New York Construction Company Delivers Excellence

If you have been following some of the news articles written in the past about Click and Improve, you may have stumbled upon cross references made of the parent company, New York Construction Company. If you live in New York City, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Westchester, Nassau (coming soon), or Suffolk, you're in luck to have a quality construction company at your finger tips. They are an A+ rated construction company with BBB, based in Whitestone and Glen Cove, NY specializing in various home remodeling services.

www.mynycc.com

So, when you are debating on replacing a roof, changing your windows, upgrading your kitchen and bathroom or maybe it is time to convert that shabby basement to an extended living space, you're fortunate to have a trusted contractor like New York Construction Company to deliver the excellence you deserve. Co-Founders of Click and Improve, Avi Zikry, and Alex Ushyarov as seen in The Daily News carry out the same philosophy of delivery in first class service.

“Reliability, is what we bring to homeowners” said Zikry, 28."Our customers are assigned a service team to heed to their call, made up of license sales representatives, a project manager/foreman, and crew, access to our system so that they can review the status of their work and timeline, send internal notes, and direct contact with our customer service desk during business hours".

In an industry where customers are sometimes left in the dark, not knowing what the next steps are, having an issue, but not getting their calls returned, paying for a service that was delivered at half stance, New York Construction Company focuses on quality work and prides itself in open communication at all times. "Homeowners want a contractor they can trust" said Ushyarov, 28."It is so easy to do the right thing, and it blows my mind when I read about what other contractors do to homeowners. It is a shame, because the bad  experience hurts all of us."

There is truth to Ushyarov's statement. An article was written almost a year ago highlighting the following:

The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) yesterday announced that during a two-month period in which more than 380 inspections were conducted, one in five home improvement contractors were caught operating without a license.  According to the DCA, 755 inspections have been conducted throughout the City in the last year with nearly 400 violations issued, 134 vehicles seized and more than 60 licenses revoked or suspended.  The majority of the nearly 600 complaints received by DCA about home improvement contractors in the past year involved contractors failing to follow through on the terms of their contracts with homeowners.  Home improvement contractors are consistently one of DCA's highest complaint categories. "I am sure this number has grown since then" said Zikry. "This is very alarming, but there are a number of us that have the customer's best interest at heart, and this is what will keep you in business."

New York Construction Company has just launched its re-designed website, indicative of a positive direction. They have also started to become a little more engaging on the social media front and can now be found on Twitter and on Facebook. So, if you are in need of any assistance, give them a call and see for yourself. I highly doubt you will be disappointed. They did create Click and Improve with a customer first approach and as the saying goes...it starts from the top.

Seattle Furnished Room for Rent Mo-to-Mo $700

AVAILABLE June 15!
Furnished room in elegantly restored house-share with old world charm and details. walking distance to Lake Washington, stores and restaurants in a quiet residential neighborhood just 2.5 miles from downtown Seattle. This elegant furnished bedroom on the main floor shares a large kitchen with two refrigerators, all modern appliances, gas stove, microwave and dishwasher. Hardwood flooring throughout, large living room with convenient gas fireplace, spacious sun porch with magnificent view of Lake Washington, Bellevue skyline and mountains. French doors to backyard deck for BBQ and yard. Washer and dryer in basement. Utilities include wireless internet, electric, gas, garbage, water, sewer, and lawn maintenance.

About the neighborhood:
Neighborhood is close to Capitol Hill, Central District and the Madrona restaurants area. It is walking distance to wooded trails to Lake Washington. Douglass Truth Library, Mountain Flow Yoga Center, Red Apple grocery store, a couple of coffee shops, Amazon.com, Lowe's and Walgreen's.

Located three miles east of Pioneer Square, Leschi draws people from nearby downtown Seattle. Named after a local Nisqually chief, Leschi has a history dating back centuries--to when it served as a seasonal Duwamish tribe settlement. By the 1890s, Leschi Park and the lakefront served as a vacation and leisure destination for local European settlers. As the neighborhood continued to develop, people started to move here and call Leschi their home.

Today, the Leschi waterfront still draws outdoor-activity seekers, and two parks--Leschi Park and Frink Park--provide plenty of space in which to play. In addition to amazing views of Lake Washington, Leschi is surrounded by parks, marinas, water sports, cafes and wonderful routes for bicyclists, runners and walkers.

But outdoor sports aren't the only draw. Leschi holds two small business cores. The area along Lakeside Avenue South is home to Leschi Market, a gym and restaurants such as Daniel's Broiler, BluWater Bistro and Starbucks. A smaller commercial area on the Leschi-Mount Baker Ridge at 31st Avenue offers a spa, financial offices, a pet store and the Re-Past Bakery and Café.

Even with its laid-back, suburban vibe, Leschi is just a 10-minute drive from the bustling activity of downtown Seattle, and its proximity to the Interstate-90 floating bridge allows for easy access to the Eastside. Leschi's architectural medley and diversity of residents make this waterfront enclave perfect for urban-minded neighborhood living.

Transportation:
Easy access to I-90, highways, and bus lines. Several bus routes nearby go to various areas including Capitol Hill, downtown, Queen Anne, south Seattle, University District, etc. (#2, 3, 4, 8, 14, 27 and 48).

Shared house living: Typically, our housemates are socially-minded, responsible, working professionals who enjoy living in a nice place with other respectful individuals. Typically, our short-term furnished approach to housing attracts people in transitional times of life, and new arrivals, including many contract workers or international visitors--really anyone who wants a convenient, hassle-free lifestyle without having to purchase or bring a lot of stuff into a household and without having to commit to a long-term lease. Current housemates include a musician, massage therapist, an REI engineer, and myself, a former arts funder turned real estate entrepreneur. Otherwise, housemates come and go, but they are usually a very fun and interesting mix of personalities, nationalities and backgrounds. All tenants must submit an application, with screening on background, credit, income and rental history. I am a professional property manager, and it is my job to see to it that there is a good mix of tenants--I live here too!

If this sounds like a good fit for you, please email HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com to schedule a showing.

Ballard Room Share - $625

Room rental in this charming 1926 house! There are two lovely rooms to choose from, and an on-site property manager. The upstairs room with wacky roofline is $625 and the main floor sunroom is $650/month.

