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How Safe Is It To Hire A Cleaning Service During COVID-19?

It seems natural to respond out of caution by locking things down during the crisis, but the experts from governments to media to the doctors have been saying “BE CLEAN” and if you use a  responsible house cleaning service it may actually help improve the home’s health.

Hygiene-Cleanliness-Sanitation…more important than ever before!

We are living by so many guidelines that basically discourage us from inviting people into our homes and this is the dilemma when deciding whether or not to bring a cleaner inside your home.

Of course we all want to prevent the virus from spreading by practicing all the health protocols, but disallowing a cleaner into your home is denying them the importance task of keeping your home clean. Now you have a Catch 22 situation.

At Maid in America you’ll have peace of mind knowing that we have trained to ensure every precaution is taken to provide our essential service responsibly and safely! This far outweighs the reasons NOT to hire a cleaner.

Since April 2020 cleaning services have been deemed essential!

When the original ‘Stay At Home Order’ was lifted it was replaced by the new guidance of economic recovery for championing health as well as physical distancing. Our Governor of Georgia aligned with the specifications laid out by the CDC and the White House.

There were health guidelines for businesses and customers with guidance that allowed for the partial resumption of operations. Many off these services, such as gyms, spas, and pools are actually far more invasive than inviting a cleaner into your house.

Still not convinced?  Read on…

Here is why hiring a cleaning is more important than ever before:

1. Responsible-Safe-ProfessionalA cleaner offers a professional service and one that is critical in a time when it is particularly important to keep a hygienic environment for your family or the workers at your office. In a nutshell, an illness that affects most of the world and thrives off an unhygienic environment isn’t the time to be lax or skimp on keeping your home clean. While you might feel that you are perfectly capable of properly cleaning your home yourself, can you really do a better job than an experienced, trained professional?
2. Take a breakAren’t we all exhausted? Of course you and I are just as everybody else because it is affecting so many aspects of life. So, why go through extra stress? Hiring a cleaner is one less thing on your plate.  Now, you will have more time to do the more important things in life that are fun and pleasurable, while having one less task on your list that is already long enough!

   Ahh… now you and your families health will be benefiting, plus you will sleep better knowing that your pro-activity will ensure the safety and well-being of those you love.

3.  Your contribution to society mattersAs a responsible citizen, you can rest easy knowing that you are playing your role in fighting the spread of the virus.

   When we become more serious about our role in maintaining high levels of hygiene, the quicker the virus can be eliminated. All of us would like to put COVID-19 behind us as quickly as possible. This is definitely not the time for cutting corners with cleanliness.

   One person, one household CAN make a difference!  This is a collective effort by all of us to stomp this virus. While we have been advised to distance ourselves and stay indoors to beat the virus it is equally important to keep cleaners working to ensure professional hygiene levels. This is just as important as social distancing or isolating.

4. Stop the spread of fear and pandemonium by letting common sense and responsible actions leadIt can be argued that you have given into the fear of the pandemic by cancelling your cleaning service. While people’s lives all over the world were forced to change drastically in 2020, hiding away in fear isn’t the solution. Don’t let fear and panic derail you from making a sensible decision.
5. Social DistancingJust because you are welcoming a cleaner in your home does not automatically mean that you no longer have to practice social distancing. The simple fact is that you ARE social distancing anyway once you leave your house if you are a responsible citizen.

   Whenever the UPS comes to your door with a package, or when you run essential errands like going to the local grocery store, you should keep at least 6 feet away from other people. You should keep enforcing the same rules with the cleaner, too.  In fact, Maid in America will ask you to be in another room if you are home during the cleaning just to be extra safe.

6. COVID-19 PrecautionsAcross the world, businesses and professionals are being forced to adapt to the crisis. That means that professional standards are being enforced by companies along with their staff that continue to interact with customers.  We are no exception and we take it seriously!

   Responsible, professional cleaning services will ensure that personal protective equipment is worn whenever a staff member is sent into somebody’s home. The cleaners will be wearing gloves and masks to add an additional layer of protection.

   The cleaning staff are also trained on how to clean your house professionally without risking infection or spreading it, keeping everything at a maximum level of sanitation, and reducing the risk to you and your family.

7. Support your local businesses…RESPONSIBLYCOVID-19 has brought about uncertain times across the globe. Worries of job losses and income – especially  those in the domestic service industry.

   Whenever possible, please consider playing your role in supporting local businesses. Retaining the services provided by a cleaner is a great way to do this.

8. You are at home moreThis means that you and your family have been using the house more. The kids have been home-schooled and you likely have been working from home. This alone is a good enough reason to ensure that you are on top of things with regards to getting your home professionally cleaned.
9. Now that you are home more you can start ‘De-Cluttering’projects”Although this is a great time for de-cluttering it can create several hygiene issues. Stirring the dust on the long-forgotten clutter is a real issue not to mention extra trash which can be gross!  Now is the perfect time for a professional cleaner to clean up behind you.
10. Professional ProductsA professional cleaning company typically uses commercial-grade, heavy-duty cleaning products that you may not have access to.  They most likely have disinfectants that are EPA registered.

    Maid in America has made sure to use the same botanical disinfectant that we have always used AND we are proud to say that it is on the EPA’s list!

