J. Christopher Real Estate Group is proud to be part of this great community. We are committed to giving back to our friends and neighbors, which is why we are pleased to support Breathe4Steve. On May 13, the J. Christopher Group was delighted to donate new homeowner gift baskets to a fundraiser for Steven Greenough. Breathe4Steve raises money to defray medical costs for Steve following a successful double lung transplant in November 2016. Sending healthy and happy wishes to the Greenough family!

Last month, our team was excited to sponsor BINGO at the Salvatore Mancini Resource and Activity Center in North Providence. It was a fun-filled evening culminating with one lucky player winning the Grand Prize, 43” 4K Vizio television. We look forward to assisting our friends at the Center once again on August 18 during their annual picnic, where we will be sponsoring the ice cream treats!

Color makes a big impact; it can either attract buyers or … not. Desirable colors help buyers envision themselves in the space. A Zillow analysis of more than 32,000 photos from sold residential properties finds specific colors can either boost or crimp a home’s selling price. The analysis controlled for square footage, the age of the home, the date of the transaction and location, and then compared the sale prices of homes with white walls versus those with more colorful paint.

Here are the money getting colors and how much green they may grab:

• Navy Blue or Charcoal Gray doors add $1514
• Greige exteriors (that is a combination or gray and beige) pulled in an additional $1526
• Light Blue kitchens are the color for 2017, as they increase the sale price by $1809 as well as Oatmeal walls in the living room
• Blue bedrooms, said to be calming, can pull in an extra $1856
• Pale gray blue tones in the dining room will see an increase of $1926

The biggest bang for your buck will be in the bathroom. When it comes to the powder room, think powder blue to periwinkle for a bump in sales price of up to $5440!

Of course, choosing the wrong colors can detract from a home’s sales price. On the hit list:

• Blue living room or yellow kitchen (-$820)
• Medium brown exterior (-$1970)
• Red dining room (-$2031)
• White bathroom (-$4035)

For trusted, experienced advice on how to best position your property for a profitable sale, call J. Christopher Real Estate Group at 401.830.6906.

Summer is in full swing, and trying to keep cool during the warmer months can significantly increase your electric bill. If you are looking for simple and efficient ways to save some money, please consider the following tips:

1. Vent it – If you have central air check the vents in your home. Some may be closed. Many believe that closing vents will cut down on energy consumption by preventing the need to cool a room, however that is a myth. Closing vents will increase your energy costs.
2. Promote better air flow – Position fans so they move the air in the direction you want it to go. When it is hot, ceiling fans should spin counter-clockwise to push hot air up and out. In the winter, spin the fans clockwise to trap the warm air inside. Many ceiling fans have a switch to alternate directions.
3. Ice Ice Baby – Wash in cold water unless otherwise expressly directed on the clothing label. Heating the water in the drum accounts for 90% of the energy your machine uses. When filling the drier leave about 25% of the drier unfilled leaving room for air movement, which creates more efficient drying.
4. Dishwashers – The cleaning process requires hot water to get your dishes sparkling clean, however, drying does not. Heated drying helps to prevent water spots but so do rinse agents. The heated dry method in the dishwasher can be disabled and JetDry will prevent spotting.
5. Everything else – Stick everything you can on a power strip and turn off the power strip at the end of the day. You can schedule a startup and shut down time on your computer so that the computer automatically powers down and restarts at the end and the beginning of the day.