tjessee

Summer Fun Friendship Activities With Printable Bucket List!

June 9, 2021 by tjessee Leave a Comment

Summer can be months of endless free time which means endless opportunities for boredom OR for creativity. To make this the best summer yet, we’ve put together the perfect bucket list for girls. By the end of the summer your daughter will be proud of each and every check mark and have a summer of amazing memories, new hobbies and talents. Print our summer bucket list for girls and get started creating a summer to remember!

Go on a Hike

Head into nature, count the wildflowers you see, find a good walking stick and climb a mountain! Or maybe your hike will take you along a beach, on a city bike path or to the top of the hills — anyway you hike it make sure to take pictures and invite a friend! We like to use the All Trails app or website to find cool trails in any city.

Go on a Picnic

Half the fun of a picnic is planning the perfect picnic food. Put together an outdoor feast and pack a blanket for a fun picnic with friends or family. Try your picnic at the park or your backyard and don’t forget the sunscreen and water.

Have a Reading Day with your Little Reader

Pick the coziest spot in the house — we like Little Reader chairs for the perfect sized reading spot for little girls — and have an all day reading-a-thon. Make sure to have fun snacks, stacks of books and see how many books you can read in one day!

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Everything You Need to Know About How to Sell a Condo Fast

May 31, 2021 by tjessee Leave a Comment

If you’re concerned about selling a condo fast, then fear no more. Condos are often smaller, less expensive and less upkeep, which reliably attracts certain types of buyers. There are also certain things you can do that can guarantee your condo will sell fast in any market– read on for all the tips and tricks you need to know to sell a condo.

How to Price My Condo to Sell?

The asking price is the first thing potential buyers consider — after all, if it’s out of their budget they won’t even consider looking at the property. Generally, the lower the asking price, the quicker it sells. This doesn’t mean your first reaction should be to lower the price since this means less profits for you.

On the adverse, if your home is priced too low then it leaves a negative impression with buyers as well. Super low prices make buyers worried that something is wrong with the condo and they might be too suspicious to give your property a second look.

Consult with a realtor or have comparables done to make sure your condo is well within the average asking price for condos similar to your own. If you have some wiggle room on the asking price then determine if lowering the price is the right move for you to sell your home quickly.

Sell at the Right Time

Certain months make for better selling times in Utah, so if you have some flexibility on when you list your condo, consider holding off for high-buy months like April, May and June. Since most buyers of condos tend to be single, retired or newlyweds you have extra flexibility (families with children tend to buy when their kids are on summer break). Trying to sell in November and December is not idea and may keep your condo on the MLS long past the average time.

Extra Steps to Help Your Condo Sell Faster

Know your HOA

Often a condo is managed by a home owners/condo association which means there are rules you need to know about before selling your condo. Some HOA’s will make rules about who you can (and can’t) sell to, so don’t waste your time listing a condo without being sure of all the rules first. You might find that your HOA doesn’t allow “For Sale” signs to be posted either, so take some time to learn the in’s and outs of selling a condo in your HOA to save you time and effort.

Stage your Condo

Staging a condo involves taking out a lot of the more personal items such as photos on the walls and knick knacks on the shelves before showing your home. Staging can also involve rearranging furniture and bringing in new pieces of art or decor. Unless you have a natural talent for interior design it’s best to hire a home stager to work with you to show your condo at it’s very best. While this is an extra cost and an extra step, having your condo professionally staged can make all the difference in selling quickly and for the right price.

Take Professional Photos

The great majority of potential buyers don’t even visit a home in person until they have looked at all the photos online. Having quality photos that show your condo in great light will make a huge difference in getting buyers to come check out your home. Even the most beautiful condo can end up looking dingy or boring with poorly lit, cluttered, odd angled photos. Hire a photographer or read up on tips for taking real estate photos to get the very best interior photos of your home online.

Update or Fix your Condo

Major repairs our out-of-date carpet and fixtures can be a drawback to selling a condo fast. Take some time to update the paint or replace flooring before listing your condo. If you have a broken heating and air unit or water heater then you’ll want to fix that to draw in serious buyers. The good news is, condo’s don’t have a need for many of the more expensive home repairs you’d encounter with a single family home.

