, Inc, in conjunction with the City of Buellton, is proud to announce the Grand Opening of the first Dog Park in the Santa Ynez Valley! The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony is scheduled for August 1, 2009 at 10:00am. Come one, come all. Bring your dogs and let’s have fun!

 Location:

 PAWS Park of  Santa Ynez Valley, Inc.

568 Dawn Drive

P.O. Box 269

Buellton, CA 93427-0269

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The Village Voice Real Estate Update 

Summer Newsletter is now available.

Simply click here to read it!

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Summer is here, school is out and the beach is busy with vacationing travelers and our locals enjoying why they live in Santa Barbara.  Our weather is one great reason why we love it here and another reason why we attract so many people permanently.  June sales reflect another month where sales steadily increased.  For the first time since April of last year we hit the triple digits with 124 reported residential sales closed from Carpinteria to Goleta in our local Santa Barbara Multiple Listing Service and 145 sales pending.

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The $8,000 Tax Credit has sent the market share of first-time homebuyers soaring.

In March, first time homebuyers made up more than half the real estate market according to the National Association of Realtors.  A new development in the program took place at the end of May  which allows first time homebuyers, using FHA-approved lenders, to get an advance on the up to $8,000 tax credit created by the stimulus package and apply it toward their down payment or closing costs.

Home buyers must still come up with FHA’s required down payment of 3.5%, but can use the tax credit to lower their principal balance and save on their monthly payments. Please check with your lender for complete details.

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The Santa Barbara Newcomers Club helps new residents meet people and get acquainted with The Community.  If you are new to Santa Barbara, this is a must-do.  The club has a wide range of activities that you may attend that will build friendships and help you learn about the exceptional social, cultural and civic opportunities available in this beautiful city we call home.  Established in 1955, the non-profit organization is run entirely by volunteers. 

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Making a Move?

Across Town, Across the Country or Across the Globe

Village Properties is your real estate resource wherever you are moving

Moving anywhere is usually the result of a personal lifestyle change.  It may mean moving due to a job transfer or because you want to enjoy a different climate or country.  Whatever the reason for your move, Village Properties can help.  We offer a range of Relocation Services to make the transition as easy and pleasant as possible. 

Relocating Outside the Greater Santa Barbara Area?

If you, an employee or someone you know is moving outside of our area, we can help them connect with a quality Realtor in their new community destination-anywhere in the world.  Village Properties has the ability to relocate clients virtually anywhere in the world through our affiliations with:  Leading Real Estate Companies of the world, Christie’s Great Estates and Luxury Real Estate.  Village Properties provides a winning combination: the best locally owned real estate company in the region combined with national and international networks that provide the greatest possible exposure and service.

Relocation Global Home Search?

You can search for a home across the world through RELOHomeSearch.com. This service is provided through Leading Real Estate Companies of the World which is a global network of nearly 700 premier real estate firms with 5,500 offices and 170,000 sales associates in 38 countries around the world. Collectively, this group has sold over 1.2 million homes worth $370 billion in 2007, more than any national real estate brand.

Moving to the Greater Santa Barbara Area?

Village Properties offers full time professionals available to help with a move into our area.  Ask us anything and we will be happy to answer questions about the local communities of Santa Barbara, Montecito,  Carpinteria, Hope Ranch, and Goleta.  To the North, we work in the Santa Ynez Valley communities of Solvang, Los Olivos, Buellton, Los Alamos and Santa Maria. To the South, we service the communities of Ojai and Ventura.  Our Relocation Package is full of valuable information and resources.  For anyone considering a move to our area, we offer an orientation of the region and its diverse communities. For more community information please visit our website at www.villagesite.com. 

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Over all,  Santa Barbara area has fared well,  compared to the nation and the rest of the state of California.  Leslie Appleton Young, the Chief Economist for the California Association of Realtors, reports the loss of property value in the state as 31% while in the past year our area has softened only 16%.  Primarily this is due to our limited supply  of homes and our high demand  by buyers, even in a tough economic times.  Our area did not see many sub-prime loans made, leaving us in a stronger  position  today.

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Most experts point to the unprecedented rash of sub prime lending over the past several years as the main cause of today’s credit crunch.  While there were virtually no sub prime loans made along the South Coast, we are still feeling the impacts of the tightened credit market.  In fact, because of our home values are significantly higher than most communities across the nation, one could argue that we are more affected by the credit crunch. (more…)

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