 

BOTTOM LINE…. YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF WHO COMES IN YOUR SPACE BUT HERE ARE SOME HEALTHY TIPS FOR YOU TO DO JUST THAT…

Wear your masks whenever the cleaner is inside your home doing their job.

Make sure that hand sanitizer is always available.

Instruct other members of your household to stay out of the way. You want to ensure that the cleaner can do their job effectively. Ensure that you, your children, and any pets are somewhere else while they clean.

Manage your household to minimize the risk to both you and the cleaner. It will mean that the job is done better, faster, and everybody will have peace of mind during this worrying time.

Get Hiring

The key reasons for hiring a cleaner during the COVID-19 crisis should be clear: to keep your home hygienic, sterilized, and sanitized, and spotless.  Then of course, you have the benefit of enjoying more TIME to do the things you enjoy.

By our Preferred Vendor, Vicki Bates with Maid in America

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5 Multifamily Trends to Watch in 2021

The pandemic changed virtually every aspect of life for Americans, including how we shop, the ways our children learn, where we do our work, and — in many cases — our living conditions. The multifamily real estate investment market has also changed substantially since this time one year ago, but some ownership tenets remain, such as the opportunities in value-add properties, the importance of finding the right location, and a focus on supplying tenants what they want in terms of amenities and living space.

“Now is still a great time to buy a multifamily property,” said Nicholas Zolotas, a Realtor at Herrick Lutts Realty Partners in Beverly, Massachusetts. “Each deal has to be taken on a case-by-case basis, but with interest rates being so low and rental demand climbing, even with rising prices you can still achieve a good return.”

As always, he said, purchasing value-add properties where you can renovate to enhance returns is one key path to profitability. But the increased focus on value-add deals is just one of several trends that experts discussed with LoopNet.

Value-Add Properties Provide the Most Opportunities

Unlike the retail sector, which continues to struggle, multifamily commercial properties remain a solid investment, experts said.

“Multifamily [value-add] is the only [sector] I feel confident about right now,” said Cyrus Vaghar of Coldwell-Banker Real Estate in Newton, Massachusetts. “Many developers looking to do mixed-use projects have simply axed the retail on the first floor and are now simply making their buildout a [solely residential] development.”

Most agree that the greatest profit potential exists in value-add buildings, particularly in secondary markets.

“We’ve netted fantastic returns for our investors with our strategy of buying value-add properties in burgeoning secondary markets,” said Lexi Rich, marketing director for Lloyd Jones, LLC, a multifamily and senior living investment and management firm in Miami. “We certainly don’t see this sector of multifamily investment going away any time soon.”

Even in areas where rents have plummeted or stagnated, investors who can spruce up a building with well-chosen renovations, such as an updated kitchen with new appliances and finishes or outdoor living space, can draw in tenants quickly and turn a profit.

“Each deal and each market is different,” Rich said. “Generally, we target an ROI of 20% or higher when deciding which value-add initiatives to implement, and then charge a rent premium accordingly once those upgrades are complete.”

She added, “Sometimes, the market calls for a major upgrade package that includes new flooring and quartz countertops, but in other situations, more nuanced upgrades like new cabinet hardware or adding a tile backsplash can make a big difference to refresh a unit and bring in new renters.”

Experts also noted that forward-thinking investors should overhaul properties with the potential for future condo conversions in mind. If you’re investing in Class-B value-add properties, consider upgrades that would permit a profitable sale in the future, said Michelle Mumoli, a broker for Jersey City, New Jersey-based Triplemint, a firm specializing in multifamily and residential new development properties across the state.

She suggested upgrades that can make the units self-sustaining and practical for future condo sales, giving residents greater privacy and more autonomy over their living space.

“Investors should consider gut renovations that may include creating better floor plans, and providing in-unit washer/dryers and tankless water heaters,” she said.

Buildings with Six to 10 Units Represent Great Opportunities

Several sources suggested that larger buildings (more than four units) may carry greater profits, especially if President Biden introduces tax legislation that rewards environmentally friendly multifamily dwellings. In addition, Biden’s proposed housing regulation changes include reducing or eliminating exclusionary zoning policies, which could put more multi-dwelling units (MDUs) in suburban and rural areas.

“For bigger developers and groups, we’re recommending [buildings with] six- to 10-family units,” said Mumoli. “We’re heading to what once were rural areas with proximity to transportation and, with developers, creating services for future residents. There are great opportunities happening right now.”

Vaghar cited one developer who applied for permitting to expand the footprint of a property by connecting two side-by-side multifamily dwellings and adding 10 new units. “Before the pandemic and with high rents, the financial incentives to do so would not have been there,” Vaghar said.

“As you get above four units, you enter in the commercial loan market where rates are still sub-4% in a lot of places.,” Zolotas noted. “You also have some banks getting creative and giving 35-year amortization, which allows a property to cash-flow well, even with the climbing property prices.”

Renters Seek Dedicated Spaces for Indoor and Outdoor Living

Before putting money into upgrades, look at renovations with an eye on post-pandemic living. Consider what elements of everyday life will change once COVID-19 vaccinations achieve widespread distribution and we operate in a “new normal,” along with the type of amenities tenants want now.

In December 2020, 41.8% of the U.S. workforce continued to work remotely, according to a recent study from online work marketplace Upwork. The same study found that 22% of the American workforce will be full-time remote in 2025, representing an 87% increase from pre-pandemic numbers.

