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The Steinbridge Group: Building a New Real Estate Investment Model

Thinking about investing in real estate? Keep reading these tips from the pros!

The Steinbridge Group is a leading real estate investment and asset management company with offices in Philadelphia and New York that acquires, develops and repositions residential and mixed-use properties across transitioning submarkets of America’s growing metros.

The Steinbridge Group prides itself on creating and operating under a new real estate investment model, recognizing the need for single-family housing in gentrifying communities.

Tawan Davis is the Steinbridge Group’s CEO. A seasoned expert in American real estate who earned his MBA in 2006, Tawan Davis was just 15 years old when he first recognized a problem prevalent in many American cities.

Having grown up in Portland, Oregon, Tawan Davis recalls a conversation with his grandmother, when he asked her why everyone else had money and they didn’t. To put this in context, Portland is one of America’s most rapidly gentrifying cities today. Tawan Davis says that ever since, he has been trying to understand the economic gaps in the United States and why large groups of people are systemically financially underprivileged.

Realizing that the answer lies in a lack of access to real estate, Tawan Davis is leading the Steinbridge Group on a mission to invest in single-family homes in gentrifying communities, rebuilding them to a high standard and then offering them to working-class residents at attainable rents. Mr Davis points out that his approach is not only a good investment opportunity but is also in the public good.

Across the United States today, there are around 133 million housing units, 84 million of which are single-family homes. Of those, around 22 million are available to rent, mostly via individual landlords or couples. Many of these private landlords feel under economic pressure themselves, in a rapidly gentrifying community with taxes and costs on the rise.

As Tawan Davis explains, just 2% of these properties are owned by institutional investors, and most of these homes are located in suburban communities. Combined with the fact that more Americans are renting now than at any point in the last 50 years, it was clear to Tawan Davis that there was a market opportunity.

The Steinbridge Group works in a very different way from many real estate investment companies. While an obvious strategy might be to target states with large suburban populations and legislation enabling companies to buy foreclosed properties in bulk, this did not appeal to the Steinbridge Group. A popular investment route among smaller developers is flipping houses, i.e. buying, renovating, and selling homes quickly to make a tidy profit, further inflating house prices in the process. The Steinbridge Group opted against that too.

Instead, the Steinbridge Group devised a long-term plan to invest in rebuilding and maintaining rental properties throughout major East Coast cities. Under Tawan Davis’s stewardship, the company ensures that people who work in and around cities, including teachers, firefighters, and postal workers, can live there, despite falling within a demographic most affected by increasing housing prices. The Steinbridge Group operates with an emphasis on providing working-class families with a quality product, buying houses one-by-one, rebuilding them, and then renting out these high-quality, single-family homes for between $900 and $1,400 per month.

The company’s single-family investment program will see $500 million invested in transitioning urban markets, paving the way for the creation of more than 3,000 homes in major metros across the United States. The Steinbridge Group’s solution to the acute shortage in attainable rental properties is to create more opportunities to enable working-class families to remain in their communities. The Steinbridge Group aims to drive positive economic change at a local level without causing working-class families, many of whom have lived in the community for generations, to be displaced.

Under the leadership of Tawan Davis, the Steinbridge Group focuses on redeveloping single-family homes located in momentum submarkets of growing cities across the United States. After purchasing and rebuilding these properties to a high-quality standard, the company rents them to working-class families at sustainable rents.

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Start a Home Detox Routine with Decluttering this Spring

Declutter your home this spring with some of these easy tips!

Photos By: Unsplash

You may have heard of detoxing your body for better health. But did you know that you can also detox your home? Detoxing your home works in a similar way only instead of eliminating unhealthy food, you eliminate items that are no longer useful within your decor. This routine is beneficial if your realtor has expressed that you need to stage your house to sell. Here are some ways to detox and declutter your home for spring.

Start By Getting Rid of The Excess

One of the best ways to detox your home is to kiss the clutter goodbye. If these items are still in good condition, consider giving them away to a local charity or thrift store instead of tossing them away. Otherwise, it may be a good idea to rent a dumpster or call a junk removal service to remove your unwanted items. Getting rid of excess will provide more space in your rooms and help you easily determine what items you need to replace this season.

Switch to Safer Cleaning Products

There are some products that you, your parents, and your parent’s parents have used to clean for decades without realizing they are very toxic. These products include toxins like phosphates, chlorine, or added fragrances. Instead of keeping the tradition of using toxic cleaning products, consider switching to those considered green products. These products usually have an EPA (environmental protection agency) Safer Choice seal.

Let in the Fresh Air

You may be tempted to turn on the air when it starts getting warmer. But since spring yields moderate temperatures in most places, it may be a better idea to open those windows. Allowing fresh air in improves your home’s air quality, reduces chances of sickness, and gets rid of odors.

Improve Your Home’s Water Quality

Your local water plant does all that it can to eliminate some of the most dangerous toxins in your tap water. However, they don’t eliminate all the bacteria, sediment, and germs in your water. Besides this, the pipes you have in your house may also bring in additional trace toxins. These tiny traces of germs and bacteria can lead to sickness in your family. It can even cause skin problems if you or your family members are allergic to what’s in the water. Installing a water filtration system can help detox your home. There are many options, including filtration systems that clean water for drinking and whole-house systems that remove toxins from drinking water and water for bathing.