Sell to A Real Estate Investor

If you need to sell your condo quickly and in any condition then working with a house buying company is always the fastest way to go. House buying companies like Gary Buys Houses are in the business of buying homes, condos and reselling it for a profit, or renting it out. Investors like Gary have cash to move quickly, closing on your home in less than a week and without all the staging, fixing and repairs and listing time and effort needed.

The process is simple, fill out the form online to get in touch with Gary to start the conversation about your property and receive an offer on your home as quickly as 15 minutes in to your conversation. Gary Buys Houses is a trusted, local Utah company that has been purchasing condos and homes for the past 12 years. If you’re interesting in selling a condo fast then reach out to Gary for a quick cash offer today.

Benefits of Selling a Condo to a House Buying Company

As mentioned before, selling to an investor means selling a condo quickly, a huge plus if you need to move quickly or have to close on your condo before qualifying for a new loan.
You receive a cash offer — no mortgages or 3rd party to work with, no excessive paperwork and property inspections. A simple cash offer and the deal is taken care of.
If you live in an older condo or there are major repairs and updates needed your condo would not sell fast the traditional way. A real estate investor buys condos in any condition and work with their own team to repair and renovate after they have purchased your property. Working with a house buying company means you don’t have to drop thousands of dollars into home repairs and upgrades that you’ll never even get to enjoy since you’re selling your house.
Selling a condo to a Gary Buys Houses is hassle free — no realtor commissions cutting into profit, no walk throughs and showings and no need for home inspection reports and staging a house.

7 Smart Things You Can Do To Teach Your Daughter About Money and Saving

May 27, 2021 by tjessee Leave a Comment

As a parent you want what’s best for your kids. You want their future to be bright and filled with even more opportunities and financial security and success than you experienced. One of the best ways to help your daughter have that better, brighter future is by teaching kids how to save money from a young age. Read on for 7 tips that are simple, yet powerful, ways to teach your daughter about saving, spending and investing.

Start Young, Start Small

Believe it or not, even little kids are ready to start learning about money. If your daughter is old enough to earn an allowance, do a job for a neighbor for a little cash, or get money for birthdays or holidays, then she is ready to be introduced to her first piggy bank.

We recommend forgoing the super cute piggies of the past for a simple clear jar — it’s important that she can see how much money she is saving! Set up a jar for spending and a jar for saving and a jar for giving. Teach her how to separate her money into these three jars each time she gets paid.

Start with the “Giving” jar — help her choose a charity, person or cause that she would like to donate 10% of her earnings to. Starting your daughter with the mindset of giving from a young age will help her to not become a money grubber or have scarcity about money.

Teach her to set aside the majority of her money, perhaps 60 percent, into her savings jar. Explain that because she lives at home and you take care of all her necessities she has the awesome opportunity to save a LOT of money. Help her visualize things to get excited about saving for, and not just responsible things that most kids aren’t old enough to appreciate saving for, like college.

Finally, each time she is paid, help her put 30 percent of her earnings into her “Spending” jar. Explain that this jar can be for fun! It can be for going to the movies with a friend or buying a treat from the ice cream man — whatever she likes.

These lessons in spending, giving, and saving will probably come up a lot as she grows up, keep encouraging her to stick to her jars and good financial principles that she can still follow as an adult. From a young age she can have a healthy and financially wise relationship with earning and money.

Allow Them To Earn Their Stuff

It’s easy to buy our girls whatever they want, after all, we want them to fit in and have fun too. The reality is, especially as our kids grow into tweens, that we need to emphasize the importance of working hard to earn their belongings.

You’ll see a your daughter give a special sense of care and stewardship to the items she had to earn and pay for herself. If she wants a new bike, offer to pay half and let her earn the rest. If she’s dying for rollerblades but there are no gift-giving holidays coming up then encourage her to start saving and finding ways to earn the money for them herself.

Help her brainstorm ways to earn more money or to save more money so she can accomplish her goal. She will learn patience and the importance of saving for the expensive things in life, a lesson that will stick with her when she is old enough for her first credit card.

Help Them Visualize Saving

Saving for something whether it’s a long-term goal like college or a car or a short-term goal like a desired toy or pair of shoes can feel overwhelming to first-time savers. Help your daughter visualize how she CAN save for these items by creating a savings chart. Encourage her to use her creativity to come up with a way to track the amount of money she is putting into savings.

