Hardwood Floors are still the trend.  Deborah Laemmerhirt  203-994-4297.  www.HomesInConnecticutForSale.com

Hardwood Floors are still the trend but; now how to use rugs to get the best effects in each room and space. Follow these five tips from Kimberly Leach, a designer with FLOR in the trendy Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Georgetown, to get the most bang for your rug bucks:

Measure Your Space

Use painter’s tape to mark the boundaries of the area rug size you’re envisioning. This will give you a great visual reference that will help you select the perfect size while decorating with rugs.

Adjust With Color

A rug’s color palette can influence the perceived amount of light and space in a room. Decorating a dark room? Go with a warm-colored rug, yellows, oranges or reds, to enhance the space. Lighter-colored rugs will make the space feel more open while darker rugs will provide a more intimate setting.

Keep Mood In Mind

Think about what kind of role you want the rug to play in your space and what mood you want to convey. If you want to make a statement, select your rug first and design around it. But, if you’d like the rug to be an accent, make sure it compliments other design elements in the room such as color.

Don’t Let Patterns Scare You

There’s a trick to using patterns. Pick a color theme and use big swatches of color to anchor the spaces. Keep oversized patterns in check by limiting them to well-defined spaces and balancing with solid walls, furnishings or rugs.

See-Throughs Open Up The Space

Try incorporating Lucite or open-weave materials into the room, they’ll help keep a light and airy feeling. If the area doubles as an entry, keep the two separated and well-defined with rugs for each space in a unifying color theme so both spaces coexist in harmony.

Mortgages and Retirement.  Deborah Laemmerhirt  203-994-4297.  www.HomesInConnecticutForSale.com

Mortgages and Retirement. A growing number of retired Americans have more mortgage debt, less affordable loans and are at a greater risk of foreclosure than prior generations, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said in a new report.

What’s the big deal about having a mortgage during retirement?

Income typically falls during retirement, so you have less money to pay your mortgage. More than half of retired homeowners with mortgage debt spend 30 percent or more of their household income on housing. Home equity is a primary, and sometimes only, asset for retirees. Less home equity results in less financial security and greater financial risk.

About 80 percent of Americans age 65 and better own their home. The percentage of homeowners with a mortgage rose from about one in five to nearly one in three between 2001 and 2011.

The median amount they owed rose from $43,300 to $79,000 between 2001 and 2011.

What To Do To Protect Yourself

The CFPB suggests three things to protect yourself and your home:

1. Know your mortgage pay-off date.

If you don’t know it, call the phone number on your monthly statement and ask your mortgage servicer.

When you refinance to get a better interest rate, opt for a shorter mortgage term so your loan is paid off before you retire.

2. Guard your home equity.

Consider other options, like downsizing, before taking out a home equity loan or doing a cash-out refinance. Mortgages and Retirement.

3. Know your retirement income and expenses.

Most of us have less income when we retire. Run the numbers by doing a monthly budget before you retire, especially if you’ll have a mortgage to pay. Mortgages and Retirement.
                                                                                    CT Mortgages

First Time Home Buyers.  Deborah Laemmerhirt  203-994-4297.  www.HomesInConnecticutForSale.com 

First Time Home Buyers. Would you go to a housing counseling education program if it would save you nearly $10,000 over the life of your mortgage? The Federal Housing Administration is betting you would.

It’s proposing a new program that would discount mortgage insurance premiums for homeowners who agree to undergo housing counseling before getting an FHA mortgage.

Lenders typically make you buy mortgage insurance when you put down less than 20 percent on a home. The policy generally pays the lender if you fail to make your payments.

If FHA approves the discount program, you’ll get a 50 basis point discount in the upfront FHA mortgage insurance premium you pay at closing, after you take the course. A basis point is 1/100th of 1 percent, so 50 basis points is one-half of one percent. You’ll also get a 10 basis point reduction on your annual mortgage insurance premium.

If you do post-closing counseling and go on to pay your mortgage on time for two years, you’ll get another 15 basis points knocked off your annual mortgage insurance premium.

On the average $180,000 FHA mortgage, you’ll save $9,800 over the life of the loan by completing the housing counseling course and paying on time, FHA estimates.

Why is FHA so hot on homeownership counseling? It has research showing mortgage problems are 29 percent lower for first-time homebuyers who get counseling and 15 percent lower for all homebuyers who get counseling, compared to buyers who get no counseling.

During housing counseling, you’ll receive individual, objective advice on reaching your housing and financial goals, homeowner rights and responsibilities and managing your credit and savings. First Time Home Buyers – check this out!

The proposed program is part of a bigger effort to help Americans better manage their credit. This will help further homeownership and build lasting wealth.

According to the Urban Institute, the average credit score for loans sold to government-sponsored mortgage companies is 752. Currently, there are 13 million people with credit scores ranging from 580 to 680.

“Shutting these consumers out of the market hurts American families and undermines our efforts to build more stable communities, create pathways to the middle class and increase homeownership opportunities for minority and low-wealth borrowers,” FHA officials said when they announced the proposed program earlier this month. First Time Home Buyers.

Mortgage costs could rise in the upcoming year!

Deck Stains that Last the Longest!  Deborah Laemmerhirt  203-994-4297.  www.HomesInConnecticutForSale.com. 
By applying the right type of stain to your deck, and the right brand of product, you can stretch out the staining cycle and save yourself lots of work in the process.

To help your deck deal with the stress of sun, rain, wind and inclement weather, protect it as much as possible:

Top quality clear coating provides protection, but has to be applied every year. Pigmented stains impart color and prolong the life of the stain.

Pigmented stains come in two types and, here again, you have a choice:

Semi-transparent stains permit the wood’s grain and texture to show. You have to reapply them every 18 months or so. Solid-color stains show the wood’s texture but not the grain. They can last three to five years.

