Dramatic Insurance Economies for Dewey Beach, DE Homeowners
The headline promised “Ways to Dramatically Lower Your Home Insurance Costs”—there were six of them—and indeed, it was followed by some sage economic advice. Insurance isn’t often accompanied by high drama, but CNBC’s website can be forgiven for the hyperbole. The guidance for Dewey Beach, DE homeowners was useful.
The six dramatic homeowner insurance cost-cutting items were a mixed bag—with three of them boiling down to variations on a single theme:
· Do your homework—and do so every year. When your agent sends you the annual renewal notice, that’s your cue to take the time to give your current coverage a critical once-over. Another point was aimed at the same idea: Talk to your insurance agent every year; as was the third point: Shop around every few years. Web portals (CNBC names Insure.com and InsuranceQuotes.com) can make gathering quotes easier than used to be the case. But a caution is in order: check the reputations of low-quoting companies.
One study turned up the fact that the majority (two-thirds) of U.S. homes are underinsured by an average of more than 20%. Stricter Dewey Beach, DE building codes can make rebuilding an older home 25%-50% more costly. That kind of shortfall would be dramatic! The other key points were aimed at preventing such an outcome:
· Hike your deductible. This strategy is aimed at allowing Dewey Beach, DE homeowners to hike their coverage without increasing the premium. Since making small claims is a sure way to increase next year’s premium, most people don’t make them, anyway—so increasing your deductible makes good economic sense.
· Get every discount. Bundling your auto insurance with the same company is already well-“dramatized” in ads, but some others—like having upgraded your roof or windows or having made energy-efficient alterations—can result in premium savings, too.
· Consider flood insurance. Dewey Beach, DE homeowners who aren’t in an officially designated flood zone may not think about it, but typical policies do cover wind damage and exclude flood damage.
Another result of keeping Dewey Beach, DE insurance policies up to date is actually pretty undramatic—it’s the peace of mind it brings. Feel free to call to chat whenever questions arise about your own Dewey Beach, DE real estate matters! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.
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- Written by Jimmie Bachand
The Downsizing Dilemma Gets a Helpful Hint
Here’s an idea from one homeowner who’s just completed a complicated exit from a sizeable house to a smaller property. It’s a last-minute strategy that could be helpful for Dewey Beach, DE readers who are planning a similar downsizing move.
Currently, the Boomer generation leads the pack of Dewey Beach, DE downsizers who face similar associated challenges. They’re emotional as well as practical—and this idea could be helpful on both scores.
The challenge of downsizing comes with paring down all the sheer scale of household bric-a-brac that builds up over the course of daily living. Some of the stuff may be saleable, but especially lately, because downsizing is becoming so rampant, most is not. The old, non-electronic ingredient scale may be perfectly functional but is currently more likely to end up in a landfill instead of on anyone’s kitchen counter. Why it wasn’t disposed of when the spiffy newer gizmo took its place is just human nature—we hesitate to throw things out when they still work!
But for older Dewey Beach, DE downsizers, there’s an emotional dimension to the process. When you’re wading through those boxes that haven’t been opened for ages to see if they’re of value, you find yourself with a dilemma. You can’t just toss all those cartons filled with envelopes jammed with pictures of bygone days—even when you know only a few are true gotta-save keepers. Every carton may have an irreplaceable family heirloom tucked in there alongside its eminently disposable cousin—but as a practical matter, when the moving van will soon be idling in the driveway, unless you are a hyper-organized person, the amount of time it would take to go through everything won’t be left.
The solution this householder found was to locate a storage facility halfway between the old home and the new. In their case, moving from a 6,000 square foot property to one half that size an hour’s drive away was aided greatly by temporarily renting a 10’x20’ unit. The space wound up being packed with assorted chests, cartons, pieces of luggage. There were even gardening tools that might or might not be useful in the new property—they would be stored until a few months of experience determined whether they’d be valuable or not.
Having this “halfway” solution can relieve a good deal of the deadline-induced stress that any move entails. Another stress reducer is being able to rely on an experienced real estate pro helping with all the other details of buying and selling any Dewey Beach, DE property. I’ll be standing by to help! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.
