RE/MAX Realty Center-Lake Country, Lake Homes &amp; Luxury Real Estate

RE/MAX Realty Center

357 W Wisconsin Ave

Oconomowoc, WI 53066

Office: 262-567-2455

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If you have Family, Friends or Neighbors that are struggling with their mortgage there are options! Contact Amber Castonguay, your local CDPE & SHORT SALE EXPERT to see what your options are!

Friday, March 13, 2015

9 Tips for Setting Up the Perfect Home Office

Over the past several years, the number of people telecommuting from home, as well as entrepreneurs making use of home offices, has increased dramatically. For these workers, it is essential to create a space that is comfortable but also functional. With the right setup, staying focused and productive can be easy.

Consider Office Needs

Prior to designating a home office space, make a list of everything needed to be efficient for daily operations. While there will be ongoing needs, this list consists of things deemed “critical.” Some of the key items include a desk and chair, workspace, filing cabinets, a computer, shelving and so on. If possible, also take into account any possible growth or expansion needs in the near future.

Choose a Designated Area

A designated area of the home must be determined and respected. This space becomes off limits to other people in the house and is used solely for job purposes. The space should be quiet and private, especially if there are small children around or roommates living close by. A basement area or spare room are great options to consider.

Think about Storage and Working Requirements

Dealing with limited space can be a big challenge, but organization and productivity depend largely on how well maintained a home office is. There needs to be a separate table for work and sufficient space for filing cabinets. In extremely small living quarters, filing cabinets can be stored in another area as long as it provides easy access. However, vertical shelving can also be used for binders and other items typically stored in a filing cabinet. Defining both storage and workspace requirements make it easier to come up with a good office layout.

Choose Appropriate Lighting

A home office with plenty of natural light is ideal, but if the space does not offer much in the way of windows, access lighting becomes essential. For starters, good overhead lights that illuminate most of the office space are highly recommended. For illuminating smaller areas within the office, a desk lamp, task lighting or even a floor lamp work well. It is important to have a well-lit area but one without direct light on the computer screen to reduce computer glare and, therefore, minimize eyestrain.

Invest in the Right Communications

To stay focused while working at home, experts suggest investing in a separate phone line. Typically, a dedicated office phone is inexpensive and easy to have installed. For obvious reasons, a home office phone creates a more professional environment. For instance, while on an important call with a client or potential client, there is no risk of a teenager in the home interrupting to ask how long before the parent gets off the line. A dedicated home office phone can consist of a landline, cellphone or VoIP phone, which is Internet based.

Purchase the Right Office Equipment

Setting up the perfect home office involves buying the right type of equipment. Unless your employer or a client pays for your equipment, you will have an initial financial investment; however, it is easier to stay productive when using the right equipment so you should recoup the money within a short period of time. Even if on a tight budget, it is important never to skimp on equipment. That does not mean buying the highest priced items available, but you should expect to invest in a comfortable office chair with proper back support, a computer with adequate memory and appropriate programs, a high-speed Internet connection and so on.

Separate Personal from Professional

To stay productive, personal life has to be kept separate from professional life when working at home. Sometimes, this can be a challenge, but having the right office setup certainly helps. At no time should anything personal be kept in a home office. Personal documents, checks and other items not related to work need to remain separate. This makes it easier to keep track of expenditures, taxes and other important items.

Establish Policies and Procedures

For a one or two-person operation, having a 60-page rulebook is not necessary, but there do need to be some well-defined expectations that are easily accessible. Regardless of what job someone in the office performs, processes and expectations should be clearly defined. This includes keeping track of business trip mileage, client luncheons, record keeping, bill paying, scheduled lunches and breaks, etc. In addition to a more organized space, policies and procedures promote accountability.

Determine Hours of Operation

Sticking to set hours while at home is also challenging for some people. However, to stay motivated and focused, there should be pre-defined hours of work. Although there will be occasions when work extends beyond normal business time, having set hours reduces distractions from family members and establishes expectations for clients.

Amber Castonguay

Direct: 920-988-0048

Text: 920-988-0048

Fax: 866-211-2826

RE/MAX Realty Center

357 W Wisconsin Ave

Oconomowoc, WI 53066

Office: 262-567-2455

Connect With Me

If you have Family, Friends or Neighbors that are struggling with their mortgage there are options! Contact Amber Castonguay, your local CDPE & SHORT SALE EXPERT to see what your options are!

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Millennials willing to spend when it comes to fitness … and homebuying

GaudiLab / Shutterstock.com

Largest generation in history will open wallets for health and homes

We’re impressed by Goldman Sachs’ new animated infographic dedicated to the attitudes and interests of millennials. In just a few minutes, you can learn quite a bit about the largest generation in U.S. history.

93 percent want to own a home in the future.
Marriage and family are being put off until later in life, but more than 70 percent want to have family one day.
While many major purchases, such as cars, aren’t as important to them, buying a home was considered extremely important or important by 70 percent.

But what really got us thinking was how much millennials’ affinity for technology has changed their shopping behavior. Their knowledge and ease of use of Web-based tools puts them ahead of other demographics for online price comparison and shopping. As price is a more important factor to them than for other generations, they are also seeking value.

Consider millennials’ focus on fitness and wellness. They use apps and online tools to find healthy foods and track fitness goals. They are familiar with finding everything they need to reach their fitness goals online. And, because it’s a key value, while consumption in other areas is declining, millennials are spending more on athletic apparel — a lot more.
What does all this mean for housing?
Millennials want to buy a home, but they want value. They want to know they are making a wise and affordable decision. And they are looking for solutions online. They expect to see product comparisons, options, reviews and detailed information when searching and shopping online.
Plus, their active lifestyles will impact where they want to buy. They want to find the right community as much as they want to find the right house. Most importantly, it will all depend on their ability to find the right

home financing solution for their situation.