Maybe she puts a sticker on a chart for every $5 she sets aside, or perhaps she colors in another bar on a graph to represent more money set aside, whatever type of tracking chart she comes up with will be great.

Put a picture of the savings goal item on the chart and make a big deal each time she adds to her savings. When you do this you teach her that saving is rewarding!

Use Shopping Trips to Teach a Lesson

Our daughters don’t always have a good grasp on how much things really cost. You might have experienced this if your daughter asked for a pair of $100 jeans to start the school year — but it’s not because she thinks money grows on trees; it’s because she doesn’t grasp how much things cost or how to budget or spend money wisely.

One easy way to open your daughters eyes to the value of a dollar is to give her a budget for some necessary shopping that involves her — perhaps that means back-to-school supply shopping or purchasing new clothes after a growth spurt. Set a budget for how much you want to spend on this trip and then let HER decide what to spend and where to shop. She may start out with stars in her eyes, sure that she is going on an all-expense-paid shopping spree until she starts to add things up and realize how far the money really goes.

An activity like this can be done on a small scale by including your daughter in your weekly grocery shopping or in purchasing treats for a family night. Either way she will learn that sometimes buying the off brand is the best choice, or that choosing an expensive item she LOVES means getting less and being ok with that. There are so many financial lessons to be learned when you use a shopping trip to teach the real life lesson.

Open a Bank Account

If your daughter has already been successful with her money jars and she understands the concept of earning, saving and spending then she might be ready for a bank account of her own. This stage doesn’t usually come until your daughter is a tween and may be earning more money then you want to keep in her room in clear jars. Whether she is babysitting, mowing lawns, or earning a regular allowance, you can take her to the bank and teach her the in’s and outs of having her own bank account and debit card.

Teaching her about interest, what happens if she were to overdraw her money, and the importance of tracking her money and accessing her account info online are all big steps that go with getting her first bank account. Even if your daughter isn’t old enough for a debit card responsibility, you can still take her to the bank to set up a savings account only.

Teach Them How to Invest Wisely

Investing isn’t something that has to wait for adulthood when we think of retirement and 401k’s. Teach your daughter about investing when she’s a tween. Teach her the principles of risk taking, wise investments, and interest earning.

How an Abandoned House in Utah Happens and What to Do

March 12, 2021 by tjessee

Are you a property owner in Utah wondering what to do with a house or property you own or inherited that you might abandon? Rather than let your home become an abandoned house, a neighborhood eyesore and hotspot for vagrants, read on to learn more options for how to avoid abandoning the property.

8- Reasons a House Becomes Abandoned

While the number one reason a house ends up an abandoned property is financial, there are several factors that can lead to walking away from a home.

1- Expense

Perhaps you find yourself in a situation where the repairs on the home exceed the amount of money you can put into it. If your home is in need of rewiring, all new plumbing or other expensive repairs like foundation repair then the price for repair can be prohibitive.

2- Recession and Job Loss

Whether it was the great recession of 2008/09 or the global pandemic of 2020/21, the realities of job loss and economic downturn can negatively affect your ability to take care of and maintain a home. If you live in a city where a local industry provides most of the jobs, a closure of a factory or major layoffs can affect the entire city and your ability to sell your home.

3- Bad Neighborhood

If your once family-friendly neighborhood has deteriorated into a stagnate, or even unsafe, neighborhood, selling a home can be near impossible. Businesses and landlords aren’t likely to buy up properties in neighborhoods such as that and property values can be negatively affected.

4- Inheritance Issues

Some people struggle with the idea of selling the home they grew up in. Inheriting a home that you don’t plan to live in but have a hard time parting with for sentimental reasons can lead to vacant homes that deteriorate without regular maintenance and care.

5- Environmental Problems

Updates to environmental regulations can cause costly updates for homeowners. Perhaps you’ve been required to get rid of septic tanks or outdated wiring. A home inspection report could turn up asbestos or lead-infused paint. If your home has environmental problems the cost of repair can be staggering, sometimes more than the cost of purchasing a new home.