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- Written by Jimmie Bachand
Time Truly is Money in Your Dewey Beach, DE Landscaping Approach
If you ask the web, “what does Time is Money mean?” it tells you that time is a valuable resource, so do things as quickly as you can. That’s one way to look at it—from a superior, it probably means, “stop wasting time” or “get back to work!”
But when it comes to property values—certainly including those here in Dewey Beach, DE—it has another valid application. Of interest to anyone who owns (or will own) a property in Dewey Beach, DE is this:
When it comes to landscaping, time truly is money. And the clock is ticking.
The time, in this case, is the amount of time it takes to grow a tree, or a hedge—or any plant that will add livability to your property. Barrier plants are one example. They can protect a hilltop yard from exposure to an otherwise annoying prevailing wind. Barrier hedges can provide valuable privacy—a less expensive and more eye-pleasing alternative to fencing. Given time, defensive plants (thorny ones) can provide a literally impenetrable barrier and the security it represents.
Then there are the trees. More than just beauty, mature trees provide shady destination points for the garden, wildlife-attracting shelter for songbirds—as well as conveying an aura of permanence that lends substance to any property. Not to mention, well-positioned shade trees can directly lower summertime cooling bills.
All of these benefits can be had by spending a fortune by buying mature plants and the skilled local landscape gardeners to establish them, or by spending relatively little by planting seedlings and saplings as soon as possible. When sited artfully, the value of the mature plants will be as described. But better still, the pride of having designed them for the utility that grows year by year can’t help but add to your enjoyment.
When it comes to your own Dewey Beach, DE property, foresightful selection in the plants you choose and their place on the property will pay big dividends in its salability and the value it commands. When it comes to landscaping, in other words, time is money.
As a side note, timing a purchase or sale can mean money, too—especially in today’s low-interest home loan environment. Call me! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.
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- Written by Jimmie Bachand
Only Careful Listening Yields True Homes for Sale Prospects
It never ceases to amaze: the way media news briefs can state a set of facts that, despite being literally accurate, leave listeners with a mistaken impression. For local homeowners making up their minds whether the timing is right for putting their own Dewey Beach, DE homes up for sale, this last week provided a fine example.
One newscast in particular would seem to be off-putting. It’s true that when measured against the same period a year earlier, the national home sales levels had been weak. That made the one news blip that came over the satellite radios in many Dewey Beach, DE autos all the more convincing. Listeners might have concluded that throughout the country, potential home buyers were staging a disappearing act. That kind of discouraging news could well put a damper on those contemplating putting up their own Dewey Beach, DE homes for sale.
The real estate item was the final one in Friday’s on-the-hour news, which repeated hourly. The announcer’s voice delivered the bad news in matter-of-fact tones: “New home sales tumbled last month, dropping almost thirteen percent. Higher prices combining with a limited inventory sidelined many would-be buyers.”
When you’re thinking about selling your house, that’s hardly encouraging news—even if you’re aware that statistics can be interpreted seven ways from Sunday. The announcer’s rapid-fire delivery would have had all but the most careful listeners convinced that they faced a significantly difficult market—one that “sidelined many would-be buyers.” But the first word in the brief was critical: “New.” The “tumble” in sales affected only new home builders—probably because enough hadn’t been built!
The actual relevant news had been released by the National Association of Realtors® on last Wednesday. Existing home sales had “surged by 2.5%” in July! And June’s sales numbers were revised upward. Several analysts were quoted as opining that “U.S. housing markets seemed to be bolstering…”
Actually, given the phenomenon of July’s cut in already bargain-basement mortgage rates, a rise in home sales activity was hardly unexpected.
For local homeowners aware of the fuller picture, the prospects in today’s market are welcoming. Of course, whether (and when)—to put your own Dewey Beach, DE home up for sale is always a multi-tiered decision. It’s based on any number of personal and financial considerations. But fear that all the home buyers are “sidelined” should definitely not be one of them. I hope you’ll call me for the latest on our own Dewey Beach, DE activity! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.
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- Written by Jimmie Bachand