“Tenants need to be able to live and work in their homes, with a dedicated space for their work and schooling, as well as outdoor space that is private,” said Mumoli.

For instance, a study from the National Association of Home Builders found that 80% of homebuyers listed a backyard patio as “essential” in a new home. Renters today want similar amenities, especially as people may put off buying their first home in favor of renting until the economic uncertainty of the pandemic levels out.

Dedicated home office space is also a selling point, but desk nooks in the living room, kitchen or dining area can also provide the flexibility today’s mobile workforce needs. Hard-wired ethernet lines can help ensure solid internet connections for video conferencing or distance learning.

Tenants Prioritize Privacy and Personalization More Than Ever

Pre-pandemic, millennial renters sought out community spaces where they could create bonds with their neighbors. Now, people have started seeking out privacy and have formed their own pods built not by proximity, but by shared ideals for safety and risk tolerance surrounding the virus. In other words, people are choosing to spend time with people they trust and who are being as cautious as they are about COVID-19.

With this in mind, today’s tenants seek private entrances with outdoor access to and from their apartment and in-unit amenities such as laundry service and high-speed WiFi.

“Prior to the pandemic, residents prioritized first-class amenities, fitness centers, and resort-style pools,” Rich said. “After doing research into residents’ new desires, we’ve pivoted to prioritizing the interiors of our apartments. Residents want more space … and a more spacious kitchen as they’re cooking more meals at home.”

She further emphasized that amenities should focus on convenience for the way we live today. For instance, a package locker room for deliveries would best serve the needs of tenants now and post-pandemic, as digital shopping and grocery deliveries have become a new part of life.

“It would be wise for companies to invest in a refrigerated package locker section for residents who receive meal delivery kits or groceries through Instacart or Amazon Fresh,” Rich added.

The Urban Exodus Will Continue, But Big Cities Won’t Die

Most investors we spoke with agreed that an urban exodus is still in full force. “The longer the pandemic continues, the less confidence I have in people wanting to move back to the city in the short-to-medium term,” said Vaghar, who operates primarily within Boston and the surrounding suburbs.

Mumoli agreed that most residents who left major cities and now work remotely won’t return to commuting, but believes the country’s biggest cities will always thrive on a new influx of residents. “A new surge of people will move in, where previously it was unaffordable for them. Life in cities will be different, but it will come back,” she said.

As renters leave top-tier coastal cities like New York, Boston, and areas of Northern and Southern California, they are flocking to the regions such as the Sunbelt, experts say.

“Especially as more companies from the Northeast U.S. and California announce plans to move their headquarters to these Southern states, we’re focused on multifamily properties in suburban markets in the Sunbelt,” Rich explained. “Florida and Texas are attractive due to their agreeable climates, tax benefits for businesses, and generally lower cost of living compared to New York and California.” She noted that Houston, along with the Florida cities of Jacksonville, Orlando, and Daytona Beach, will also “be getting a lot of play this year.”

As multifamily investors prepare for a new era of post-pandemic rentals, lifestyle changes introduced as a result of COVID-19 will continue to affect building amenities, floor plans, and even what renters consider prime locations for quite some time.

Thank you www.loopnet.com for this article. For the whole article, Click Here.

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Hybrid Work is Coming: Key Terms and Concepts You Need to Know

Vaccinations are going into arms every day and more schools are meeting in person for at least a few days a week. This momentum has enabled some employees to visit their offices and literally dust the cobwebs off their workstations.

The work-from-home dynamic, which scaled up significantly in 2020, has turned out to be technically feasible for most, but many believe that it is not an equal substitute for face-to-face interaction in an office environment. According to Mia Marshall, a principal with architecture firm MZA based in Seattle, “the face-to-face component is critical for informal interaction and taking relationships to a different level.”

Companies recognize that in-person workplaces are still critical to maintaining company culture, innovation, employee onboarding, training and much more. But as communities slowly reopen, the looming question for office-based business owners is not ‘do my employees need to return to the office?’ but rather ‘how often do my employees need to work from the office?’

LoopNet compiled a list of key terms and concepts to help business owners determine if it makes sense for their enterprise to adopt a remote work policy and, if so, what it might look like.

Hybrid and Flexible Work

These terms are often used interchangeably, but generally hybrid work models emphasize the physical locations in which employees labor, while flexible work policies mostly refer to how an employee organizes their workday or week.

Hybrid work. Hybrid work, or the hybrid work model, establishes some balance between working in the office and working from a remote location. Each employer will need to figure out how many and which days each week, month or quarter employees will need to be in the office. “I think there is definitely no one size fits all. I think every company is going to be different. [Decisions will be based on each] individual, their role, [and] what their job position within the company is,” said Marshall. Each hybrid work model will vary by task and department, time of year, urgency of deadlines, stage of a project, etc.

Flexible work. This term is sometimes used as a substitute for hybrid work, implying that employees have latitude to work from a variety of locations. However, in practice, flexible work policies in most employee handbooks tend to give employees options relating to the number of hours they will work each day or week (e.g., four 10-hour days or five eight-hour days, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.). In some cases, flexible work policies also cover the locations from which employees will work, but the point is that these are two distinct considerations, each of which needs to be addressed.