OPEN HOUSE THIS SATURDAY, 2 - 4PM! Heart of Ballard location, in proximity to Burke Gilman Trail, Market St & all its amenities! Pretty living room with oak hardwoods and gas fireplace. It has 3 bedrooms up, one on the main floor, plus a recent south-facing, sunroom addition. There is a modern handicap-accessible, walk-in bathtub on the main floor (this may be replaced, if no tenants require it). An on-site property manager will be taking care of common areas and making improvements to the house, bathrooms and kitchen.

Plenty of on-street parking and alley access. Off street parking for at least 2 additional cars.

Rent includes free wifi internet access, gas, electricity, garbage, water, sewer, property management, yard maintenance, and common household supplies.

Call LeAnn at 206-371-5701 to schedule a viewing appointment.

Cute 2BR Seattle Basement Apartment for Rent - $900

AVAILABLE June 1, 2013! Partially furnished, with futon, most furniture, curtains, linens, towels, kitchen supplies, etc. 2BR apartment (one large bedroom, 2nd room for guests, study, office,etc) in elegantly restored house-share with old world charm and details -- walking distance to Lake Washington, stores and restaurants in a quiet residential neighborhood just 2.5 miles from downtown Seattle.

Dramatic lighting and divided living spaces, funky but nice! This unit has good light, its own separate entrance from the house, a small kitchen, washer and dryer (shared with upper floor), with wall-to-wall carpeting in a large living area and the larger of two separate bedroom spaces.

The smaller bedroom has hardwood flooring, but not a true legal bedroom. It would work fine for overnight guests, office, study/media or workout room.

Cozy, functional kitchen with refrigerator, electric stove/oven, exhaust fan and microwave. Quite a bit of space for someone who wants more than the typical cramped one-bedroom in this price range!

Semi-private partially-fenced backyard with deck and awesome view of Mt Rainier, Cascades, Lake Washington and Bellevue skyline. Not a noisy apartment complex--this space also comes with one off-street parking space in a shared driveway.

Free utilities include wireless internet, basic cable TV, electric, garbage, sewer, and lawn maintenance. Easy access to I-90, highways, and bus lines.

All monthly tenants must submit an application, with screening on background, credit, income and rental history.

OPEN HOUSE THIS SUNDAY, NOON - 2PM!Contact Wendy Ceccherelli at HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com for more information.

Underwater? No Equity? No problem!

If you bought your house between 2004 and 2008, chances are you are still underwater, meaning that the mortgage you took out on your house is higher than the purchase price you would receive if you tried to sell today. Yet the average American family moves every seven years or so, and perhaps this is an option you would like to consider - if only you could get out of that mortgage without bringing money to the closing table or having to do a "short sale."

Well, you do have another option. I buy or lease houses that are underwater, have no equity, or are worth today no more than the balance owed on the mortgage. If you would like a FREE, no-obligation consultation to learn more about options to sell your house, then give me a call.

It does not matter if the mortgage balance exceeds current market value; in fact, that is usually the type of seller whom benefits the most from this approach. A ten-year term allows the seller's equity to catch up to the mortgage balance, and the buyer to clean up their credit or otherwise qualify for a conventional loan. I place tenant-buyers into nice homes they would like to buy in all areas of Seattle.

The lease would be for the same amount as the monthly mortgage, taxes and insurance; and the purchase price would be for the remaining principal balance on his mortgage at the time of cash out. I would want the longest term possible, at a minimum of ten years, but with the option to cash out any time.

This offer would be subject to a title review and inspection; but Buyer would lease/purchase "as-is". Seller/owner would be prohibited from any additional indebtedness during the term of the lease agreement. The transaction would also be subject to a review of the existing loan documents.

If any brokers have clients for whom this approach might make sense, please let me know. I always pay the listing broker or a referring broker 100% of the first month's rent. This is often much better than losing the listing, or seeing a client go into foreclosure. This option would not include any Selling Office commissions; but I would pay a Listing Broker the equivalent of one month rent upfront. There would be no funds to the seller, other than the lease amount, which would be applied in full towards the mortgage loan repayment, taxes and insurance.

Should you decide that a listing on the NWMLS is the best direction for you, I would be happy to talk with you about a listing or to refer you to brokers and short sale negotiators who can help you through that process.

To learn more, please contact me today at HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com or call 425-270-7292. I assure you that our conversation will remain strictly confidential, at no cost to you whatsoever, and that the decision about your house is totally up to you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Wendy Ceccherelli



Photo courtesy of freepictures.me

Financial Freedom, Fulfillment and Fun!

Many people are involved in real estate because of the potential for financial freedom. Their personal "why" often involves travel to exotic destinations with loved ones. Many people include travel on their "bucket lists" of peak life experiences. And these are some of the reasons I recently joined a travel club with big discounts on vacation travel.

The best link to my travel club is to go to the www.travelpiggybank.com website. It is a very nice overview of the travel club dream trips, benefits and business opportunity. If you are intrigued by it, I can provide more information. Just let me know what you think after you watch it.

If you would just rather get the travel discounts through my travel website, you may book travel for FREE on my website. The WorldVentures travel engine Rovia was rated the top travel search engine in the industry in 2012 by World Travel Awards. Rovia offers a unique "RateShrinker" service (among other benefits), so that if the price of booked airfare or hotel ever goes down, they will automatically re-book you at the lower rate.

You may register on my website as a Preferred Customer, with no obligation or cost. Go to wendywonder.dreamtripslife.com and then directly to "Become A Preferred Customer." You must become a preferred customer before you can login. You do have to register, but there is no cost or obligation.

There is also a video on the home page there that you might enjoy watching, as it provides more details on WorldVentures and how the dream trips work.

There is also a business opportunity for those entrepreneurs looking for more fun, freedom and fulfillment in their lives.

Let me know what you think, and how it works for you when you use the service. If you would be interested in creating your own travel business or joining the club, please email me at HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com or call 425.270.7292.

Four Common Bathroom Remodeling Mistakes

Make The Right Choices

As you take inventory of your dated medicine cabinet, unattractive shower doors or cracked tiles, it may be true that you are due for a change. Before making any decisions, be mindful on the bigger picture. In any home remodel, you have to be clear on the result that you are looking for. What objectives do you have? Determine your lifestyle routine before you choose any kind of layout and design. The reason why you should take this into consideration prior to making a decision is because your choices will determine the types of materials, fixtures and style you will need. Without being careful, this can be costly. Through your thought process, you will identify what works, and does not. (Marble flooring, whether big or small for example, is amazing but may not be ideal for a family with toddlers.)



