In this month's newsletter:
1. Realtor.com® News: Homes Selling at a Faster Pace This Holiday Season2. Tips for Safe Holiday Shopping Online3. 5 Ways to Warm Up an Older House4. Holiday Activities for the Whole Family
1 Realtor.com® News: Homes Selling at a Faster Pace This Holiday Season
Homes are selling “significantly” faster compared to last year at this time, according to Realtors.com®’s National Housing Trend Report for October 2013. “Instead of the usual seasonal slowdown, October data shows the 2013 fall market moving at a fast pace,” says Errol Samuelson, president of
realtor.com®. The median age of the inventory – viewed as a leading indicator of demand – dropped 11.32 percent in October compared to year ago levels, “demonstrating resilience to seasonal changes and stabilized inventory,”
realtor.com® notes. Nationwide, the median age of inventory was 94 days. In some markets, homes are selling in a fraction of that time. For example, in Oakland, Calif., homes are selling, on average, in 30 days. San Francisco; San Jose, Calif.; Denver, Colo.; and Stockton-Lodi, Calif., all posted 48 days on the market. Realtor.com® is anticipating the winter months will offer up plenty of opportunity for home buyers too, particularly those who were shut out this summer due to tighter inventories and competition from buyers with all-cash offers, according to
realtor.com®’s Winter Home Buyer Report.
2 Tips for Safe Holiday Shopping Online
3 5 Ways to Warm Up an Older House
Older homes certainly have their own charm, but they're usually not the most energy efficient or the easiest to keep warm.
About 70% of our nations energy consumption in residential homes comes from houses built before 1983,
according to a study by ConSol, a building and energy consulting firm in California. Fortunately, there are several smart ways to work
with your older home to improve its energy efficiency and make it as warm and comfortable as possible.
1. Do an Energy Audit.An energy audit should be the first action you take when trying to warm up your older home.
It will show you exactly where most of your warm air is escaping and cold air is entering.
Some utility companies offer free energy audits, so check with your providers to see if this is a possibility.
2. Check Windows and DoorsDid you know that a one-eighth-inch gap beneath a 36 inch door has the same effect on your home as a
2.4-inch-wide hole in the wall? Sealing gaps around doors and windows is one of the easiest,
cheapest, and most effective ways to warm up your older home.
3. Insulate
If your home is insulation free or lacking, you can retrofit it by hiring trained installers to inject a nonflammable
foam resin into existing walls. This means there's no need to remove walls and, according to the manufacturers,
the installation can take less than a day for a whole house.
4. Install a Programmable Thermostat
Replacing an old thermostat with a newer model can make sure the house stays warm and
toasty when occupied and saves you money on heating fuel when vacant.
5. Consider Radiant Floor Heating
Unlike electric baseboard units or forced hot-air systems, radiant floor heating provides a quiet, constant
warm glow around the house. You can retrofit radiant floor heating beneath floors, in effect warming the
whole structure of your home.
4 Holiday Activities for the Whole Family
While getting gifts are fun, the most important and gratifying part of the holidays is spending time
with your family. Here are 20 fun activities to enjoy with the ones you love this Holiday season.
1. Turn on Holiday music and decorate the tree together
2. Invite friends over for a cookie baking party
3. Do something to help those in need have a joyful season
4. Load up the car and take a Holiday light tour drive
5. Have a night in featuring hot cocoa and Holiday movies
6. Make gingerbread houses
7. Play board games by the fireplace
8. Donate and deliver old toys to children in need
9. Write and decorate cards for friends and family
10. Take family Holiday card photos
11. Make Holiday care packages for those serving in the military
12. Go ice skating
13. Check newspapers for local events in your area
14. Have a gift wrapping competition
15. Have a day of holiday themed crafts
16. Make some New Year's resolutions
17. Make snow ice cream
18. Make fireplace s'mores
19. Build a snowman
20. Gather the family and talk about what you're thankful for this year