Remote Work, Work From Home and Distributed Work

These terms are sometimes used interchangeably but there are nuances to each. Understanding those nuances upfront may help employers be intentional about the parameters they set for their hybrid work policy, ensuring that it makes sense for their workflow and culture.

Remote work. This term has been used for decades and generally means working from anywhere that is not an assigned company office. Today, remote work means that an individual can work from any location with a Wi-Fi connection (e.g., an airport, a coffee shop or their mother-in-law’s house) as long as they can access company networks, communicate with clients and colleagues, and be productive relative to the work that needs to be done.

Each company defines remote work in its own way. For example, a company with a headquarters location and several suburban or nationwide locations may say that an employee working outside of their assigned office is working remotely.

Work from home (WFH). On the surface this seems clear, but this definition varies. For some employers it means literally working from home from a designated workspace where computer monitors, and other necessary equipment are set up. Others use WFH as a substitute for remote work, but in essence it is a subset of remote work and employers will need to determine if their hybrid model will confine employees to their desks at home, i.e., literally working from home, or if it will give them the latitude to work from any non-office location.

“Are you at your highest and best use sitting at your home office where you can kill it and get all your work done or are you highly productive in the office,” posited Marshall. “It all comes down to where you do your best work,” she said.

Distributed work. According to a CoreNet study, distributed work means physically separated workplaces from which businesses can continue to operate. In practice, this model typically features a headquarters location with most employees working from home. In a regional setting, employees may be just a car ride away from one another; in a national setting they may likely be scattered, needing to fly to gather with colleagues. The model enables companies to reduce real estate costs because they lease very little office space. It also allows companies to reduce overall salary expenses due to lower salary requirements in secondary and tertiary markets.

However, with distributed work “you basically have no hub, or home base to be your center of culture [or place where] you’re managing your brand and culture,” said Marshall. Employees can gather for retreats and team-building sessions “but you don’t have the same brand and cultural development in a conference room in a hotel that you have at the headquarters office,” she noted. “And while, you might save on some real estate, your travel expenses [may] skyrocket.”

The Hub and Spoke Model

This is a term believed to have originated in the airline industry to describe groupings of one large and many small airports for purposes of routing air traffic. In the office sector, the concept has been adapted to convey the idea of a centrally situated headquarters in a central business district (CBD) that is supplemented by various smaller offices and workplaces in suburban locations.

This notion existed in real estate decades before the COVID-19 pandemic, as employers worked to balance elements such as client engagement, employee productivity, commute times and real estate costs. The concept is remerging with vigor as companies focus on creating post-pandemic real estate footprints that will optimize their version of the hybrid work model.

In the model, the headquarters office (or hub) is in a geographically central location and serves as a place for meeting with company leadership, to collaborate with team members, work on critical projects and have challenging conversations — all things that seem to work best in face-to-face settings. “Spoke” locations are generally smaller facilities, such as satellite offices, coworking or executive suite spaces, hotel lobbies, coffee shops and employee homes.

The Third Place

The third place is a term that can be applied in various contexts. With the hub and spoke model, the third place means a location that is neither one’s home nor office. Examples include a coffee shop, a coworking facility or even a company office other than the employee’s designated location. The “third place will always be the next step; it’s not your home, it’s not your office, it’s something in between. This concept was prevalent prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will become mainstream, more than ever, across many industries,” Marshall said.

Coworking spaces are often mentioned as a type of third space for employees. Marshall said these spaces can be secured in various parts of a region for employees to meet as teams or to provide a change of scenery — and boost in productivity — for an individual worker.

Relative to an office building, third places include shared locations or common areas in buildings like a lobby, lounge area or coffee/sandwhich shop. Inside an office suite, this space can be a quiet room meant to serve as an escape from a desk in an open-plan office, the office kitchen or meeting areas. These are all places that, if properly designed, can be offered as “touchdown” spots for individuals that work from the office occasionally.

Desks, Offices, Collaboration Rooms and Scheduling Apps

Once decisions are made about the real estate “footprint” or the combination of locations and types of facilities that fit the needs of an employer, decisions need to be made about which buildings employees will have access to, when they will be able to work there, what types of workstations will be provided and where each employee will land when they arrive. These are granular decisions that will need to be made in concert with the remote work policy of each company. The following are terms that will arise in the course of making those determinations.

Assigned and Unassigned Desks. For the hybrid work model to be cost-optimized by employers, Marshall said “you have to fill the real estate all the time. I mean, who wants real estate that’s not being utilized?” This means the days of assigned desks may be over and “desk sharing will be happening more and more,” she added. Other terms for unassigned office seating include free address, hot desk, hoteling and “touchdown” space.”

Private Offices. Private offices will continue to exist in a hybrid work model, mostly for C-suite positions. But Marshall said they will do double and possibly triple duty. Individuals assigned offices may be sharing them with another senior employee, and, if neither of them is using it, the private office may be used as a conference room.

Conference, Huddle and Collaborative Rooms. These spaces where multiple people will gather inside the office are considered the heart of the hybrid work model. “Collaboration space is going to grow substantially,” said Marshall. She indicated that roughly half of the space in an office suite could become collaborative workspace. There will be “larger meeting rooms with moving walls that can open up and flex into much larger space and really can expand and contract.” These rooms will be designed to accommodate two or more people with tables, chairs, extensive audiovisual features and robust soundproofing.