Style vs Practical

Since the average bathroom renovation should last 12-15 years, you want a look and feel that will last with it. One regret you do not want to have is the feeling of dated vs new all over again because of the extreme choice you made in perhaps following the latest trend from one of your favorite magazines. Be aware of the must have trendy colors and shape in tiles or over-customization. Too unique, too different can go out faster than it was installed. Having a 40 inch built in flat screen TV in the bathroom may work for you, but may be an eye sore for the next owner. A triangular shaped clear glass basin may look great in an urban apartment, but may not be ideal for your small cape in the suburbs.



Not Hiring A Pro

Swear by DIY and thinking it is the most cost effective direction? Buyer beware! Bathroom renovations require expertise. Changing a p-trap can be easy, but running in-wall plumbing is not. Converting a dated tub to spa like “shower only” enclosure with frosted wall to wall glass doors can be a daunting task. Doing anything your self can cost you double if something goes wrong. Know your limits. Hire a licensed professional who is skilled in exactly what you want done, understands what you are looking to achieve, and is highly sensitive to your budget limitations. Don’t allow the big-box super retail outlets to be the end all in your purchasing power and guidance seeking. You do not always get the experience you are looking for in aisle 13. Do your homework.



Giving The Contractor The Keys To Car

The pros may be reliable, resourceful and easy to dump all the decision making on, but this is your house, your apartment. Just because, you are dealing with a licensed professional, it does not mean that you sign your deed off to him. Only you know what you like and what you can afford. Read the fine print. The homeowner knows their lifestyle, so it is very important to be involved in every aspect of any renovation. How you want to live, is just as important. Be sure the result is yours and at a cost only you are comfortable with. If you are advised to go with a certain brand name, ask why. Have to move your plumbing? Be comfortable with the responses enough that you can explain the “whys” to someone else with confidence. I am not dictating to micro manage a flow, just understand it.

Real Estate Investment Tour of SE Seattle!

Join the May 17 tour of terrific new business, development and investment opportunities in Southeast Seattle!

Get a close look at current investments and projects in the area

Benefit from a customized orientation

See why Rainier Valley is a viable place to do business because of its amenities and location.

Meet other innovative visionaries

Learn about favorable lease rates and financial products that are unique to this area.

$39 for REAPS members;

$59 for non-members.

For more information, contact Wendy Ceccherelli at HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com or register at the REAPS website at www.reapsweb.com

SE Seattle Tour for Investors

The Real Estate Association of Puget Sound (REAPS) is happy to sponsor a tour of Southeast Seattle for real estate investors from 8am - 11:30 pm on Friday, May 17. Co-sponsors include the Rainier Chamber of Commerce and the SE Seattle Business Roundtable. Cost is expected to be around $49 per person, and will include bus transportation, handouts, breakfast coffee and pastries. I will be organizing the tour on behalf of REAPS.

SE Seattle is a large area of the city of Seattle with great access to transportation, transit (including 5 stops on Link Light Rail), downtown, the eastside and south county. The mix of residential, commercial and industrial makes it an ideal location to invest and bring new business opportunities. Lake Washington, Seward Park and Kubota Gardens are the most well known of our natural beauty, but there are many other parks and green spaces. Other amenities include: NW African American Museum, Mt. Baker Rowing and Sailing Center, Amy Yee Tennis Center, Filipino Community Center, to name a few.

It is not only diverse in its ethnicity but also in its social economic status. Tour guests will be able to see the variety that exists and what makes SE Seattle such a unique area with a lot of potential.

SE Seattle business leaders Jean Veldwyk, Wayne Lau and Susan Davis will create a two and a half hour tour of SE Seattle, including the following neighborhoods: Judkins/Dearborn, Mt. Baker, Seward Park, Columbia City, Othello, Graham, Hillman City and Rainier Beach. Our primary routes will be on Rainier Ave., MLK, Jr. Way and Lake Washington Blvd, with side trips on east-west streets. The tour will include commercial, industrial and residential areas so our guests can see the breadth of opportunities.

Itinerary:
8:00 Arrive
8:15 Coffee at the Rainier Chamber of Commerce
8:30 Welcome and Presentation
9:00 Bus Tour
11:00 Return and Final Review
11:30 Conclude

The Rainier Chamber of Commerce and the SE Seattle Business Round Table members will organize the tour itinerary and confer with Wendy Ceccherelli on the content and locations visited to achieve maximum benefit to the participants. The bus ride will have three or four guides and the rest of the group will consist of REAPS organizers and guests. We will provide current demographic/commercial information for tour guests.

For more information, please visit the REAPS website at www.reapsweb.com, or contact Wendy Ceccherelli at HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com or 425.270.7292.

Brooklyn Mom Gets Her Dream Kitchen

It is always an experience when you sit with a customer who wishes to renovate their home. Ms. Ramirez has lived in her house for over 30 years. For her, just being able to own a home was a dream come true. Ms. Ramirez recalls when she closed on her house in 1983 and paying shy under $20,000.00 for it. The house needed some work back then, the typical stuff like new windows, doors, painting both interior and exterior, a new bathroom, kitchen and basement.

Ms. Ramirez knew that Rome was not built in a day and that eventually she would manage to get things done over time. A lot of work was done by family and friends over the years "because that is what you do when money was tight", she says. Being a mother of 5 and making sure that each of them graduated from college was her 2nd dream come true. Her 3rd dream was to have a dream kitchen. Over the years she did some renovation work to her kitchen, but swore when she retired that she would treat herself at no expense to what she wanted and wanted to design it her way.

 

She was very much a foreman on her own job. Most customers usually wait and see, allowing the experts to do their thing. Ms. Ramirez wanted to be part of the experience, she even was prepared with her own ideas from her lap top.
 

 

Had her own samples.

 

Down to the backsplash.
 

 

We often joked asking her "what would you like us to do today?" Once she selected the design it was time.

She was not around for this (opposite side of kitchen).

 

She got her dream (old door to be replaced with a new one, still on back-order):

 

And:
 

 

And:

 

And:

Why Single Family Homes?

I like income-producing real estate because it provides security of principal, monthly cash flow, equity growth, a hedge against inflation, tax advantages, ease of management and double digit profits. If I were to advise a new real estate investor, it would be to:

Buy Single Family Homes: Don’t Buy Vacant Land Or Commercial Property And Never Buy Condos!

