Life is funny. During the last 15 years of operating my company, Boogie Street Guitars, I often would tell myself that I could never find a vocation which I would love as much as the guitar business. Well… I was wrong
Landscaping Tips for Home Sellers
Quick ideas to increase your home’s curb appeal
While it may be hard to believe, a well maintained and attractive landscape can add up to 10 percent to the value of your home. It’s just that simple. Never underestimate curb appeal!
Power-wash dirty surfaces. Clean the grunge and grime off paved surfaces as well as fences, vinyl siding and brick areas.
Repair an outdoor leaky faucet. A leaking faucet suggests that there may be other problems elsewhere in the plumbing, and that can be an instant turn-off to buyers. 
Touch up the mulch. A fresh layer of mulch to all garden beds spruces up your yard like little else. The color enhances everything around it and makes plants and flowers ‘pop’.
Shape unsightly or overgrown trees and shrubs. Nothing says neglect like overgrown trees and shrubs. Not to mention dead branches.
Plant some instant color. Create a splach of several colors or a more monochromatic scheme, whatever fits in with the look of your home by planting annuals.
Find more great tips at this article at hgtv.
If you are considering selling your home now or in the near future and would like additional landscape and/or home staging ideas or home selling information, feel free to call or text me at 412-613-4466. You can also contact me by email at sold@ericmckenna.com
My ‘Hanna Kids’ Major & Gwen
It as a treat to have my two children, Major and Gwen, with me at the Howard Hanna West Suburban Office this afternoon.
Really Cool Home Remodeling Ideas
I came across this article by written by Peggy Wang on the BuzzFeed Staff and I must admit…its’ really ‘cool!’ She lists 43 unique and ‘Cool’ remodeling ideas. It’s a great, fun article with quite a few really custom and useful interior and exterior designs. Some are really ‘out of the box’ thinking compared to traditional remodeling options.
Here are a group Peggy’s ideas I felt were standouts: 
6. Display your book collection under the stairs or even add a ‘wine cellar style’ wine cabinet under the stairs
11. Make space for two dishwashers instead of one
16. Maximize your space with baseboard drawers
17. Consider building a hidden room
18. Make some of your walls magnetic.
20. Add a multi-directional steam shower
24. Put a ‘bar’ rail on your deck for extra outdoor eating room
31. Add recessed hallway or basement lights along the baseboards
42. Cut out ‘overlooks’ for your second story
Again, just a really fun read. Some of these ideas left me scratching my head because – they really make sense! How could we not be doing these?
Here is a link to Peggy’s complete article on BuzzFeed
If you are considering remodeling your home and would like referrals to excellent contractors or if you would like advice on how your remodeling plans may affect the value of your home, please feel free to call or text me at 412-613-4466. Or email me at sold@ericmckenna.com
Get Pre-Approved
What is a Mortgage Pre-approval? Generally, a pre-approval is a written statement from a lender stating the lender’s preliminary determination that you would qualify for a particular loan amount under that lender’s guidelines. The determination and loan amount are based on your income and credit information. Most pre-approval letters are good for 60 to 90 days.
Does Pre-approval Guarantee Me A Loan? No. It’s important to understand that pre-approval letter is n
ot an offer to lend, a commitment to make a loan, or a guarantee of specific rates or terms. Also, regardless of pre-approval, a lender may require additional income and asset verification, as well as the satisfaction of other conditions, before extending you a loan. Pre-approval letters are subject to modification or cancellation if your financial situation or other conditions change.
Why Should You Get Pre-approved? The short answer is Yes! The most important reason is that you will get an accurate idea of how much home you can afford. This can help to target your home search and ensure you only look at houses that are truly in your price range. Also, a pre-approval letter can make you stand out in a competitive real estate market. If you make an offer on a house without a pre-approval, your offer may not be taken as seriously as an offer from another person with a pre-approval.
If you would like to apply for your Pre-approval for your home search, Howard Hanna Mortgage Services is a great place to start! Just call or text me at 412-613-4466 or email me at sold@ericmckenna.com. I can put you in touch with our office’s Howard Hanna mortgage consultant and get the process underway.
5 Quick Home Staging Tips
I wanted to share a great article regarding inexpensive staging tips for home sellers. This article comes to us from Melissa Neiman of Bankrate.com
Without question, correctly staging and presenting your home can significantly improve the odds of an effective and satisfactory sale. However, hiring professional home stagers are not always within the budget. With that thought in mind, here is an overview of Melissa’s article.
1. Pack away personal items. When possible, packing away your personal items is one of the simplest ways to help sell your property quickly. One quick way to de-personalize your home is to remove personal photos. The idea is that it’s difficult for prospective buyers to envision themselves in your home if they are surrounded by your personal family photos.
2. Clear away the clutter. While not always the easiest thing to do, it’s vital to enable the prospective buyer to focus on your home – not your ‘things.’ It’s much better to pack away your belongings in boxes and get them out of the way and out of site.
3. Rearrange and neutralize rooms. The suggestion is that fresh, neutral paint on walls, trim and doors makes your home appear clean and new. Another suggestion is to make sure closets are neat, organized and not over stuffed.
4. Clean and deodorize. It’s near impossible for a prospective buyer to look past a smelly home. Clean, clean, clean. The clean some more. Also ensure your home has a pleasant fragrance when prospective buyers arrive. Whether that would be scented candles or freshly baked sweets. Fresh and clean wins over just about anything else.
5. Enhance curb appeal. First impressions only come around once. Mow your lawn and trim your hedges. Pressure clean your exterior including sidewalks, decks and driveway. Also adding mulch is a low cost upgrade which really enhances a home’s landscape and overall exterior presence.
You can read Melissa’s full article here.
If you are considering selling your home and have any questions concerning home staging or any other selling factor, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m here to help. Feel free to call or text me at 412-613-4466.
Or feel free to use this form:
After Show #14
Quick video message after our 14th Show! Live from WMBA & WBVP Studios!
Eric McKenna 