Credit Scores & Homebuying

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Credit scores are important...here's a quick visual where you can see what a difference in a score would mean to you financially when buying a home. 

The table below, provided by FICO, shows how a range of credit scores can come into play when it comes to mortgage rates. To get the lowest rate, you’ll need a credit score range of 760-850. These rates below are based on a $300,000 30-year, fixed monthly payment.

FICO® score   APR    Monthly payment
760-850           4.525%            $1,525
700-759           4.747%            $1,564
680-699           4.924%            $1,597
660-679           5.138%            $1,636
640-659           5.568%            $1,716
620-639           6.114%            $1,821

This Bankrate article gives you the scores you'll need for other purchases such as cars too. Let me know if you'd like an introduction to a lender who can help you figure out where you are...an important first step when buying a new home.

Radon Testing when Buying a House

All About Radon

This is part of a radon mitigation system that was installed in

a Skaneateles home I had listed. The white PVC pipe leads

to a pump that is sealed under the foundation. The pump

removes the radon from below the foundation and sends

it through the pipe out of the basement and over the roof-line.

It's unusual for me when working with buyers to have someone who understands what Radon is and knows if they want to test the home they're buying to determine if it has acceptable levels of radon. It's just one of the many decisions a buyer needs to make in the home buying process.

Let's start with the basics - what is Radon?

The EPA is pretty succinct with their description: "Radon is a radioactive gas that has been found in homes all over the united states. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets into the air you breathe. Radon typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation." They also have a really great guide you can download.

You may wonder why it matters - this is why!
Radon is reported by the EPA to be the largest cause of lung cancer among non-smokers!  

Where is it? 

Some areas are found to have more radon than others - here's a great map of New York State that shows radon levels by county. I generally tell my buyer clients to defer to their home inspector as most are knowledgeable about areas that have high concentrations of radon as well as areas that don't. The safest way to know is to simply have the test. 

According to Barry Bourgeois of Exsel Environmental Services LLC in Syracuse, NY, the U.S. indoor average is 1.3 pCi/L, and the outdoor average is 0.3 pCi/L. 

In my experience...

Barry Bourgeois, of Exsel Environmental

Services, is shown outside the Skaneateles 

home where he installed this radon 

mitigation system. 

As a real estate agent, I've seen plenty of radon test reports and levels are usually in the 1-5 range. If a house has a level that's over 4.pCi/L, a buyer generally negotiates with a seller to have the radon mitigated by a radon mitigation company. Mitigation systems basically create a vacuum under a foundation that through PVC pipe moves the Radon to a safe disposal site- usually over the roof line. The pricing of systems depend upon a number of conditions such as the size of the foundation, type of foundation (poured, dirt, etc.). A basic system in our CNY area is in the neighborhood of $1,500.

A buyer I'm working with now wasn't going to test for radon, but ended up doing so after understanding the link it has to cancer. The level at the house they're buying ended up being more than 16 pCi/l; an acceptable level is 4.0 pCi/l or less. They sure are glad they tested - and the sellers are realizing how dangerous it may have been to be living in that house for the past 27 years! 

For those who are interested, here's the explanation of the measurement as taken from Air Chek:  pCi/l= pico curies per liter, the most popular method of reporting radon levels. For those interested in the numbers, a pico curie is 0.000,000,000,001 (one-trillionth) of a Curie, an international measurement unit of radioactivity. One pCi/l means that in one liter of air there will be 2.2 radioactive disintegrations each minute. For example, at 4 pCi/l there will be approximately 12,672 radioactive disintegrations in one liter of air, during a 24-hour period.

What does a test cost?

Added on to a home inspection, the test is usually around $150.00, so not very expensive for peace of mind. If you live in a home and never tested for it when you purchased it, you may want to have a test done too. Even as a tenant, if a landlord has not done a test, you may want to have one to protect yourself. You can buy a kit at a hardware store or over the Internet. Sometimes the kits are free and what you pay for is the lab test results which you get from them once they've analyzed the kit canister you mail to them after conducting the test.

Most counties have a set number of radon test kits they give out for FREE each year. The beginning of the year is often when that time is....so now's the time to get one! 

In Onondaga County, the Health Department has the kits available - call 315-435-6613 to order one.

In Cayuga County, test kits are available at the Health Department, at 8 Dill St. in Auburn, but can also be picked up at the following locations:

• Sennett Town Hall, 6931 Cherry St., Sennett
• Aurora Free Library, 370 Main St., Aurora
• Springport Free Library, 171 Cayuga St., Union Springs
• Port Byron Library, 12 Sponable Drive, Port Byron
• Seymour Library, 176 Genesee St., Auburn
• Powers Library, 29 Church St., Moravia

If you live in a different county, check with your Health Department.

Build Your Dream Home - at Pinterest

What does your dream home look like? 

Is it French provincial, colonial or Greek Revival? Is it a 3-bedroom abode with wainscot paneling and coffered ceilings? Or a 3-bedroom abode with wainscot paneling BUT arched ceilings? The choices are endless and that can make it hard to describe it to a Realtor.

Luckily, RE/MAX can help you picture your dream home, literally.

Use the new collection of boards on the RE/MAX Pinterest page to build your dream home one pin at a time. Pick and pin granite kitchen countertops, a master wine cellar, a hidden pantry behind the staircase, the ultimate man cave (or she shed) or whatever else you've always wanted. When you're done, share your own Pinterest board with your local agent, and they'll help you find a house that feels like home.

HOW IT WORKS

• Step 1: Visit the RE/MAX Pinterest page (www.pinterest.com/remax) and browse different boards. You might want to start with Home Styles, Dream Kitchen, Interior Details, Outdoor Features and Extra Touches.
• Step 2: Pin the details, styles and features you love to your own board.
• Step 3: Share your dream-home board with me, and let the home shopping begin!