Here’s why: Single family homes have the broadest market appeal. In a softening market, retail, office, and industrial real estate that houses jobs will generally show rental weakness before real estate that houses people (single and multi-family homes). Changes in employment indicators give investors in single-family homes opportunities to reposition faster than investors in commercial property.

Single family homes have lower rates of vacancy than commercial property because people always need a place to live; there are more potential renters for a single family home than there are for a gas station or a big box store.

Single family homes have the most attractive financing terms available for borrowers, usually requiring smaller down payments and longer terms. Single family homes can be purchased with less expensive, fixed-rate financing, with thirty-year amortization and less than 20% down payment. Apartments will usually be financed at a higher interest rate and require 30% down payment, plus a large premium to get an interest rate fixed longer than 5 years, with an amortization period of 20 - 25 years.

If a house and an apartment unit generate an equivalent net operating income, the house will provide a superior cash on cash return due to the better financing available for single family homes.

Single family homes will never become technologically obsolete (although the functionally-obsolete houses may be good buys for an investor).

Single family homes can be purchased in ‘bite size’ portions. If you have the capacity to buy $1,000,000 of real estate you are generally better off buying eight single family houses for $125,000 each than to buy a single apartment building with sixteen units of $62,500 each. This is because appreciation may be greater (although management may be more challenging), with single family homes.

It is easier to sell or refinance one or two single family homes to cash out for equity, rather than liquidate an entire apartment building.

So these are some of the reasons behind the wisdom of buying single family homes first! For a free daily list of Seattle homes for sale that match your home-buying criteria, please contact Wendy Ceccherelli at HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com or call 425.270.7292.

Happy Investing!

Value Investing

Have just finished reading Benjamin Graham's The Intelligent Investor. Here are some more really good quotes regarding his philosophy on value investing, along with my comments on applying this to real estate:

On diversification in equity funds: Investing in index funds (which own all the stocks in the market, all the time, without any pretense of being able to select the "best" and avoid the "worst" will) beat most funds over the long run...[while] the average stock fund, with its 1.5% in operating expenses and roughly 2% in trading costs will be lucky to gain 3.5% annually.

On Over-confidence:--In 1999, Money magazine asked more than 500 people whether their portfolios had beaten the market. One in four said yes. When asked to specify their returns, however, 80% of those investors reported gains lower than the market's. (Four percent had no idea how much their portfolios rose - but were sure they had beaten the market anyway!)
--A Swedish study asked drivers who had been in severe car crashes to rate their own skills behind the wheel. These people...insisted they were better-than-average drivers.
--In a poll taken in late 2000, Time and CNN asked more than 1000 likely voters whether they thought they were in the top 1% of the population by income. Nineteen percent placed themselves among the richest 1% of Americans.
--In late 1997, a survey of 750 investors found that 74% believed their mutual-fund holdings would "consistently beat the Standard & Poor's 500 each year - even though most funds fail to beat the S&P 500 in the long run and many fail to beat it in any year.

On investment advice: If the reason people invest is to make money, then in seeking advice they are asking others to tell them how to make money. That idea has some element of naivete. Businessmen seek professional advice on various elements of their business, but they do not expect to be told how to make a profit.

Trust, but Verify: Remember that financial con artists thrive by talking you into trusting them and by talking you out of investigating them. Before you place your financial future in the hands of an adviser, it's imperative that you find someone who not only makes you comfortable but whose honesty is beyond reproach.

One of the most central concepts of investment proposed by Graham is that of a "margin of safety." In real estate terms, this would mean buying properties at a reasonable discount (40 cents on the dollar is one example Graham gives as a safe "margin of safety" in buying stocks). Here are Graham's comments on the combination of safety margin and diversification:
Diversification is an established tenet of conservative investment. By accepting it so universally, investors are really demonstrating their acceptance of the margin-of-safety principle, to which diversification is the companion.

Those invested solely in stocks and bonds, may want to consider real estate as an investment to help diversify their portfolios, where many of the same investment principles apply as to an investment. For information on buying real estate directly, please contact Home Land Investment Properties at HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com. And for information on passive real estate investment through a private real estate equity fund, please contact info@REICapitalusa.com, or Wendy Ceccherelli for all things real estate: 425.270.7292.

Happy Investing!



Photo courtesy of freepictures.me

Dust Mites, Not To Be Ignored

Believe it or not, dust mites are everywhere. We hear about them, get disgusted by them, and swear they have not made a home in ours. The question is, have they? So, what are these nasty crawlers?  They are microscopic, eight-legged, non-parasitic insect/creatures. Are you ready to get grossed out? Dust mites feed on human skin, bacteria, animal dander, pollen, fungi, to name a few. They thrive in high humidity (70 % and over). Have a tremendously dusty section in the house? Like under the sofa or bed? Have pets? They live mostly on dead human and pet skin. Beware…. 

The growing concern about dust mites is the allergic reaction many have to them, and do not even know it. General symptoms people on average have are allergies, not limited to respiratory issues (asthma), sneezing, itchy eyes, and eczema all associated with dust mites. Are you ready to get grossed out, again? The allergen associated with dust mites are their feces and surrounding body, which make up dust among other things, and because they are microscopic they become airborne almost immediately after the dust has been moved around during activities, like cleaning.

We shed about 1/5 ounce of dead skin each week. Did you know that?  An average man or woman sheds about 600,000 particles of skin per hour, which is approximately 1.5 pounds (680 grams) per year. Using this figure, by the age of 70, a person will have lost 105 pounds (47.6 kilograms) of skin which is equivalent to two-thirds of their entire body weight, and because we spend one-third of our lives sleeping, dust mites are found on bedding and your mattress. Grossed out even more?

Things to do about it:

• Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum your carpets, even hardwood floors to get rid of dust mites. Consider vacuums with HEPA filters, they remove 99% of particles in the air.

• Have a cluttered house? An over cluttered space will increase in the collection of dust, which increase your chances with dust mites. Do the one year test. Have not used it, looked at it, toss.

• Use a wet microfiber cloth when cleaning surfaces. Microfiber cloths rule in dust pick up, and when wet prevent circulation when dust is disrupted.

• Wash your bedding on the regular. Remember we shed dead skin while we sleep. These crawlers find solace on pillowcases, bed sheets, blankets, and your favorite down comforters. The rule, wash in hot water and dry it the same. High intensity heat if done weekly will remove dust mites.