6- Ecological Disaster

Areas that experience widespread contamination in the water or air can cause people to abandon their homes. Flint, Michigan, one of the top cities in America for abandoned homes, has experienced ongoing water troubles throughout the city, making it incredibly difficult to sell a home.

7- Natural Disasters

If your home has experienced flooding, hurricanes, an earthquake or tornado, your family may have been forced to evacuate. Rather than repair and rebuild, in some cases homeowners will walk away from their property during stressful situations like natural disasters.

8- Difficulty Selling

Bad photos, unattractive curb appeal and outdated interiors can all make a property very difficult to sell.

The top 10 US cities with most vacant homes

According to a report by Fox Business, these 15 cities in the U.S. have the most vacant homes as of 2019.

Gary, Indiana:19.4%
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina: 16.9%
Flint, Michigan: 15.7%
Detroit, Michigan: 11.2%
Baltimore, Maryland: 8.1%
Kansas City, Missouri: 5.6%
Birmingham, Alabama: 5.5%
Mobile, Alabama: 5.1%
St. Petersburg, Florida: 5.1%
West Palm Beach, Florida: 4.8%
Cleveland, Ohio: 4.5%
Dayton, Ohio: 4.3%
Indianapolis, Indiana: 4.1%
St. Louis, Missouri:4.0%
Memphis, Tennesee: 3.7%

What Happens to Abandoned Homes?

Unfortunately when a home is abandoned it’s often left at the mercy of one of these four problems:

Weather

Left on their own a home that is left uncared for through snow, heat, wind and rain will start to show the wear and tear. Whether the heat is cracking roof tiles or the rain gutters have been clogged so moisture is building up in all the wrong places, the weather will break down abandoned homes over time.

Landscape

Surprisingly plants left unchecked can do plenty of damage to abandoned homes. Invasive ivy can take over yards and walls while uncared for trees can die and become a fire hazard. Tall grasses and weeds invite mice and snakes and every neighborhood critter to become a resident of the abandoned property.

Squatters

Empty homes can be a hotspot for crimes and vandalism. Squatters can move in on abandoned properties and leave problems and messes in abandoned homes.

Disrepair

Peeling paint, broken windows and wild, overgrown yards are not uncommon on an abandoned home. Left on their own a home deteriorates quickly and the interior doesn’t fare much better over time.

How to Sell Before Abandoning My House

If you have found yourself in a situation where you have considered abandoning your home rather than deal with the expenses and problems you are currently facing, know that you do have other options. While a traditional buyer would not be interested in purchasing a home that has damage or large repairs needed, a non-traditional home buyer like Gary has the experience and team to take on any property.

Selling your home to a house buying company like us at GaryBuysHouses allows you to save time, money and stress helping you to still make money off your house that is either currently abandoned or might be soon. Gary is ready to make a fast and fair cash offer for your home and is willing to take on properties in any condition. If you are interested in selling your house to Gary then reach out today and have a closing date in as little as 7 days.

Gary does not sell your contract, require inspections or extensive negotiations. He specializes in hassle-free closings and cash offers. If there is no mortgage on the property then Gary could even close in as little as 1 to 2 days.

Working with Gary means getting a check that you can cash right away the day that you meet up about the property. He is serious and motivated to purchase your home and if for any reason Gary doesn’t buy the house, even if it’s your fault, you get to keep the earnest money. Contact Gary about purchasing your property and don’t let it become just another abandoned house.

All You Need To Know About Selling a Condemned House in Utah

March 12, 2021 by tjessee

A condemned house in Utah may occur in due process when certain building codes are in violation of the Utah building code. The home is not safe to live in. If necessary, acting through the proper legal channels, the house may be seized and occupants (if any) are asked to leave until the issues are resolved.

You might know of a condemned house next to you or in your neighborhood. Or you might have inherited a property with some serious building code issues. In either case you might be in situation where you might want to sell that condemned house asap. Today we’ll share everything you need to know about helping you make that decision easier.

What Happens if Your House is Condemned?

When you think of a condemned house the image of a run-down shack with boarded up windows probably comes to mind. While this is often the case, sometimes a home can look nice on the outside but be deemed by a building code inspector as unsafe for living on the inside. A house is condemned when your county building code inspector deems it unfit or unsafe to live in. This process can take some time though. It’s not an over-night process from reporting to condemning a property.