Resolve to Get Your House Ready to Sell

Even if You Aren't Ready to Sell

It's the time of year when celebrations give way to resolutions. Some people think about them a lot and are meticulous and make resolutions with step by step plans of how to achieve them - while others are hastily made after a night of too much celebrating!

This year, why not be deliberate and make a few house resolutions?

As a Real Estate Agent I see it so often with people who are selling a home - they do things to make improvements to their home to make it sell better such as:

© Jameswimsel | Dreamstime Stock Photos

• put on a fresh coat of paint
• deep clean to get the dust and grease out of corners
• purchase new appliances
• pressure wash the exterior
• replace light-bulbs and/or fixtures
• clean out and organize
• make cosmetic repairs

And, without fail, sellers say something along the lines of  "Why didn't we do this sooner?" They realize that they enjoy their home so much more with it being repaired, cleaned and organized.

This year, consider making a house resolution to get your house ready to sell - even if you aren't ready to sell! Make your home a better place to be - improve the Fung Shui, new flooring, a clean basement, donate the clothes that don't fit anymore that you've been hanging onto for six years, give away the baby toys, etc.

Not sure what improvements to make? Go to an open house or two - it will change your perspective. Then, go home and keep your eyes open! Instead of being in a rush to put the groceries away, get the dog out or the children to bed, look at your house - I mean, really look at it! Is there dated wallpaper that you just don't notice anymore? Is the paint chipping from the door trim? A torn screen? A wall where the door knob has pushed through? Make a list of the things you see because it won't be long before you don't notice them again (until you're ready to sell).

Take the list and use it to make your house resolutions! One fix a month, every other weekend? Trust me, it will feel good to cross them off and you'll begin to enjoy your home more because even though you may not see the "issues" you know they're there and they stay in the back of your mind as something that needs to be done.

Here's the bonus - when the day does come that you're ready to sell and you call me to come preview your home and give you a value estimate and market plan, you won't be saying, I know I need to clean out the closets, fix the leaking pipe and update the bathroom and be on a deadline to get it done.

Being ready to sell provides an amazing sense of power...you may not be in the market for a new house but if you just happen to see your dream house come up for sale, with your house fixes done or at least underway, you'll be in a position to sell and buy.

Need an open house to go to for inspiration? Join me for one:

• January 8 from 11 am to 1 pm at 7 Mary Street in Auburn
• January 8 from 2 to 4 at 903 Beverly Drive in Camillus
• January 15 from 2 to 4 pm at 2839 Jugg Street in Moravia

Feel free to reach out if you have questions about what should be done at your house to be ready to sell. Happy New Year! Make 2017 a great one!

Amber Spain-Mosher is a real estate agent with RE/MAX Masters in Skaneateles helping people buy and sell across Central New York's unique communities including Skaneateles, Marcellus, Spafford, Marietta, Sennett, Camillus, Baldwinsville, Lysander, Memphis, Fairmount, Syracuse, Geddes, Onondaga, LaFayette, Jamesville, Moravia, Owasco, Union Springs and more! 

Fresh Eggs with a Side of Zoning

Our generous neighbor gave us some beautiful chicken eggs that were all different colors - browns, tans, green/blues and a single white one - and they were all different sizes too. The variety has been delightful!

Every time I've opened the carton to use them I get to pick a color, a size - it's been fun for my 5 year old twins too who like the blue/green ones. They were surprised when I cracked them open and they looked like the eggs they're used to seeing.

I would love to have chickens (I think - they may be more work that I'm up for, if I'm honest) but the zoning where I live prohibits me from having them. My neighbor lives just over the Marcellus Town line so they're able to have them because the zoning allows for it.

In my work as a real estate agent I talk with more and more people who want pastured chickens - for the health benefits better eggs that deliver a healthy breakfast but also to help reduce the number of ticks in their yards to try to help prevent Lyme Disease. I know several people who have been diagnosed with Lyme Disease with varying degrees of impact - it's truly a scary disease. It seems to me that we could use more chickens in our communities to reduce the tick population.

But back to my original thought, if you know someone who is shopping for a home and may want to have chickens (or livestock) in the future - zoning is important. Here's an example that may surprise you - would you believe that in the Town of Onondaga, you'd have to have at least five acres to have just one chicken? It's true! I worked with a buyer who was interested in a property that had a house, a huge barn, chicken coop and a pond that sat on two beautiful acres. Unfortunately, the property was in the Town of Onondaga so their dream of using this property for some chickens and a few other animals was squashed because it didn't have enough acreage.

Anyone can find out how a property is zoned by calling the municipal office and speaking with the zoning or codes officer - or, if you're in the process of buying a house, your agent can help you.

A Batlle for Recognition

I just love this story in the Auburn Citizen/West Onondaga County Journal about Lakeview Cemetery in Skaneateles and Jorge Batlle's efforts to get it placed on the National Register of Historic Places through the National Park Service. It's such a beautiful place and so well taken care of. Those of us who live in or have lived in or will live in Skaneateles are lucky to have people like Jorge and his wife Beth Batlle working to preserve the local history and also inform and educate people about it.

This photo is from the article (taken by the reporter Jonathan Monfiletto) and it's of Burrow's Chapel which can be seen from Genesee Street in the village. My mother, Barby Bendall Spain has been involved over the years in raising money to help keep this building up.

I hope Jorge is right and that we will soon know that the cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fish Today - Santa Tomorrow at Bass Pro! 

Earlier today we went to Bass Pro at Fingerlakes Mall in Auburn to see the fish - and were surprised to find that Santa will be there starting tomorrow. Now you can plan your visit! 

Fish today, Santa Tomorrow!