• Steam clean your mattress as often as possible. Dust mites do not stand a chance in surviving.

• Lower the humidity to 50. Studies have shown that air-conditioned homes have 10 times fewer dust mites.

•  Looking for a new living room set? You may want to reconsider overstuffed furniture. Sure, they are undoubtedly stunning and comfortable. Give it a few weeks in the house or apartment and do the old fashion slam with the hand on one of the cushions. Need I say more?

Housing Market News

Is Seattle's apartment market overbuilt? Some market observers believe it is, as reported in this past Sunday's Seattle Times:

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2020775791_apartmentboomxml.html

Fannie Mae conducts a National Housing telephone survey each month since June 2010 to assess the attitudes of Americans toward owning and renting a home, home and rental price changes, homeowner distress, the economy, and household finances. In the latest survey, 26% of respondents increasingly find this a better time to sell a house, 73% consider it a good time to buy a house, and close to half the respondents expect both housing and rental prices to increase in the next 12 months.

For a complete report, see http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/04082013_fannie_mae_housing_survey.asp

At the end of March, it was announced that the 20-city Case-Shiller Index was up 8.1% year-over-year. A few weeks earlier, Zillow had released its latest survey of 118 economists, strategists and other experts on the expected direction of home prices over the next five years. Every one expected higher prices with the most pessimistic prediction showing an average annual increase of 3%. Clearly, there is a very broad consensus that the housing market has bottomed.

The Intelligent Investor

I am currently reading The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham, which Warren Buffett calls “By far the best book on investing ever written.”

While the book is mostly about investing in stocks and bonds, and the author admits that he is not an expert in precious metals or real estate, there is much good advice for anyone who invests in any asset class.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes so far:

On defining “investing:” An investment operation is one in which, upon thorough analysis, promises safety of principal and an adequate return. Note that investing, according to Graham, consists equally of three elements: you must thoroughly analyze a company, and the soundness of its underlying businesses, before you buy its stock (Wendy’s note: in real estate, we would call this “due diligence” and understanding value); you must deliberately protect yourself against serious losses; you must aspire to “adequate,” not extraordinary performance (Wendy’s note: Get rich slow).

On gold as an investment: The standard policy of people all over the world who mistrust their currency has been to buy and hold gold….[From 1935 to 1972] the price of gold in the open market has advanced…only 35%. But during all this time, the holder of gold has received no income return on his capital, and instead has incurred some annual expense for storage. Obviously, he would have done much better with his money at interest in a savings bank….

On real estate as a hedge against inflation: The outright ownership of real estate has long been considered as a sound long-term investment, carrying with it a goodly amount of protection against inflation.

On investing during inflationary times: When inflation shot above 6%, stocks…stank. The stock market lost money in eight of the 14 years in which inflation exceeded 6%; the average return for those 14 years was a measly 2.6%....Since Graham last wrote, two inflation-fighters have become widely available to investors: REITs [Real Estate Investment Trusts] and TIPS [Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities].

On forecasting the future based on past performance: The heart of Graham’s argument is that the intelligent investor must never forecast the future exclusively by extrapolating the past.

On active or passive investing: There are two ways to be an intelligent investor: by continually researching, selecting and monitoring a dynamic mix of stocks, bonds or mutual funds; or by creating a permanent portfolio that runs on autopilot and requires no further effort.

On investing only in stocks: Unless you can honestly pass all these tests, you have no business putting all your money in stocks: Have set aside enough cash to support your family for at least one year; will be investing steadily for at least 20 years to come; survived the [most recent] bear market; did not sell stocks during the bear market; have read chapter 8 in this book and implemented a formal plan to control your own investing behavior.

On investing in what you know: But first, let’s look at something the defensive investor must always defend against: the belief that you can pick stocks without doing any homework….[Peter] Lynch’s rule – “you can outperform the experts if you use your edge by investing in companies or industries you already understand” – can work only if you follow its corollary as well: “Finding the promising company is only the first step. The other step is doing the research.”

On the right price: A great company is not a great investment if you pay too much for the stock.

On diversification: Nearly all the richest people in America trace their wealth to a concentrated investment in a single industry or even a single company….The Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans, for example, has been dominated by undiversified fortunes ever since it was first compiled in 1982….[Yet] only 64 of the original [1982 Forbes 400] members – a measly 16% - were still on the list in 2002….When hard times hit, none of these people…were properly prepared. (Wendy’s note: OK, so maybe they were no longer in the top 400, but I am betting they were still way better off financially than most of the rest of us).

Please contact me directly at HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com or 425.270.7292, if you would like to learn more about investing in real estate.

Happy investing!

Photo courtesy of freepictures.me

Commercial Real Estate Trends in Seattle Area

Richard Walker, Vice President of Investments with Marcus and Millichap gave a State of the Apartment Market Report to the Active Commercial Group of the Real Estate Association of Puget Sound on April 10,2013.

His personal focus is mostly on apartments for King and Snohomish counties. These areas have good growth. Boeing just opened a new delivery center; Google is expanding into Kirkland, and Seattle is ranked as the #1 livable city by Forbes magazine.

Marcus and Millichap also have commercial lenders offering 5yr, 7yr, and 10yr fixed rate commercial loans, amortized over 30 years at 3% currently.

Dupre and Scott say the Puget Sound apartment market is hot, hot, hot. Vacancy rates are below 4% for Puget Sound. Everything for Seattle seems to be going in the right direction for apartment investors. There are lots of tower cranes in Ballard and S Lake Union. There are very few houses to purchase in core Seattle. Permits in Snohomish for new construction are mostly for affordable housing. Thousand of apartment units will be coming on line in Seattle.

Net migration will fill new buildings coming onto the market. Vacancies and concessions are going down in Seattle and area.

Quarterly US GDP is up 3%. US retail sales have recovered. US employment gains have been broad. Seattle employment is higher percentage-wise than the rest of the US.

Higher end apartments are being built in Seattle for future condo conversion.

Annual population growth is higher in Seattle , with greater numbers of 20-34 year olds moving here than elsewhere.

The cap rate on Seattle apartments varied from 5.5% - 6.5% during the bubble and post-bubble economies.

Apartments recover the most quickly from economic challenges, because people have to have a place to live. Industrial, office, then retail fail during recessions...and in reverse order during recovery periods.