Scheduling Apps. Marshall noted that scheduling apps will be a critical part of the hybrid work model. “There’s going to be a reservation process where you can see, ‘this is the space that’s available on Tuesday between two and four o’clock, I’m going to grab it.’” These scheduling apps are often partnered with sensors attached to workstations, offices and conference rooms. Vivid floorplans show the location, size and capacity of work areas and indicate when each is available or booked and by whom.

 

Thank you www.loopnet.com for this article. For the whole article, Click Here.

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Upwork Study Finds 22% of American Workforce Will Be Remote by 2025

Growing acceptance of remote work amid the pandemic will create increasingly distributed and flexible teams in 2021 and beyond

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – December 15, 2020 – Upwork, the world’s largest work marketplace, today released the results of its second 2020 Future Workforce Pulse Report, a survey that examines the hiring habits and sentiment of over 1,000 U.S. hiring managers. The findings reveal that by 2025, 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely, an 87% percent increase from pre-pandemic levels.

“Our research shows the long-lasting impact that remote work and COVID-19 are likely to have on how hiring managers think about their organizations,” says Upwork Chief Economist, Adam Ozimek. “As businesses adapt and learn from this remote work experiment, many are altering their long term plans to accommodate this way of working. On work marketplaces like Upwork, we can already see this shift underway with increased demand for remote professionals.”

The survey comes at a time when remote work is increasingly a mainstay of American professional life, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the sudden shift to remote work has been an adjustment, the survey finds hiring managers are seeing the positive benefits to a distributed workforce and plan to continue leveraging remote talent. For additional results visit the full survey page here and to view analysis by Upwork’s Chief Economist Adam Ozimek, read his report here.

Thank you www.upwork.com for this article. For the whole article, Click Here.

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Mortgage Rates Reverse Course, Dropping For First Time In 2 Months

After 7 weeks of consecutive increases in mortgage rates, Freddie Mac’s most recent survey shows a decrease, giving borrowers the chance to refinance Mortgage rates reverse course, dropping for first time in 2 months BY KELSEY RAMÍREZ Today 7:53 A.M.

Mortgage interest rates dropped for the first time after nearly two months of upward momentum, giving some borrowers who haven’t yet done so the opportunity to refinance.

The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage dropped to 3.13 percent for the week ending Apr. 8, 2021, according to the latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey from Freddie Mac. This is down five basis points from 3.18 percent last week, and down from 3.33 percent last year.

“After moving up for seven consecutive weeks, mortgage rates have dropped due to the recent, modest decline of U.S. Treasury yields,” Freddie Mac Chief Economist Sam Khater said in a statement. “As the economy recovers, it should experience a strong rebound in the labor market. Combined, these positive signals will continue to bolster purchase demand. The drop in rates creates yet another opportunity for those who have not refinanced to take a look at the possibility.”

The average rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage also dropped from 2.45 percent last week to 2.42 percent. This is down from 2.77 percent last year.

On the other hand, the five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage increased to 2.92 percent, up from 2.84 percent. This was still down from last year, when it averaged 3.4 percent.
Over the past seven weeks, interest rates have continued to rise consistently. This rise in rates slowed housing market activity and mortgage applications dropped as rates went higher. In fact, refinance applications dropped 5 percent from the previous week and 20 percent from last year in the Mortgage Bankers Association’s most recent report.

However, some experts also hoped that these rising rates would cool rapidly rising home prices, which are currently growing at their fastest rate since 2006. And while rates are still expected to continue rising throughout 2021, this week’s drop could give the housing market another boost in activity.

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State of Commercial Lending……

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Connecting with Nature: Tips on achieving Biophilic Design….

The trend of “biophilic” design which is connecting to nature thru design is being incorporated in more homes in order to create more flow between indoors and outdoors with expanded living spaces. One of the places Tish Mills takes her initial cues from for a project, especially a ground-up, is from the surroundings, views, and nature.  It doesn’t matter if the house is contemporary or traditional.

What’s the best way to Bring Nature Indoors? 

Utilize the site and surroundings to pick up on color palettes, not just the greenery. There could be interesting tree bark, mushroom, the color of the dirt, that gives you a feeling for elements to bring into space.

Lighting is another area. Sometimes it’s the way it reflects on the property.  She did an entire space in Napa Valley based on the beautiful sunsets.  Windows, Slider, and French doors all can bring indoor/outdoor spaces together.

Textures are another great influencer that reminds me of a project in Sedona, AZ, and the beautiful red mountains that surround the area with the heavy rock formations.   Using stone and other natural materials can give an environment a grounded feeling.  The way that a stone can feel on bare feet makes an instant connection to nature.

And finally, climate.  For a beach house, she doesn’t use heavy materials given the light nature of the surroundings and the typical temperatures.  Fabrics need to breathe.

And with everyone staying at home, what kinds of things are you doing to extend outdoor living spaces?

This area is on fire right now.  “Pools are the new black” everyone has to have one.   Seriously, pool areas, walking trails on properties with destinations like benches at prime viewing have been a common request. Outdoor televisions on porches and near pools are another.  We had a client make sure their front yard could be used for Lacrosse practice if need be.  People are using every inch of their property since we’ve all spent so much time at home.

What’s new in outdoor living areas?