Ask yourself these questions to determine how well positioned you are to serve these digital natives and prospective buyers:

Are you offering homebuyers what they want and in the format they want it?
Is your website educating your target audience?
Do your listings provide details beyond just the basics?
Do you share buyer success stories and agent reviews?
Is your site visually stimulating — from desktop to mobile?

Millennials will be online first to find these answers. When home shopping, they will want to know as much as possible — from school and walkability scores to loan options, including homeownership programs.
Rob Chrane is a former Realtor and broker with more than three decades of experience in real estate and mortgage finance. He is the president of Down Payment Resource.

Amber Castonguay

Direct: 920-988-0048

Text: 920-988-0048

Fax: 866-211-2826

RE/MAX Realty Center

357 W Wisconsin Ave

Oconomowoc, WI 53066

Office: 262-567-2455

Connect With Me

If you have Family, Friends or Neighbors that are struggling with their mortgage there are options! Contact Amber Castonguay, your local CDPE & SHORT SALE EXPERT to see what your options are!

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Gorgeous Ideas to Make Home Maintenance Less of a Pain

Tired of home maintenance chores? So are we. That’s why we love these easy-care features that free up your free time — and do it beautifully.

1. Front Yard Patio
Patio in the front yard of a house

Image: Westover Landscape Design, Inc.
Lawns are classic suburbia; they’re also classic maintenance time-sucks. Good-looking patios, on the other hand, don’t need mowing, watering, or fertilizing. Ever. Be a trend-setter and put one in your front yard for you to enjoy and your neighbors to envy. A professionally installed brick or flagstone patio runs $15 to $18 per square foot.

2. Vinyl Shake Siding
Vinyl shake siding on the exterior of a house

Image: Essex Home Improvements, Inc.Vinyl shakes look as beautiful as real wood but they won’t crack, rot, fade, or need periodic staining and sealing. Even better: At $2 to $7 per square foot, installed, they’re about half the price of real wood shakes. Lots of colors available. Did we say that bugs don’t like them, either? Well, they don’t!

3. Quartz Countertop
Low-maintenance quartz countertop in a kitchen

Low-maintenance quartz countertop in a kitchen

Image: Bellingham from Cambria’s Waterstone Collection

Everyone seems to love granite — until it’s time to reseal it. You can get a look that’s just as gorgeous with engineered quartz countertops. Made with 95% quartz (one of the hardest known materials), a quartz countertop shrugs off stains, scratches, and germs (it’s antimicrobial). Cost is $40 to $100 per square foot, installed, about the same as granite. But — unlike granite — a quartz countertop is non-porous and never needs to be resealed. For that reason, quartz countertops are starting to rival granite as the preferred choice.

4. Fiberglass Entry Door
Fiberglass entry door on a home

Image: Heckard’s DoorWhat looks like and feels as beautiful as wood, stains like wood, but never chips, warps, or cracks? Answer: fiberglass. All of which makes fiberglass an ideal material for high-style, low-fuss entry doors that mimic oak, mahogany, walnut, fir, and other woods. Average installed cost for this cool curb appeal upgrade: about $3,000.

5. Shaker-Style Cabinets
Shaker-style white kitchen cabinets in home

Shaker-style white kitchen cabinets in home

Image: Dwelling Studio / All Around Joe Construction

Can style be low-maintenance and gorgeous, too? Of course! These Shaker-style kitchen cabinets, with their simple lines and absence of frills and trills, make cleanup a snap. They also fit with most any design, from traditional to modern. Order them with a tough factory finish that resists stains.

6. Turf Grasses
Buffalo grass front lawn

Image: Takao NurseryIf you love a lawn but hate the upkeep, go alternative. Lush, green turf grasses are beautiful and specially formulated so they’ll grow well in various climates. Once established, turf grasses, like the buffalo grass shown here, require very little watering or mowing, and virtually no fertilizers or pesticides.

7. Direct-Vent Gas Fireplace
Cat next to direct vent fireplace in living room

Cat next to direct vent fireplace in living room

Image: Spark Modern Fires

OK, you’re not Grizzly Adams. You don’t care for chopping firewood, cleaning a sooty hearth, or paying somebody to sweep the chimney every year. But you still like to curl up in front of a blazing fire. Solution: A gorgeous direct-vent gas fireplace ($2,000 to $5,000) burns clean, is energy-efficient, and throws off tons of ambiance.

8. Manufactured Stone Veneer
Stone veneer on the exterior of a home

Image: Eldorado StoneOne of our favorite faux finishes, gorgeous manufactured stone veneer won’t split, crack, or fade. At about $18 per square foot installed, it isn’t cheap, but “Remodeling” magazine’s “Cost vs. Value Report” says you’ll recoup about 92% of your investment at resale — one of the highest returns in the report.

9. Drought-Resistant Landscape Plants
Flowering azaleas in a home's yard

Image: Abby Farson Pratt

Azaleas like these are in the genus Rhododendron, a group of woody shrubs that grow in many different climates and have showy spring blossoms. Beautiful azaleas are tough and hardy once rooted into well-drained soil, making upkeep easy and reducing the need for water.

By: John Riha
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Amber Castonguay

Direct: 920-988-0048

Text: 920-988-0048

Fax: 866-211-2826