The majority of jobs in Tacoma are government-related, lots of vacancy downtown, so cap rates are higher as the Tacoma economy struggles.

For more information on market trends in the Seattle area, please contact Wendy Ceccherelli at HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com or call 425.270.7292.

Before and After....You Decide

As contractors, we really take pride in what we do. You walk into a house and you see the endless possibilities and nothing speaks louder than before and after. It comes down to pride and trust. Pride in the craft that the contractor is expected to deliver and trust from the customer in believing it can be done.

Taking this bathroom above as an example. The homeowner wasn't sure what to expect, even after showing the various tiles, fixtures and drawings. It is hard to get a visual, because we get so use to our own space. Needless to say she was very pleased with the result.

Before

After (work in progress)....but you see the after is coming along.

Buying a Condo?

There are a great many little things that can derail a condo purchase but the 5 things I will ask you about are below. Of course the Condo Resale cert will tell us the details but often you do not have that until we have mutual acceptance and someone has paid the many $$ to get it… so we play a little hide and seek on the information that can kill a deal early on~

1) Whom is the condominium project approved with? - Fannie Mae, FHA, VA (depending on the kind of financing). I have a source who will work on the paperwork for the HOA to gain project approval, and she charges her fee when she secures the Approval of the project.
2) What is the ratio of OOC to NOO? (Remember – NOO include any property that the mailing address for the property taxes is not that condo address – it is the only way the condo associations keep track).
3) What is the percent of owners delinquent on HOA dues?
4) Is the condominium association party to a lawsuit? (suing someone or being sued)
5) Are there any special assessments in place, or pending? … How much are the HOA dues.

Another couple of good things to know going into it:
1. How many units in the Project?
2. Professionally or self-managed?
3. Any Special projects pending? (almost always lead to special assessments, and sometimes lawsuits)
4. How much money is in the reserve account?

Links to the CONDO Projects approval list:
Fannie -https://www.fanniemae.com/singlefamily/project-eligibility?from=hp
FHA -https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/condlook.cfm
VA - https://vip.vba.va.gov/portal/VBAH/VBAHome/condopudsearch

Today's guest blog is courtesy of Cheryl Taylor, American Pacific Mortgage, cherylt@aplending.com

Lake Sammamish Waterfront

The median list price of the 34 waterfront homes for sale on or near Lake Sammamish right now is a 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath house with over 4000sf of living space, listed for $2.2million ($541/sf). This active listing has been on the market an average of 80 days.

Yet of the 50 Lake Sammamish waterfront homes that sold in the last six months, the median home sale was for a smaller 3-bedroom, 2.75-bath house with less than 3000sf of living space for a price of $999,375. These home sales were on the market just 77 days.

There are 13 listings on the market right now at a sales price under $1million for waterfront on or near Lake Sammamish. Other nearby lakes include Echo Lake, Allen Lake, and Pine Lake. The proximity to Microsoft’s main campus is one reason that these lakes are so attractive to buyers in this area.

For a complete list of available waterfront properties on or near Lake Sammamish, please email me at HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com or call 425.270.7292. For serious buyers of waterfront property, we set up a free email update of homes that match your buying criteria, just as soon as they hit the market.

A Properly-Structured Insurance Policy

I am learning as much as I can about how to properly structure life insurance as an investment vehicle, to provide low-interest loans and retirement income when needed. I like the idea that I can fund a policy using proceeds from real estate investments, and accumulate and transfer wealth in a tax-favored environment. I am fortunate to have counsel of some very smart financial advisors in this arena.

The big unknown is how will a whole life insurance policy perform in an era of hyperinflation? Books like AfterShock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown are quite gloomy about the prospects for the future of whole life insurance policies.

While it is true that cash value life companies invest heavily in bonds and commercial real estate (deeds and loans), they are not at all restricted to those classes, and can (and do) diversify when the markets shift.

Further, bonds are actually a ‘derivative’ market… because they are effectively loans to other companies or governments. The bond (loan) may be made to a government, blue chip stock company, upstart tech company, bricks & dirt construction company, medical manufacturing company, etc. etc. etc…. diversification is endless.

Further, when inflation rages, interest rates flourish… which is directly beneficial to mortgage lenders, loan investors, and bond owners.

So perhaps the most solid of companies will find a way to return a level of security to policy holders that are seeking a safe haven in the coming post-bubble economy.

Any other thoughts or comments on this?





Photo courtesy of freepictures.me

Bathroom Makeovers Can Be For Anyone

Hate your bathroom tub and surrounding tiles? How often do you dream of having the look and feel of a fully renovated bathroom? You are not alone. Bathrooms fall second on the wish list after kitchens in any home improvement project and if you have a 2nd bathroom it falls even lower on the list. With the uncertainty of the current economy, any remodeling is a luxury for many folks. Renovations in any capacity can be costly and you have to be financially prepared to take on the project.

According to National Kitchen and Bathroom Association the national average is $16,000.00 for a standard mid-size bathroom renovation. If you just laughed out loud, you have options. You do not have to invest a fortune. There are ways to minimize and cut costs in bathroom remodeling project by gathering estimates from various remodeling companies. The normal is at least 3, but you can add to that number for good measure. If you are a DIY kind of person, there are installations, such as plumbing fixtures and toilets that can skim a few hundred off the total cost.

The Consumers Report breaks down the following in the allocation of cost by percentages in remodeling a bathroom (see where you can save):

Labor: 20 percent
Cabinetry and hardware: 16 percent
Fixtures: 15 percent
Faucets and plumbing: 14 percent
Countertop: 7 percent
Floor: 9 percent
Doors and windows: 4 percent
Walls and ceiling: 5 percent
Lighting and ventilation: 5 percent
Design fees: 4 percent
Other: 1 percent

You can also slice the cost in half by reglazing your bathroom tub and tiles. Reglazing is not for everyone, but if money “is an object” you can have the same effect for a lot less. So why would you consider this route? Well for starters:

1. Bathtub, tiles, surrounding walls do not have to be removed.
2. Your flooring and plumbing are not impacted.
3. Reglazing can be an alternative to bathtub replacement. Reglazing is done on the spot, saving you time and mess.
4. The transformation is immediate; converting a dated bathtub to newly finished one that is easy to clean.
5. Immediate use typically after 24 hours.
6. Cost is 75% less.

There are many ways to spruce on a dime. We can all have the same result by taking a different approach. Less can be best too.

