Real Estate Information Archive

Let’s face it: Storage can be irritating in any room. But this small irritation can become a big fat issue when you’re dealing with a small bathroom. Where do you store towels? What about tweezers? And where exactly are you supposed to hide tampons when you don’t have drawers? We’ve found the solutions to these woes and more.

Here are six ways to make the most of a petite bathroom:

1. Add Extra Towel Racks to the Door

No matter how small your bathroom is, we bet it has a door. How many towel racks do you have on the back of that door? If the answer is “zero,” it’s time to hang a rack. If it’s “one,” you’re still selling your door space short. Try lining your door with enough racks to hang the majority of your towels. Then, store the rest in a closet somewhere else in the house. This rack from OXO is a solid option if you need to go shopping.

2. Make a “No Water, No Bathroom” Rule

Who said make-up and hair has to be done in the bathroom? Nobody, that’s who. Adopt the rule that if it doesn’t involve water, it doesn’t happen in the bathroom. Set up stations for make-up, hair and other habits in other spots and then get your makeup, makeup brushes and hair tools out of the bathroom. That will free up some serious space!

3. Use a Lazy Susan

The ‘80s brought us spandex, hammer pants and Lazy Susans. Remember those wheels everybody had on their dining room tables? Those babies are perfect for the under-the-sink area of a cramped bathroom. On your Susan, organize everyday items like Q-tips, cotton balls and toothpaste. Then, spin away. This way, you don’t have to go spelunking in the crowded cabinet every time you need something.

4. Podium Sink? Surround It with Shelves!

Whoever invented the podium sink should be put on trial, because those things are a crime. Where do you store your stuff? On the floor? Fix the problem with these creatively designed shelves from IKEA. (We also dig the name Ragrund.) They’re meant to fit snuggly around that annoying podium, and they’ll add some serious storage square footage to your bathroom.

5. Try Magnet Strips for the Little Things

Next time you’re in the bathroom, pay attention to how many metal do-dads you have laying around. Between bobby pins, nail clippers, razors and scissors, metal things are probably adding to your bathroom clutter. Fix the problem by hanging a knife magnet strip. They’re designed to hold the weight of knives, so they’ll definitely be able to handle your hair accessories.

6. Experiment with New Shelves in Weird Spots

And by weird, we mean above doors, above the shower head and even above the mirror. Why not? All of this space is prime real estate for storage. Plus, you only need those tampons once a month. It won’t be a big deal to use a step ladder to reach them, right?

Information provided by BrightNest.com.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

Over the past year, we have on occasion highlighted the advantages of owning compared to renting. Zillow has given us reason to highlight the advantages once again.

Specifically, Zillow focuses on rising rents and slowing home-price appreciation. Zillow reports that monthly rents have grown at roughly twice the pace of wages since 2000. Americans are spending a greater share of their income on rent these days – roughly 30% versus 25% in the past. Home-price appreciation, on the other hand, continues to slow. At latest count, 5.4% year over year.

Zillow doesn't necessarily think that rising rents will drive homeownership rates – at a 20-year low – higher. We respectfully disagree.

If you are paying 30% or more of your income for rent, and that percentage continues to rise, owning becomes a more attractive alternative when future costs are factored in. After all, the key advantage of owning is that a price is locked in, especially when the purchase is financed with a fixed-rate loan.

We think the advantages of owning compared to renting will become even more apparent as the year progresses. Rent increases show no signs of abating, while home-price increases do. This is yet another reason we continue to cheerlead in favor of homeownership.

Information provided by Jessica Regan.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

I just read an article that said the average monthly rental payment in the Harrisburg area was $846 in 2013. Since this report says they calculate that number every two years, I made the adjustment to $900 per month. So using this number and rounding down to consider a 3.75% 30 fixed mortgage rate you arrive at a monthly principal and interest payment of $879.92. Amazing how close that figure is to the average monthly rental payment, wouldn’t you agree?  Yes, I am aware that the mortgage payment does not include real estate taxes and insurance but I wanted to give you a reference point to consider.   Included below are a few pictures of homes that fall into this affordability price range. 

You probably are asking why I am posting this article now? Well, we have all been saying that interest rates are going to increase by the end of 2015. AND yes we have made that prediction before and nothing has happened and I am not saying this is different than previous times but it is. So if you are paying this amount of money in rent at least consider the alternative, talk to a lender and see what your options are.  Or give me a call and we can look at some homes, just like you take a car for a test drive.  If you don’t like anything at least you know that home ownership is not for you at this time. Give me a call or text me at 717-579-2879 or send me an email at Don@DonRoth.com.  I am happy to assist you ! 

Still No Traction

The wait for an up trend in existing home sales continues.

Despite a year of strong job growth and low mortgage rates, sales of existing homes continue to languish. Indeed, sales fell a steep 4.9% to 4.82 million units on an annualized rate for January. The drop in sales made for a sizable rise in inventory relative to sales, to 4.7 months versus 4.4 months in December.

At the same time, the median price of an existing home dropped 4.1% to $199,600. This is the first reading below $200,000 since March 2014. Oddly, if not disconcertingly, price concessions haven't helped lift sales. Given the uptick in inventory, we would not be surprised to see more discounting in February's report. Generally, that would be a positive for sales, but we will see.

Because it is taking so long for existing home sales to gain traction, we have to wonder if there is a fundamental shift occurring. The NAR reports that homeowners are remaining in their homes 10 years on average these days. This is three years more than the long-term average of seven years. Are homeowners more nervous? Are they more interested in rehabbing than moving? Is job mobility an issue? Perhaps all the above; all we know is that more people are staying put.

Then again, it's also possible a stronger foundation is forming. If total existing home sales are moving sideways due to fewer distressed sales, that's obviously a good thing. This suggests that declining distressed sales are being offset by more conventional equity-driven sales. In other words, the composition of sales is improving.

Though the overall sales market is much smaller, new home sales are at least trending higher. Sales of new homes came in at a better-than-expected 481,000 units on an annualized rate in January. Unlike with existing home sales, discounting appears to have helped new home sales. The median price for a new home dipped 2.6% to $294,000 in January. If we go back to January 2012, we see a healthy long-term trend line that moves up linearly left to right.

Of course, we are always quick to note that all housing markets are local markets. What occurs at the national level might or might not reflect what occurs locally. Mortgage markets, on the other hand, are much more consistent across the country. Mortgage rates in Boston aren't much different than rates in Los Angeles.

Rates across the country have risen in recent weeks. Despite the rise, purchase mortgage activity has come to life. The Mortgage Bankers Association reports that its purchase index ended six weeks of declines with a 5.0% rise in the February 20 week. We are hopeful for further gains, but we've learned from experience not to hold our breath.

One week doesn't make a trend, but if price growth continues to moderate and mortgage rates remain low (which we believe they will), we still think we will see a resurgence in lending and in home sales that we predicted at the beginning of the year.

Information provided by Jessica Regan.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.