Comfortable seating areas are at a new level.  Thank goodness outdoor and performance fabrics have developed and been elevated to a new level with a plethora of colors, patterns, weights over the past few years.  We really can make an outdoor porch act like a living room at this point.  I also love the motorized retractable screens and Infratech heaters which can turn outdoor porches into year-round spaces regardless of what part of the country.    And the outdoor kitchens have been a thing for quite a while, but with ventilation now the outdoor kitchens can be much more inclusive and even include the drop-in countertop burners for cooktop burners in addition to grilling spaces.

Here is to nature!

Tish Mills Kirk of Tish Mills Interiors, a preferred vendor of The Meridian Real Estate Group, is an award-winning interior designer who has been working with clients in their homes for more than two decades. She believes that it is essential to put together a cohesive plan for your home renovation before you get started that can be carried out by the team of experts you assemble. www.harmoniousliving.net

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How House Floor Plans Help In Selling Homes

A real estate floor plan is a powerful tool that can make your property stand out, appeal to buyers, and give you an extra competitive edge. So, what makes the floor plan so powerful? A floor plan accurately expresses what the house has to offer. Real estate photos are great, but they are not enough. Homebuyers need a way to really understand a home beyond the photos, and a real estate floor plan can do that.

Some statistics that point out the importance of floor plans in real estate:

• Adding a floor plan to a real estate listing can increase click-throughs from buyers by 52% (Rightmove)
• According to Zillow, the floor plan is the 2nd most important feature on a listing and correlates highly with capturing potential leads
• Research done by Rightmove showed that properties marketed with a floor plan created 30% more interest than properties without one.

Types of House Floor Plans

There are two types of floor plans: 2D floor plans and 3D floor plans.

• 2D plans

2D plan is a flat layout that does not show the depth or height of objects, but it can communicate the technical side of the project, show the structure of the house clearly, and display the measurements of each room and the surface areas.

• 3D Plans

A 3D plan shows the floor layout in 3D. 3D floor plans make it very easy to understand the size and layout of spaces. It effectively communicates the house design vision to the home buyer, provides a very clear understanding of the overall project, and shows a fully furnished project to visualize each room’s actual size.

Advantages of Floor Plans In House Sales

• Saves time

Before people buy a house, they spend a considerable amount of time researching listings, making an appointment for a property visit, and then traveling to see the property in person. If they don’t like the house layout, they just end up wasting their time, money, and effort.

If there is a floor plan along with your listing, potential buyers will get to check the layout before making a showing appointment. This ensures that their time, as well as yours, is not wasted.

• Keeps buyers engaged

When you provide a floor plan in your listing, potential buyers can visualize the house. A floor plan increases the buyer’s interest, making them more likely to book a showing appointment.

• Provides an overview of the house layout

Real estate photos help sell a lifestyle by giving potential buyers the feel of the house, but they fail to portray how all the rooms in the house flow together. A floor plan allows the buyers to understand the house layout and how all the rooms in the house come together to become whole.

• Helps recall the house layout

Most people forget the rooms or tend to overlook a portion of the house. But when you show the house in full on the floor plan, the potential buyer will get to see the whole house and its details, thus adding a perceived value.

• Helps visualize spaces

Without floor plans, potential buyers will not be able to visualize the spatial arrangement and sizing of the home. If your listing is featured without a floor plan, many buyers are more likely to skip the listing.

• Helps determine floor area easily

When the listing is with a floor plan, it becomes easy for the buyers to determine the property’s size and floor area. This will help the potential buyer determine whether the property is good value for money or not.

• Highlights the best features of the property

If the yard is the big selling feature of the house, it needs to be on the floor plan. Whether it’s the pool, shed, entertaining area, or additional parking, adding this feature to the floor plan gives the buyers a better scope of the property and helps them focus on the features you want to highlight.

 

Author Bio:  

Rahul Agarwal is the Co-founder & Chief Business Officer at Styldod, where he has taught a computer to do interior design! Styldod provides the most hassle-free & inexpensive virtual staging solutions and other 3D rendering services for real estate agents so they can sell their listings faster, and for higher prices. Rahul was also a co-founder of Mebelkart (which is acquired by Ask Me). He’s your everyday IIT Kanpur nerd who pushes the boundaries with his innovative entrepreneurial stints and is also a sound startup investor & advisor. Rahul attributes his success as a professional to the discipline he has learned from his district hockey days, being a swimmer and a gym enthusiast.

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Soaring Lumber Costs Cause Spike in Home Prices

 

Thank you www.chronicleonline.com for this article. For the whole article, Click Here.

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Commercial Real Estate 2021: It’s All About the Recovery

The US economic outlook is improving as the number of coronavirus cases continues to decline and with the recently passed $1.9 trillion stimulus bill dubbed the American Rescue Plan. As vaccinations continue to be distributed around the country, economic growth is now projected to reach 7%, which would be the fastest rate in nearly forty years.

Locally the Atlanta commercial real estate market continues to rebound with the Industrial, Office, and Multi-Family sectors all performing well compared to other major US metros. The Retail sector, while showing signs of slight improvement, continues to face many challenges in the months ahead. Let’s take a closer look at the 4 major sectors of the Atlanta commercial real estate market.   

 

 

Industrial

Atlanta’s industrial sector has buoyed the local economy for the entirety of the pandemic. Boosted by increased demand for e-commerce goods, warehouse space and distribution centers have seen high during the last year. 