Quality Counts

How can you spot the best quality deck stain among the many products on your retailer’s shelves? Deck Stains that Last the Longest!

First, zero in on water-based stains made with 100 percent acrylic binder. These stains are extremely tough and durable, so they’ll last longer than run-of-the-mill coating. Many even contain special ingredients that help prevent unsightly mildew from forming.

Paint Quality Institute studies show that some top quality 100 percent acrylic coatings outperform the others — providing the most durable, longest-lasting protection for wood decks. Deck Stains that Last the Longest!

Ace Wood Royal® Behr Premium® Weather Proofing

Stop Foreclosure – Save Your Credit! Deborah Laemmerhirt.  www.HomesInConnecticutForSale.com

Stop Foreclosure – Save Your Credit! Get a free E-Book on stopping Foreclosure and Saving your credit. To receive your free Book click on the image below.

Stop Foreclosure – Save Your Credit!

Facing Foreclosure can be overwhelming and frightening. Some people feel hopeless, others get angry. Educate yourself to empower your actions and approach with your bank. There are solutions with positive outcomes that will position you to feel that you have done the right thing. New mortgage guidelines are giving hope to individuals that have gone through a short sale. Click on the image above, and download the information.  Take a look at the report and let me know what you think. I’m here to explain the process, help you get started and support you with the process.

Stop Foreclosure – Save Your Credit!

New Home Construction in Connecticut. Deborah Laemmerhirt 203-994-4297. www.HomesInConnecticutForSale.com

Whether you’re looking for single-family homes, condominiums, townhomes or multifamily dwellings, Deborah Laemmerhirt, Your Home Group is your best source for finding new home communities in Connecticut.

Our extensive list of Connecticut new homes and home builders in Connecticut ensures that you’ll be able to find the right new house, condo, or townhome for you and your family.

Start with our website www.HomesInConnecticutForSale.com and simply click on one of the towns under “Browse by City,” or select advanced search to research an area or subdivision.

If you’re looking for golf course communities or waterfront communities in Connecticut, be sure to look at our special sections “Second Homes, Lake Communities, Estate Homes, and Equestrian Properties.” Then call or email Deborah directly to view or receive additional information.

New Homes Construction – Deborah Laemmerhirt is a Certified New Home Specialist™ and Residential Construction Certified™. These are national recognized certifications.

New Home Construction – Single Family Home – Fairfield County – $1,000,000 PLUS

New Home Construction – Single Family Home – Fairfield County – up to $1,000,000

New Home Construction – Fairfield County Condominiums

New Home Construction

Ridgefield CT Community Updates.  Deborah Laemmerhirt  203-994-4297.  www.HomesInConnectucitForSale.com

Ridgefield CT Community Updates. Are you looking to buy in Ridgefield, just moved here or perhaps looking to sell your CT home? Here are some interesting performances, entertainers and gatherings going on in Ridgefield CT. this week. Come and check a few out!

Cash is King – The Ultimate Johnny Cash Tribute

8:00 PM | Friday Jun 13,
Cash Is King – Nobody lived life like Johnny Cash, and nobody plays Cash like CASH IS KING! The ultimate tribute show to Johnny Cash featuring the music and stories of Cash’s life with over 30 classic songs including “Folsom Prison Blues”, “I Walk The Line”, “Ring Of Fire” and the list goes on. Johnny Cash is portrayed by the amazing Brian Chicoine. His voice has an uncanny similarity to the legendary singer and he has been described as the closest thing to the original that you can possibly hear. . With period costumes, cover versions of Cash classics and between song banter that mirrors the personality of the man and his band, this tribute captures the essential Johnny Cash experience.

Fred Astaire Presents Disney Ballroom Fever

4:00 PM | Saturday Jun 14, 2014
The students and staff of Fred Astaire Dance Studios Fairfield County are at it again as they take the audience on a trip through Fairyland when they present “Disney Ballroom Fever”, a Ballroom Dance Production. Grab some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the show as the staff and students go back to childhood fantasies, while they swing, shimmy and shake through decades of Disney movie tunes — from the classics of “Cinderella”, “Jungle Book and “The Lion King” to new hits like “Frozen”, “Tangled”, “Pirates of the Caribbean” and many more.

Cocktail reception with cash bar following the show from 6:30 – 7:30pm and includes a meet and greet with staff and students of Fred Astaire Dance Studio.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, Robert Randolph

& The Family Band

8:00 PM | Sunday Jun 15, 2014
Two of the most electrifying guitarists join forces for one explosive night! Kenny Wayne Shepherd has sold millions of albums worldwide, received five Grammy nominations, two Billboard Music Awards, two Orville H. Gibson Awards, the Blues Foundation’s Keeping The Blues Alive Award, and two Blues Music Awards among many other accolades. He has had six No. 1 blues albums and a string of No. 1 mainstream rock. He is widely considered to be one of the best blues/rock guitarists alive (James Brown once referred to him as “one of the wonders of the world”) and in 2008, Fender released the guitar that Kenny designed – the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Stratocaster. His latest record, “Goin’ Home” (Concord Records / May 20th) features Ringo Starr, Warren Haynes, Joe Walsh and even Robert Randolph.

The explosive Robert Randolph & The Family Band hit the ground running in early 2014 in support of their acclaimed new album, “Lickety Split.” The album, which took three years to complete, features guest appearances by Trombone Shorty and Carlos Santana. Of the pedal steel virtuoso, President of Blue Note Records, Don Was, says that Randolph is an “American Original” who has “mastered what is, arguably, the most complex instrument in the world and developed a unique voice that is equal parts street-corner church and Bonnaroo.”