5 Easy Tips To Prepare Your Naperville Home For Sale

5 Easy Tips To Prepare Your Naperville Home For Sale

When you get ready to put you home on the market, there are steps you can take to improve its appeal without spending a lot of money. Keep in mind that the buyer will want more for his/her buck. Several low cost improvements and renovations can make your house their dream house. When you add value to your home, it always pays for itself.

Here are 5 easy ways to make your Naperville home for sale stand out and grab attention.

Neutral colors go well with small spaces.

Highlights and accents like curtains, trendy light fixtures; new shelving should be used to infuse color and character to the space. When viewing a house, buyers should be able to envision their own taste and personalization of the space, not yours. They should not feel like they are inheriting any ‘baggage’ from you. Give them a clean palette. For color and its psychological effects a good article to read is http://teresaryan.com/naperville-homes/how-a-rooms-color-can-affect-your-mood/.

Create an interesting space in your home.

A study, a library, or a family nook – they’re all interesting hideaways, a little piece of privacy that people love. These spaces can be along a movement path, part of a room or an unused corner. They are inexpensive to create – get creative with a bookshelf, a divider, a rug or a vintage desk or piano. They are tasteful and will add culture and panache to an otherwise plain space.

Cooking and cleanliness.

Bathrooms and kitchens are the most analyzed spaces from a buyer’s point of view. Easy modifications include a coat of paint, new fixtures, lights and faucets will add new life to an existing clean but older space. For warm finishes, try a granite counter top or wood cabinets to enhance the value of your home.

First impressions last.

Is your yard and lawn well maintained? Make an effort to trim the grass. Easy do it yourself landscape projects are readily available at your local nursery. Go the extra mile, pull out weeds, sweep the driveway, and plant flowers.

Schools and Parks.

Have school district and recreational facilities information available for a buyer. Find out about the school’s test scores and keep a report and a leisure guide visible when a family is viewing your home. These two areas are amongst the most important factors that families look into when investing in property, according to this article in USA Today. (http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/04/28/24-7-home-features/2106203/)

These are just some of the steps you can take to improve the chances of getting your home sold fast. Ask me for advice about cost effective improvements you can make.

Are you ready to sell your Naperville house? Call me, Teresa Ryan at 630-276-7575. As a Naperville luxury real estate expert and Managing Broker/Owner of Ryan Hill Realty – www.RyanHillRealty.com, I have the experience and tools to help you sell your Naperville Luxury home.

Naperville Ladies, Stay Healthy With Better Sleep

Naperville Ladies, Stay Healthy With Better Sleep

Naperville ladies, are you getting enough sleep? Here are some important tips to get that much-needed rest you deserve.

It’s a fact that women, especially busy working mothers, deal with a lot of planning, stress, and sleep deprivation. From busy minds to waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall asleep again, your bad sleep patterns can cause many emotional and health issues.



SIGNS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION

If it only takes you 5 minutes or less to fall asleep at night, it means that you’re already sleep-deprived. It normally takes 10 to 15 minutes to fall asleep, meaning you are not too exhausted that you feel sleepy the entire day.

Other signs of sleep deprivation are fatigue, mood swings, and irritability.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP

If you are not getting at least 7 hours of sleep every night, you are at a higher risk for depression, metabolic, and cardiovascular disorders like high blood pressure and diabetes.

According to a study, 17 hours of sustained wakefulness during the day leads to a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood alcohol level of .05%.

AS WE AGE, SLEEP BECOMES DIFFICULT

As we grow older, our circadian clocks which control our sleep-wake cycle become less efficient, making it harder for older adults to fall asleep or stay asleep. They also have difficulty being alert during the day. Insomnia also becomes more common during menopause, which is another challenge for women.

GETTING QUALITY SLEEP IS IMPORTANT

Sleep quality is as important for physical and mental health as are food, water, and exercise. The most critical part of sleep is the first two hours after you fall asleep and the two hours before you wake up. Any noise during that time can be disruptive and compromise the quality of your sleep. Light can also be disruptive to your sleep cycle even if you don’t fully wake up. The light turns off a neutral switch in your brain and causes levels of an important sleep chemical to decrease within minutes.