What are Grounds for House Condemnation?

Your home, the house you know of or the house you inherited could be condemned for several reasons including:

Severe damage from weather or fire damage that compromises the structural integrity of the house.
The building has been vacant and boarded up for a lengthy period of time with utilities discontinued.
The building is older and may have been constructed with materials that are no longer considered safe or usable.
The building has health hazards such as extensive black mold, termite or rodent infestations. Another health hazard that could condemn a house would be if the building was once used to store or manufacture illegal drugs or toxins like a meth house.
If the home is dilapidated, unhygienic and vacant then the neighbors can form & submit complaints to the county authority that may lead to condemning a house/property. A house that sits vacant in bad condition can encourage squatters or transients to enter making the neighborhood less safe. So it’s in your best interest most times to report houses in this situation sooner than later.
Often a house or building will be condemned because of repeated housing code violations over the safety of the building.

How to report a house that needs to be condemned

If you know of a house/property that meets condemned standards then here are a few direct links to some Utah counties that will help guide you through the steps to submit your request:

How to Get Your Property off Condemned Status

In many cases all is not lost once you receive news that your property is condemned. Depending on the circumstances you can work out a plan for renovation and repair with the building authorities. Once the necessary repairs have been made and the home is considered up to code following a full-home inspection then it is possible to reverse the condemned status of your home.

How to Fight Condemned Status

You are able to fight the condemned status of your property. In this instance you would need to attend a condemnation hearing. You may or may not receive a lot of notice but you would need to be present at the hearing after being notified of the date and time by the county Board of Health of SLC county for example.

It’s important to note that for example the Salt Lake County health board says; “Though we often work together to accomplish related goals, health department housing inspectors are not building inspectors, and the health department does not have the legal power to “condemn” a structure. Note that municipal building inspectors may have requirements, beyond those of the health department, before a property can be used or occupied legally.” (source)

At your hearing anyone that is directly affected by the condemnation can speak out against it. If you are able to show that the building is structurally sound or show a plan for specific repairs then you might have a case for saving your home from condemned status.

Bringing in an expert to testify about the specifics of your property can also help at a condemnation hearing. If, at the end of the hearing, the building inspector can prove that the property still poses immediate danger to the tenants or homeowners then vacating the property may be required.

If the home is deemed unsafe but fixable then you can ask the judge to order repairs to avoid condemnation. If you can prove you have the funds to make the repairs and there is no danger to repairmen working on the property then you stand a good chance of avoiding condemned status.

Eminent Domain and Condemned Houses

There are certain cases where a home can become condemned without safety or health issues. A house can be condemned when it is located in an area designate for public use or construction. When this happens public authorities may exercise the power of eminent domain, allowing the government to seize private land.

If you find yourself in this situation then your home would be condemned — marked for demolition because of it’s location not it’s safety — to make way for public projects like roads or facilities.

When eminent domain takes place housing authorities work with owners to come to an agreement and to fairly compensate for the loss of property by offering a payment of the appraised value of the property.

In a case of eminent domain, the housing authority will usually make every reasonable effort to reach an agreement with the property owner.

What is the Process When a House is Condemned?

Condemning a house isn’t something that is taken lightly or done quickly. Usually a house will only reach condemned status when all other steps have failed to improve the safety and condition of the building.

If you are the homeowner you will receive a written notice that the building must be vacated and a sign would be attached to the building notifying others that the property is unsafe.

As the owner of the building you may be ordered to repair or demolish the building so it’s important to reach out and seek legal advice about the best course of action when dealing with a condemned home.

Can You Sell a Condemned Home?

While a traditional buyer would not be interested in purchasing a home that has been condemned, a non-traditional home buyer like Gary has the experience and team to take on a condemned house. If you are hoping to avoiding fighting the condemned status in court, or dealing with the headache that comes with seeking legal help and working with the community and housing authorities about your home then seeking out a house buying company might just be the perfect solution for you. You can save yourself the extensive time and money of repairs and the need to find alternate living conditions while all that work goes on by selling your home to us. Gary is ready to make a fast and fair cash offer for your home and is willing to take on condemned properties (except in the case of eminent domain of course). If you are interested in selling your condemned home to Gary then reach out today and have a closing date in as little as 7 days.