The New Web Stats & Fact Sheet for June 2019!
Rates decline, housing data reveals surprise upturn
Good News in Consumer Confidence, Housing Market
Overview: Over the past week, investors grew more concerned that a trade deal between the U.S. and China may not be reached any time soon. There was little reaction to the economic data, and rates ended at the lowest levels in over a year.
Following some optimistic comments from U.S. officials a few weeks ago, the trade talks with China seem to have stalled. The outlook for most investors now is for a lengthy period of uncertainty without a deal. Since tariffs and other restrictions on imports slow global economic activity, this lack of progress has been bad for the stock market but good for bonds, including mortgage rates.
At first glance, the latest housing data appeared to be disappointing, but a closer look revealed the opposite. In April, sales of new homes fell 7% from March to an annual rate of 673,000 units, which was close to the consensus forecast. While this initially seemed like an unexpectedly large monthly decline, it took place because the March results were revised significantly higher to the best level since October 2007.
Despite the trade tensions with China, workers in the U.S. remain extremely confident about the prospects for the economy and the labor market. The most recent Consumer Confidence report showed a much larger than expected increase to one of the highest readings in years. Notably, 47% of consumers polled thought that jobs are “plentiful,” which is the most since 2001.
Week Ahead
Looking ahead, the second estimate of
The New Web Stats & Fact Sheet for April 2019!
The Best Way To Remove Wallpaper
Wallpaper can look great in the right setting but when you are selling your house it can be detrimental to the sale. The potential buyer may want a blank canvas that they can see themselves easily customizing. If they see wallpaper all around your home, they may see it as too much work and pass on your house. To open up the potential buyer pool we recommend removing the wallpaper in your home before selling.
To start, if budget isn’t an issue then we recommend hiring professional wallpaper removers. They will have all of the necessary tools and work fast. This will ensure that you have the wallpaper off of your walls in a quick and efficient manner.
Doing It Yourself.
Peelable Wallpaper
Most wallpaper is able to be peeled. If you are able to peel it off then you should peel each strip off of the wall until it is gone. Then, you should get a Scotch-Brite pad and with soapy water and wash off all of the paste that is left behind. After you have the wall cleaned you will need to patch any defects that are in the wall. Finally, prime it and paint it a neutral color.
Vinyl Coated Paper
If the wallpaper doesn’t come off in strips then it is probably vinyl coated paper. This is a little more difficult to remove but not impossible. The first step you should take is getting yourself a paper tiger and using it to perforate the entire wall. After you have completed that, then you need to get a Hudson sprayer (or a spray bottle filled with warm water). Spray the entire wall down and let it soak in for a while.
Once you have given the water time to soak in, the wallpaper should peel right off. When you have gotten all of the wallpaper off, get a Scotch-Brite pad with soapy water and wash off all of the paste that is left behind. Then wash it once more with a soapy sponge. Once it has dried, pole sand the wall and patch any defects. After that, prime and paint with a neutral color.
We hope this months maintenance tip helps you remove the wallpaper in your home and in turn also helps you sell your house!
Thank you for reading this month’s maintenance tip! Check out Chuck’s Maintenance Tips for more helpful tips!
Home Sales Knock it Out of the Park
Checking Your Sump Pump
Springtime is here which means the weather is finally getting warmer… but it also means rain, rain, and more rain. Rain can be a good thing, but it can also cause damage if you aren’t prepared for it. Here are a few ways to make sure that your sump pump is prepared for this rainy season.
Main Sump Pump
The main sump pump is used to send any unwanted water away from your house to a place where it won’t cause any problems. This place is usually a dry well or a municipal storm drain. The main sump pump is essential to any home with a basement to prevent any flooding.
Backup Sump Pump
The backup sump pump is used for the exact same reason as the regular sump pump but as you may have guessed it’s the back up for when the first sump pump fails. The reasons for failure can be the age of the main sump pump or if the water coming in is too much for the main to handle.
Battery Backup
The battery backup is another essential to have during the rainy season, the battery backup for your sump pumps will help to ensure that even if you lose power your sump pumps will still drain excess water away from your home.
The issue that you may run into with a battery backup is that the batteries only have a certain number of hours on each charge. The particular one we have is a two-battery backup with a total of 12 hours on the batteries.
Home Generator
Our final recommendation would be to invest in a whole house generator. The whole house generators are foolproof, meaning that even if you lose power, within about 15 seconds your house will have power again. This will lower the risk of any flooding in your house significantly.
Be sure to take a good look at your sump pump and backups. We also recommend testing to make sure everything is in working order before it comes time to use it!
Thank you for reading this month’s maintenance tip! Check out Chuck’s Maintenance Tips for more helpful tips!
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