So, how do you ‘switch off’ and get a full night’s sleep naturally? It only takes some simple lifestyle changes to make sure you put an end to those sleepless nights.

NATURAL WAYS TO SLEEP BETTER

• Simple lifestyle changes and healthy habits during the daytime can help Naperville women get better sleep.
• Avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and evening.
• Do not drink alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime.
• Get plenty of sunshine or bright light during the day, especially in the morning and early afternoon.
• Avoid exposure to bright light two hours before bedtime. Following the lines on a page acts as a sedative.
• Avoid watching TV or playing video games before bedtime as this stimulates brain activity.
• Take a warm bath or shower before bed to release internal body heat.
• A cooler room temperature or about 68 degrees is the ideal temperature for sleep.
• Sleep in a dark room. If you want to sleep with lights, avoid blue lights since they are the most alerting. Red lights are best to induce sleep.
• Go to sleep and wake up at a regular time everyday.

If you wake up in the middle of the night, avoid exposure to light.

Getting enough sleep and quality sleep are important to your health, especially if you’re a Naperville women with a dynamic, active, and busy lifestyle. A balanced diet and exercise is not enough if you are not alert during the day due to lack of sleep. They say health is wealth, and it starts with enough shut-eye and rest. Let’s get healthy, Naperville!

If you’re a Naperville homeowner who is looking for a change of residence, please do not hesitate to call me, Teresa Ryan at 630-276-7575. As a Naperville luxury real estate expert and Managing Broker/Owner of Ryan Hill Realty – www.RyanHillRealty.com, I have the experience and tools to help you sell your Naperville Luxury home.

A Private Gym In Naperville For Overweight Women And Men

A Private Gym In Naperville For Overweight Women And Men

There is a gym in Naperville where membership is reserved for people who are at least 50 pounds overweight and are shy about attending a regular gym. It is private, specialized, customized and fun.

Downsize Fitness specifically meets the needs of people who really need customized fitness plans as well as a feeling of comfort to help them meet their weight loss goals in a healthy way – both, mentally and physically.

“Our trainers are focused on being supportive coaches instead of demanding drill sergeants, and workouts that can be tailored to any level of endurance, flexibility, and strength,” said Downsize Fitness Naperville’s General Manager, Jillian McAfee.

Kishan Shah, CEO of Downsize Fitness, says the gym is filling the need to empower more obese and overweight Naperville women and men to go to the gym and lose weight, and the company is hoping to open many more similar fitness centers focused on weight loss across the United States in the next few years.

Downsize Fitness put up a location in Naperville because most of their clients in their Chicago gym live in the suburbs and since Downsize Fitness’ founder, Francis Wisniewski was a Naperville resident for about 10 years, it was ideal.

“We design our exercise classes so everyone can do them,” says McAfee. “We make it fun because otherwise people wouldn’t come back.”

“There’s this magic of giving the member a fantastic workout that helps them lose fat and build muscle, but also provides a level of safety and comfort where you’re not going to get hurt,” said Shah, who had lost 200 pounds himself over seven years through diet and exercise. “The secret is the support community and empowerment we give our members. We understand it’s a difficult journey. Seventy-five percent of our staff have weight loss transformations themselves.”

The weight loss-focused strength and conditioning routines offered at Downsize Fitness cannot be found anywhere else. Classes offer functional training with exercise balls, free weights, resistance bands, and kettlebells.

The most popular classes among Naperville women in the Downsize Fitness gym are circuit training and cardio dance.

Downsize keeps class sizes small so trainers can closely monitor each client and give advice on proper techniques to ensure safety and optimal calorie burn.

Clients worked out through classes with alternating smiles and giggles, comfortably chatting about movies and other things in between sets of exercises.

Downsize Fitness’ Naperville gym client base is comprised of mostly women so far, but three men have also joined.