The Biggest, Baddest Loan of All

The tax base of the United States government is currently somewhere between $2-2.5 trillion, according to author David Wiedemer in the book "Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown."

Yet total government debt has ballooned to $15 trillion and is rising rapidly. This is a debt-to-income ratio of over 7 to 1, which any sane person would consider to be irresponsible. As Wiedemer points out, "a technical default on our huge government debt will have history-making consequences."

While Wiedemer sees gold as an attractive investment in the short term, he admits that "stocks, bonds and real estate have much more intrinsic value than gold, and over time, that reality will dawn on investors...."

Wiedemer goes on to say that "once the Aftershock hits, the servicing of distressed assets and businesses will be an instant and long-term winner....people and companies who will buy, restructure, manage and resell distressed businesses and other assets [will make] huge incomes and profits along the way...."

Keep in mind that people will still need a place to live, whether they rent or own a house. So we are bullish on the opportunities to buy and hold for rent, or buy and rehab houses for short-term income. My business partner and I created a private equity fund, REI Capital, to do just that, and to take advantage of opportunities in today's housing market.

For more information, visit our website at www.reicapitalusa.com

King County Waterfront For Sale

As of today's date, there are 46 active listings for waterfront properties in King County, priced between $1M -$2Million. The median waterfront house has three bedrooms, 2.75 bathrooms and 3,115sf. It has been on the market for 89 days and is priced at $1,396,500 ($448/sf). Owner financing is available on 7.29 acres of Adelaide beachfront in Federal Way, and on a 5-bedroom 6-bath luxury home in North Bend. USDA financing (100% loan?) may be available on a Duvall creekside property.

There are 85 waterfront properties in King County priced under $1 Million. Four of these offer some type of owner financing.

Twenty-nine of these properties are priced under $500,000. They include waterfront in the cities of Auburn, Carnation, Des Moines, Duvall, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Kent, Maple Valley, North Bend,Renton, SeaTac, Snoqualmie, Vashon Island - and even Seattle.

If you are looking for property on waterfront in King County, there are lots of options. Please contact HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com for a free list of waterfront properties for sale right now in your price range.

The Mamas Expo Cleans House

So, the alarm clock rings for the 3rd time and your husband is still in bed sleeping or at least pretending to be. It is 5:30 in the morning and you are wishing it was Saturday. Unfortunately, it is not. The dog is by your side waiting patiently for you to get up, and out of bed because he knows mommy is the only one that will let him out. You by-pass the bathroom mirror without looking at it knowing quite well the face you have on.
With one eye open, you stare down at your sink, and wonder for a second were the ring around the basin came from.

As you make your way down the hallway, you are stepping over crumbs on the rug, moving clothes and toys to the side while taking slow sleepy steps down the stairs. The banister is sticky from God only knows what, but it does not matter. It does not matter because you know what you are about to walk into. You turn on the kitchen light, only wishing to turn it off because it looks like a diner after a stampede of teens on spring break (yours). The sink is piled again, and there are left over snacks on the counter, stool, and kitchen table. There is spilled orange juice in the fridge and floor (now you know where the stickiness on the banister came from).

As you sit quietly; trying desperately to have a moment with your coffee, you hear the kids waking up and moving upstairs. It is only Tuesday. So when this mother received an email to test our cleaning service, there was no thinking about it.

Though this story is not exactly one of Leni Calas's, Founder of The Mamas Expo. It is a story of many mothers that make it happen daily. They carry the world on their shoulders and somehow make it work, make it look easy, even when it is not. Leni is the creator of Queens Mamas, which is a website that brings local brands and families together, as well as posting news and local events for her readers. The site is a terrific resource for parents wanting to also connect with other parents. This effort spun off a demand for the same in Brooklyn, Long Island and she is gaining momentum, moving full speed ahead. On May 5th Leni Calas will be presenting her fourth expo at New York Hall of Science bringing brands and families together in person.

We have been fortunate to have participated in them, and we have to say they have been a blast. To see the work that is managed daily on a website come to life for one day is an incredible experience. We were grateful that The Mamas Expo granted us an opportunity to participate almost 2 years ago. Leni Calas knows all to well what it takes to for start-up companies to gain footing and with her team embraced Click and Improve. At the time, it was our first expo, and we did not know what to expect. To be side by side with brand names in an open forum was inconceivable for us being a start-up company, a true newbie. The team at The Mamas Expo made it look easy. They sat, coached, read us the rules and sent us on our way. What a reflection in great parenting, even for companies. This event is indicative of a positive movement, backed by empowered mothers with a strong voice and purpose. There is no question who Mama is!

When: Sunday May 5^th2013 from 10 am – 5 pm

Where: New York Hall of Science -  47-01 111th Street Queens, NY 11368

Ticket Price: To Save on Tickets - Purchase your tickets in advance before May 4, 20123 online at www.themamasexpo.comto save a minimum of 15% off the Mamas Expo Access Ticket. Ticket includes all-day admission to New York Hall of Science, access to the Mama’s Expo and events, access to New York’s largest Science Playground, plus one round of Rocket Park Mini Golf.

Mama’s Expo Advance Access Ticket:

$17 Adult (18+)

$13 Child (2-17), Student (w/ID), Senior (62+)/ Under 2 Free

(15% off Adult regular price / 19% off Child Regular Price)

Tickets will be available for purchase at the door for full price.

Includes General Admission for one, Access to the Mama’s Expo, 1 ticket to Science Playground and 1 any-time voucher for Mini-Golf (valid for 1 round of Rocket Park Mini-Golf. Expires June 5, 2013)

A limited number of Mama’s Expo VIP Tickets are available for online advance purchase only. VIP tickets are $30 per person* and include all components of the Advance Access Ticket PLUS an exclusive Gift Bag including sample products and savings. To purchase VIP tickets, please visit www.themamasexpo.com

*Pay one price for adults, children, students, seniors.

Mama’s Expo VIP Ticket, $40. Includes all Advance Access Ticket components PLUS exclusive Gift Bag. Must be purchased in advance to guarantee your gift bag.

NWMLS Current Market Report

KIRKLAND, Wash. (April 4, 2013) –Brokers added 9,332 new listings to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service database during March, but pending sales topped that number to further crimp inventory and trigger competitive bidding among buyers who are flocking to open houses.