Vacancy rates continue to hold steady for mid-size properties and have dropped significantly for both small properties (under 25,000 square feet) and larger spaces (over 200,000 square feet). Industrial developers are all in on the push to add new square footage to the market with over 8 million square feet already breaking ground in 2021 with nearly all of the projects being speculative in nature.  

 

Retail

Atlanta retail finished 2020 with a negative net absorption rate for the first time in over a decade. Retailers remain extremely cautious when it comes to committing to long-term lease agreements and renewals. Vacancies are expected to continue to rise in the coming months as more nationwide chains close locations. 

As leasing activity continues to slow to a crawl the specter of foreclosures and distress sales looms in the not too distant future. The deeds of both Town Center at Cobb and North Point Mall were both transferred to their lenders in early 2021.

 

Office

The Atlanta Office market has proven resilient during the pandemic. While growth has understandably slowed, lease terms have not been significantly shorter than pre-pandemic levels. The average lease term is holding strong at 3.3 years.

While the office market is holding steady the rest of 2021 will be key in projecting the long term affects the pandemic will have on the office market as a whole. There has been a massive shift towards working from home, suburban office locales, and flexible lease agreements but it remains to be seen if these trends will be permanent in nature.

 

Multi-Family

Atlanta’s Multi-Family market continues to perform well in 2021 a trend that has persisted since the middle of 2020. Rents are rising aided by the improving economic outlook and a slow supply pipeline. While most of the positive performance has been in the southern suburbs, even urban Atlanta and the northern suburbs are showing signs of steady recovery.

The long-term outlook for the multi-family market in Atlanta will be tethered to the demand for office space, so while all of the immediate signs are in the positive direction there is still much uncertainty in the long-term. As with the office market, the rest of 2021 should help to answer many questions concerning the long-term projection of the Atlanta multi-family market. 

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Top 3 Reasons to NOT List Your Home Right Now

Are you considering taking advantage of this unprecedented, ridiculously hot seller’s market by listing your home? Wait!! The time might not be right for you. Don’t do anything until you have read this.

Top 3 Reasons to NOT List Your Home:

1. You feel such an unfair advantage in this unprecedented seller’s market that it is almost like cheating, and you are NOT a cheater. With so few homes on the market right now, yours very well could sell within 24 hours and above asking price with multiple bids. If this feels like a participation trophy to you and not an actual victory you fought and sweat for, you should probably wait until more homes come on the market. As real estate trends always shift back and forth between a seller’s market and a buyer’s market, just sit tight. Soon enough you should have plenty of competition and then your home will not sell as fast or for as much money. Problem solved.
2. The thought of multiple bids in a short amount of time seems overwhelming. How do you choose? What if you pick the wrong one? Who has time to sift through all that potential money being thrown your way?? If you are someone who prefers to have only one choice in things such as ice cream (vanilla), cable providers (Comcast), vacation spots (Florida), etc. so as to eliminate any potential disappointment associated with second guessing yourself, wait until there are more homes listed for sale. This way offers will only trickle in. Or instead of a trickle, maybe you’ll just get one. This will make it much easier on your conscience and you won’t lose sleep wondering if you picked the right one. Because you had only had one. Problem solved.
3. You’re not a braggart or someone who has too high an opinion of themselves. And if your friends and family found out you sold your home for more than asking price (which is quite frequent in multiple bid scenarios), they may look at you differently. Should they refer to you as Sir or Madam now? Do they bow or just a slight curtsy as you enter the room? And let’s be honest, will they even want to hang out with you anymore? After all, you have shown an acumen on the genius scale when it comes to taking advantage of the real estate market and now they know you have made an even higher profit than imaginable which you can apply to the purchase of your next home. Which is REALLY nice by the way. That can be pretty intimidating to some. Avoid standing out. Blend in and list your home when everybody else does. Problem solved.

As a real estate professional, part of my job description is to solve problems for my clients. I offer the problem solving tips above to help with the decision of whether or not you should list your home right now. And I’m sure you have gathered they are tongue in cheek. We are representing a buyer who was recently one of 30 offers on a home over a 24 hours period. 30.

We have never seen a hotter seller’s market in my lifetime than we’re seeing right now. For the love of real estate, PLEASE call me if you’re unsure now is the time to list your home. Or I can save you that call and say YES. YES, NOW is a GREAT time to sell. So call me anyway. I look forward to serving you.

Holly Morris

The Meridian Real Estate Group with Keller Williams Realty

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Virtual Offices are the Commercial Office Sector’s Biggest Threat

“The Oasis. It’s a place where the limits of reality are your own imagination. You can do anything, go anywhere,” Wade Watts says of the technology at the heart of the bestseller Ready Player One. The science fiction epic tells the story of a world living online, cut off from most human contact, living and working in the digital world. Sound familiar?

An entire virtual world with the complexity of The Oasis is still just science fiction, but the book’s vision of the future offers a glimpse of where the virtual spaces we’re creating could be headed. With office work already inextricably linked to the computer, virtual offices are more science than fiction. The implications of viable virtual offices will shake the commercial office sector down to its bedrock. There’s no bigger threat to the demand for office space than technology that can replace it. The future isn’t as far off as you think.