Privacy is not an issue at Downsize Fitness because the storefront has frosted windows and only a small sign to let Downsize Fitness clients know they arrived at the right place.

Many Naperville women who regularly go to Downsize Fitness have lost 10 to 20 lbs in 4 to 6 weeks of classes.

The hours Naperville women spend in the gym is guaranteed to help improve their health, whether they are dancing to cardio routines, doing modified jumping jacks, or laughing with their peers.

Downsize Fitness, launched two years ago in Chicago, calls itself  “the world’s first overweight-only gym.”

“But if and when clients succeed at their weight-loss goals, they’re welcome to remain members. We actually hope they stay on and act as mentors,” McAfee said. “It’s extremely motivating for new clients to see what they've accomplished.”

If you want to get more of the latest updates in Naperville women’s health and lifestyle, visit www.NapervilleHomesandLifestyle.com.

Are you ready to buy or sell a home in Naperville? Call me, Teresa Ryan at 630-276-7575. As a Naperville luxury real estate expert and Broker/Owner of Ryan Hill Realty – www.RyanHillRealty.com, I have the experience and tools to help you sell your Naperville Luxury home.

How Fannie Mae Could Boost the Value of Naperville Homes for Sale in 2015

How Fannie Mae Could Boost the Value of Naperville Homes for Sale in 2015

The real estate market could get an early kick start in 2015, thanks to Fannie Mae’s new guidelines on getting a mortgage.

Is it difficult to get a mortgage?

If you want to buy a home for sale in Naperville and have a good credit score, low debt, a well-paying job and are able to afford the 20% down payment, then it’s not really hard to get a mortgage. However, for hopeful borrowers without these credentials, it’s a bit more difficult, unless they want to pay for an expensive FHA loan.

In the past couple of years, the average credit score of an approved borrower for conventional loans was 754, which was already a drop from its peak of 764 in 2012 (but still considered a good credit score). This is not the case for most borrowers who went through a financial crisis when the economy crashed a few years ago.

The average credit score of a rejected mortgage applicant was 723, also considered a fairly good credit score. So why were the “fairly good” borrowers getting rejected?

Lenders were careful and set strict lending policies to lessen delinquencies, especially after the impact of the financial crisis.  Lending guidelines were also unclear as the market recovered, which did not help.  

However, with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s new guidelines in place, banks and other lenders now know exactly when they should approve and reject a loan.

Less strict guidelines for getting a mortgage

According to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s new guidelines, the new credit score minimum is 620 and a minimum down payment of 3% to 5% is acceptable.

However, there are a few drawbacks to this situation. Where borrowers have lower credit scores and lower down payments, buyers can expect an increase in home prices.

Buyers with a lower credit score and a low down payment of 3% can expect higher mortgage interest rates and higher mortgage insurance premiums.

What is the impact on values of Naperville homes for sale?

Lower credit scores and lower down payments which make mortgage loans easily available to homebuyers could have a pretty big impact on the Naperville housing market.

According to the Urban Institute, we could see an additional 1.2 million mortgage loans per year if mortgage availability stays at this level.

The new mortgage guidelines in place could increase homebuying to more than 20% in 2015.

This is good news for homeowners looking to sell their Naperville Il homes, as a 20% increase in potential buyers could mean an increase in market activity, more bids for homes, thereby pushing up home prices and faster sales.

How this benefits home buyers

Homebuyers who wanted to buy a Naperville Subdivision home for sale in the past but had trouble with the mortgage guidelines, can now get easier access to mortgage loans since lenders have clearer guidelines on what qualifies a borrower for a loan.

This clarity in mortgage guidelines is also a step forward in the recovery of the housing market by returning it to normal levels of accessibility for homebuyers and making it beneficial for both buyers and sellers of Naperville homes.

Check out www.RyanHillRealty.com for tips on selling homes in Naperville.

If you are ready to sell your Naperville Homes For Sale call me, Teresa Ryan at 630-276-7575.  As a Naperville luxury real estate expert and Managing Broker/Owner of Ryan Hill Realty, I have the experience and tools to help you sell your Naperville Luxury home.