Northwest MLS figures show year-over-year prices jumped 14.9 percent for the 21 counties in its service area. The median price for last month’s closed sales of single family homes and condominiums (combined) was $258,500, rising from $225,000 for the same month a year ago. Twelve counties reported double-digit gains, led by Ferry (up 70.9 percent), San Juan (up 47.3 percent), and Island (up 36.1 percent).

Prices for single family homes increased 14.3 percent, while the median sales price for condos, which accounted for about 12 percent of sales, surged 19.6 percent. Two-thirds of last month’s condo sales were in King County; prices there leaped 28.6 percent, increasing from $175,000 to $225,000. The price of a single family home that sold in King County jumped from $330,000 to $392,000 (up 18.8 percent). Brokers reported 5,745 closed sales last month for a 13.9 percent increase from the previous year when they tallied 5,044 completed transactions.

Brokers say even distressed sellers are receiving multiple offers for their homes.

Inventory is depleted area-wide, with only 18,500 active listings in the MLS system at month end. That total is down by almost 6,400 listings year-over-year for a 25.7 percent drop. Counties with the largest declines include Clark (down 46 percent), Snohomish (down 43.8 percent) and King (down 42.4 percent).

System-wide, there is less than a two-month supply of homes, with the tightest selection in Snohomish (0.93 months), King (1.03 months), Clark (1.81 months) and Pierce (1.68 months) counties. In general, analysts consider four-to-six months of supply to be normal.

Five counties – Ferry, Grays Harbor, Island, King, and Snohomish -- reported fewer pending sales than a year ago, likely a consequence of the limited selection.

Northwest Multiple Listing Service, owned by its member real estate firms, is the largest full-service MLS in the Northwest. Its membership includes more than 21,000 real estate brokers. The organization, based in Kirkland, Wash., currently serves 21 counties in Washington state.

Private Beach Access for Under $200K!

Are you looking for an adorable and affordable remodeled home in a wonderful Kitsap neighborhood?

Pool, Park, private beach access and clubhouse are some of the amenities associated with this charming four-bedroom rambler in Poulsbo. Close to naval bases and ferries, this home boasts new everything, tastefully updated bathrooms, a sunny kitchen with granite counter tops and walk-in pantry. The grand master suite has a large private bath and outdoor deck. The home has a spacious open floor plan with tons of natural light. Located on a huge private corner lot, there is an attached garage and an outdoor shed with lots of storage!

For more information and photos, please visit http://www.postlets.com/repb/9013649

This remodel is the first single family house renovated by REI Capital, a private equity investment fund managed by Bob Malecki and myself. For more information on REI Capital, please visit our website at www.reicapitalusa.com

Seattle Home Prices Up!

Home prices in Seattle fell 26% during the recession, more than in any of this year's other top markets. Now, Seattle is experiencing an 11% year-over-year increase in prices for homes, as well as high levels of construction.

Job growth in Seattle has grown by 3.1% in the past year, and average rents have increased from $1331 to $1517/month, with just a 2.4% vacancy rate.

To see how much further Seattle home prices are expected to increase over the next year, Zillow offers a market guide to various neighborhoods. Zillow predicts Brighton home values will increase 4.6% next year, compared to a 6.9% rise for Seattle as a whole. Zillow predicts Ravenna home values will increase 5.5%; Olympic Hills home values 5.8%; Greenwood home values 5.9%; East Queen Anne home values 6.9%; Loyal Heights home values 7.1%; and East Ballard home values 7.8%.

For more information on market trends in your favorite Seattle neighborhoods, please contact me at HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com or 425-270-7292.

Home Prices Up in Seattle

Nationally, the U.S. real estate market is certainly putting some boldness into its recovery, as indicated by recent reports. February existing home sales shot up 10.2% from a year ago, the fastest sales pace since the homebuyer tax credit boost in November 2009. The median existing home price is UP 11.6% nationally versus a year ago and has now posted year-over-year increases 12 months in a row.

In Seattle, we can see that the median 3-bedroom home in 98115 sold for $439,975 in 23 days in 2012. This year, that same median 3BR home sold for $464,000 in 11 days! Multiple offers on houses in high-demand Seattle neighborhoods are now the norm.

If you have been sitting on the fence wondering whether now is the time to sell, I would be happy to provide a free, no-obligation home evaluation over the internet. This will give you a ballpark figure for what your home sale might bring in today's market. I also include all the various closing costs that you will incur as a seller, so you will know exactly what you will have left in your pocket after all expenses.

If this would be helpful, please contact me at HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com or call 206.274.0800.

Slow Drain....Plumber Maybe or Not

Do you have a slow drain issue in your bathroom or kitchen sink? Even after using the handy plunger? If you are like most, we hope that time will remedy the problem and miraculously drain away. Unfortunately, this problem left unattended can create a bigger issue over time and become an expensive job to repair. Before you reach the phone to call the super, plumber, take a run to the local store for Drano or some other toxic substance; try an environmentally friendly route first. You may already have what you need in your cabinet to combat this small problem. All you need is washcloth/rag, water, vinegar and baking soda. Are you ready for battle? You just might win this one if you caught the slow drain issue on time. So this is what you need to do:

STEP 1.Take a box of baking soda and pour ½ of it down the drain. Make sure not to combine this with any other chemical. You also want to do this dry. Do not water down the sink. Apply it as is down the drain in its powder form.

STEP 2. Next you want to take a ½ cup of vinegar and pour right after the baking soda. Be sure to have the washcloth or rag immediately ready to plug the hole in the sink. This needs to be done because the combination of the 2 substances will immediately cause an over flow of fizz, a chemical reaction similar to the eruption of a can of soda being opened after shaking it. You want the fizz to remain in the drain, not out.

STEP 3.Wait 30 minutes and boil some water, at least a ½ gallon.

STEP 4.Unplug the hole and slowly pour the boiling water down the drain. This method has been proven to be effective in pushing everything through the plumbing system. Letting the mixture sit longer will not remedy the problem any better. Vinegar is an ethanoic acid, and the baking soda acts as a base (sodium bicarbonate). When these two are combined, they will cause a fizzing reaction while forming carbon dioxide and a solution of the salt, sodium acetate.

Sometimes doing this experiment twice can be just as effective for good measure, but if it does not work and you still encounter a slow drain, make that call. Unless you are a true DIY kind of person, some repairs should be left to the experts. Be mindful of your limitations. Not doing it right the first time can be another expense you do not want to incur.