GaryLeeHomes.com - Blog | Gary Lee, Broker

Wine Cellars gaining huge popularity.

8/31/2016

Whether you are a millennial or a baby boomer, one trend is clear. More people want to incorporate their passions into their homes. A popular interest across all generations is wine, and having a wine cellar is a perfect way to mesh passion and home.

Some gorgeous options here. I've started seeing a lot of #3 and #4 in many new construction homes and remodeled basements. I love the idea of #2, especially for a closet that is just holding junk that can be thrown away and never missed.

Top 10 Trending Wine Cellars on Houzz

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Prepare your trees for Spring

4/14/2016

5 Comments

Springtime in Chicago is truly a wondrous thing. Neighbors stop hibernating and become neighbors again. The sun's rays turn warm, and our world turns lush and green.

With spring, comes lawn care. Often overlooked is tree care.

Click here to learn more about what to do in the Spring to keep your trees healthy all year.

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Uncommon Tips for Listing Your Home

3/25/2016

16 Comments

Everyone talks of staging, de-cluttering, and cleaning when preparing your home for listing, and yes, those are critically important. Here are a few more tips to set your house apart when it comes time to show your home.
Click here to find out.

16 Comments

10 Decorating Myths To Stop Believing NOW

1/11/2016

Great article to provide ideas on different design thoughts. There are some creative easy ways to create unique spaces and personalize things. If something resonates with your personality, you should not be dissuaded from pursing it because it doesn't conform to accepted standards.

There's really only one that I disagree with, and that is the one regarding following trends. I agree it's okay to adopt a new trend in a scale larger than that of replaceable accessories, but to fully embrace a new trend with reckless abandon could lead to serious remorse down the line.

Read through and decide which ones you agree with and which ones you can do without.

Continue to article here

6 Important Real Estate Questions to Answer When Retiring.

11/18/2015

Downsizing can have a dramatic effect on your finances and may be the perfect move to ensure a comfortable retirement.

Continue reading to find out what other questions you should honestly ask yourself.

What are the Chinese Investors Worrying About?

9/30/2015

Chinese investors may seem like the last thing that should cross your mind when thinking about the value of your home, but they are a significant presence in the US housing market. Also, when you look at the demographics of some towns in our area, the relevance becomes much more clear.

Information below was taken from the 2010 Census

Towns in our area with double digit Asian population percentages:

Oak Brook - 23.2%
Burr Ridge - 14.8%
Naperville - 12.65%
Oakbrook Terrace - 12.22%
Westmont - 11.95%
Lisle - 11.9%
Woodridge - 11.27%
Willowbrook - 10.01%

Find out what keeps Chinese investors up at night

6 Renovations that can decrease the value of your home.

9/16/2015

We all want our home to be perfect for our lifestyles, but when it comes time to resell, our mindset has to change. We now need to appeal to the masses. Here are 6 renovations that can hurt the value of your home.

Read the article

Fall Lawn Care Tips

9/1/2015

Fall is a critical time for proper lawn care as grass stores nutrients for the winter and prepares to go dormant.

Follow these steps to ensure your lawn has a great head start in spring.

Aerate the soil - This allows oxygen, water, and fertilizer to easily reach the grass roots.
Rake fallen leaves often - At least once a week. If leaves are left on the grass too long it will block out sunlight and prevent nutrient storage. Wet, compacted leaves on top of grass can suffocate the grass and lead to fungal growth.
Fertilize - If you fertilize once a year, fall is the time. A good slow release fertilizer with proper nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium levels will give your lawn a great start in the spring and promote strong, disease resistant roots.
Overseed - Fall is a great time to lay down grass seed. Best to do it in conjunction with aerating so the seeds are in contact with the soil. Either overseed early in the fall to give the seeds time to germinate and establish some growth, or wait late fall when everything is dormant before the seeds can germinate. Anything in between and the seeds won't survive the winter.
Last mowing the season - This is the one time of the year to mow the grass short, 2 inches. This will lessen the chance of snow mold forming and the short grass blades wont smother new growth next spring.
Weed control - Weeds, just like the grass, are storing nutrients for the winter. Apply an herbicide to target the weeds.

Kitchen colors that stand the test of time

8/23/2015

Very good advice provided here on kitchen colors that have the least chance of looking 'dated' in 10 years. My favorite piece of advice is the last one. Don't be afraid of trendy colors, most of us can use some color and flash in our lives, but limit it to those things that can be easily/cheaply changed back. Such as light fixtures, stools, countertop accents, etc. This will also help to keep your kitchen feeling fresh and new. Ask any staging expert, the smallest changes can make a world of difference.

9 Kitchen Color Ideas With Staying Power

Cost of land over the last 40 years.

8/20/2015

My feeble male brain can only process pictures, and here's a great one of land values over the last 40 years.
The argument made by the creators of this image, is that the value of land is what actually appreciates, not the improvements (home, garage, etc.) built on it. There is sound merit to that argument, in that structures built on land deteriorate and depreciate over time, thus slowly losing value. This image truly is visual reinforcement of the old real estate adage, 'location, location, location...' There are two important thing I always tell my clients when looking for a home: 1. You can never change the location of the land you own so have an idea of the lifestyle you want when looking; and 2. A wet basement is the only thing you can potentially never fix with a home.

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