Our great pandemic-induced work from home experience is redefining the office faster than any time in modern history. Largely unable to access traditional office space, employees have been forced to be flexible, working from the couch, the kitchen counter, and even the closet, creating what little workspace they need where they can. Coffee shops, parks, hotels, and other public spaces with WiFi have become an escape for workers stuck at the office at home. For office workers, ‘workspace’ is wherever you’re using your computer. Creating a digital workspace is the future of flexible office design. Virtual 3D modeling that creates digital workplaces can already create truly flexible offices that go far beyond rearranging basic office components like desks, chairs, and conference rooms.

Watch a webinar from the top of a mountain, send emails from the Library of Congress, attend a meeting at the beach. The limits of virtual office design are your own imagination. Creating virtual spaces for people to gather is not new. Designers have been creating online meeting places with 3D modeling for over a decade. Right now the technology is being used to visualize build-outs and architectural designs but is quickly transitioning to render entire virtual offices inhabited by remote workers.

Outside the world of office space, the technology has been flourishing for nearly two decades. Second-Life, released in 2003, was a massive multiplayer online virtual world full of places for players to gather, connect and chat in an effort to create a digital replication of the modern world. Second-Life’s functionality pales in comparison to Ready Player One’s vision, but technology is quickly catching up.

Companies like Spatial and Spaceform are developing virtual spaces for people to meet through augmented or virtual reality and ‘shake hands’ with a coworker miles away, ‘no hand sanitizer required.’

“We’re working with gaming engine technology that allows you to create real time 3D models that we can all experience simultaneously,” Squint/Form Director Jan Bunge said. Bunge’s team is developing Spaceform into virtual conference room space. “At the moment there’s the most insane virtual spaces for having parties and social gatherings, all in a purely virtual setting. The need to create those settings in an office is there.”

It all comes down to the limitations of video chat. Nearly a year into this, we’re all acutely aware what Zoom and others are lacking. “Video chat is a tool that was basically good for two things: very personal conversations in small groups or big webinars where you don’t need to interact,” Spatial Head of Business Jacob Loewenstein told Wired. “But for anything in between it breaks down, and that’s where we see Spatial really being a much more interactive and much more personal collaboration solution.”

Virtual or augmented reality allows participants to move around a space, use their arms and head to gesticulate, interact with virtual objects in the space, share your screen, upload presentations and collaborate on documents or 3D designs in real-time. Workplace bias and harassment are nearly impossible in the virtual space, presenting a solution to issues drawing increased scrutiny. Studies show VR’s immersion increases attention span, meaning the new technology could be a solution to low employee engagement when working remotely. Imagine several 3D avatars in a board room around a model of a new building project, turning, expanding, and highlighting various parts of the model when collaborating on the design like Tony Stark working on his Iron Man suit prototype.

For some the world I’m describing is a new level of hell. Burnt out on Zoom, meetings in virtual reality sounds like doubling down on the suffering. The prospect of wearing a VR headset for an extended time gives many a headache just thinking about it. Despite improvements in VR tech, developers have yet to create a headset device suitable for long-term use. Right now, wearing a VR headset for even half of an 8-hour workday is out of the question.

Journalist Esat Dedezade recently tested this new reality, spending close to $7,000 for a top-of-the-line VR headset and computer to operate it. Using the Virtual Desktop app, he was able to work anywhere, from a high-rise corner office to a serene forest. It wasn’t long before he hit the first snag: typing. Being unable to see your keyboard and fingers as they move across it was a serious setback. More technology steps forward to solve that problem, a different work app uses a webcam to display a real-time overlay of his real-life keyboard. Even with the solution, it quickly became clear that working with a VR headset for even an hour is a challenge. After adjusting his approach by only using the VR headsets for tasks requiring serious focus and taking frequent breaks, the technology began to click. Online meetings were better and administrative work was more tolerable.

“Whether it’s for work or play, after a few hours in VR I can take the headset off and feel like I’ve actually been somewhere,” Dedezade wrote. “That’s a precious feeling that I hadn’t precisely realized I’d even lost, but with so many of us stuck at home for the foreseeable future, it’s an invaluable benefit that I never even considered.”

Obviously, the technology is extremely limited in its current use. Enormous upfront costs, adverse effects from prolonged usage, and underdeveloped applications are major hurdles to overcome if virtual office spaces are ever to become mainstream. If there’s one thing the 21st century has taught us, it’s that you can bet on technology becoming cheaper, safer, and more developed.

Should virtual offices become a viable solution for the masses, the implication for commercial real estate would be biblical. Co-working and working from home have long been considered looming threats, shrinking the demand for office space real estate empires are built on. A viable virtual office doesn’t just shrink demand, it eliminates it completely. The technology, still in its natal phase, will grow up sooner or later as tech giants pour billions into research and development. It’s no stretch to say that virtual offices are an existential threat to the entire industry. The property business has already given way to software, what happens when it gets eaten by it?

For now, virtual offices remain mostly science fiction outside a few specific use cases but the progress is picking up speed. If you look closely, the future isn’t hard to see. Centralized offices are being shed and distributed workforces adopted. What will be the value of a physical office when it can be replicated, pixel by pixel, in a VR headset? The answer to this question will determine the future of the office industry. Best to start now, the programmers already have.

Thank you Propmodo.com for this article. For the whole article, Click Here.

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