Clean or Replace Your Bed and Bedding

You typically spend six to eight hours lying in your bed each night. As a result, pillows and mattresses are full of dust and germs that make them ripe for spreading disease. To help with detoxing your house, it is a good idea to clean your bed and bedding this spring so that you won’t encourage the growth of infection. In addition, if your mattress is over eight years old, you may want to consider getting a new one.

Decluttering is a great way to help you make more space in your home. But detoxing your home helps keep you and your family safe by improving air and water quality and minimizing the spread of disease. Spring is the perfect time to freshen up your space and make your home more functional.

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Mighty Dog Roofing – Choosing the Right Exterior Materials that Fits with Home Style

Planning to renovate your exterior? Here’s how to choose the right materials!

Photos By: Unsplash

Choosing the right exterior materials for your home can be a hard task. There are so many options to choose from, and it can be complicated to know which one is the best fit for your home! But, it is important to choose the right one because it will be there for a while. Here are some things to keep in mind when working with a roof installation company and choosing the right exterior materials for your home:

Climate

Climate is one of the first things to keep in mind when deciding the material you will use. The type of exterior material you choose should be able to withstand the weather conditions in your area. For example, if you live in an area with harsh winters, you’ll want to make sure the material can withstand freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall.

Style

You want the exterior materials to complement the overall design of your house. For instance, if you have a traditional-style home, brick or stone would be a good choice. If you have a more modern home, then metal or glass would be a better option.

Budget

Finally, you need to think about your budget. Exterior materials can range in price, so you’ll want to choose something that fits within your budget. Keep in mind that higher-quality materials will last longer and require less maintenance, so they may be worth the investment in the long run.

Now, let’s head on to choosing the right roofing material for your home. There is a variety of roofing materials to choose from, and each has its own benefits. Make sure to contact Mighty Dog Roofing for all your roofing needs, big or small! Hiring a professional roofing company will bring you many benefits when it comes to roof installation/repair. With that, here are some of the most popular roofing materials:

Asphalt Shingles

Asphalt Shingles are the most commonly used roofing in United States. They are durable, affordable and come in a variety of colors to match any home exterior. If you’re looking for a classic look that will never go out of style, asphalt shingles are a great option.

Metal Roofs

Metal roofs are becoming increasingly popular due to their longevity and energy efficiency. If you live in an area with severe weather conditions, a metal roof can offer added protection against high winds and Hail damage. Metal roofs also reflect heat from the sun, which can help keep your home cooler in the summer months.

Tile Roofs

Tile roofs have been used for centuries and are still a popular choice among homeowners today. Tile is a durable material that can withstand severe weather conditions and is available in a variety of colors and styles. If you’re looking for a unique look for your home, tile is a great option.

Slate Roofs

Slate roofs are a more expensive option, but they offer a luxurious look that can add value to your home. Slate is a very durable material, and it’s available in a variety of colors to match any home exterior. If you’re looking for a unique and elegant roofing option, slate is a great choice.

Wood Shingles

Wood shingles are a classic roofing material that has been used for centuries. Wood is a durable material that can withstand severe weather conditions and is available in a variety of colors and styles. If you’re looking for a unique and elegant roofing option, wood shingles are a great choice.

Solar Roofs

Solar roofs are a newer roofing option that is becoming increasingly popular due to their energy efficiency. Solar roofs absorb the sun’s energy and use it to power your home, which can help save you money on your energy bill. Solar roofs are available in a variety of styles, and they can be customized to match any home exterior.

Green Roofs

Green roofs are a type of solar roof that is covered with vegetation. Green roofs absorb the sun’s energy and use it to power your home, which can help save you money on your energy bill. Green roofs also offer added insulation for your home, which can help keep your home cooler in the summer months.

When choosing the right exterior material for your home, it’s important to consider the climate you live in, the style of your home, and your budget. With so many options available, there’s sure to be a material that’s perfect for you. The Mighty Dog Roofing Company has a team of experienced professionals who can help you choose the right roofing material for your home.

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Getting Ready to Downsize? Here’s What You Need to Know

Downsizing happens for a variety of reasons: maybe you’re an empty nester and planning to move to a smaller home, or maybe you just want a simpler lifestyle with less stuff lying around!

Photos By: Unsplash

Deciding to work remotely for a while is another valid and common reason for downsizing. Whatever the reason, the process of downsizing can be overwhelming – it involves a lot of digging through your possessions, sorting stuff out, deciding what stays and what goes, then dealing with the items you’re no longer keeping. In other words, downsizing is a lot of work. But, with a little bit of planning, you can streamline it and make it easier. Here’s what you need to know about downsizing and how to come up with the right strategy:

Start the process early on

One common trap is underestimating how much time you actually need to downsize. It’s not something that can be done properly in one weekend, particularly if we’re talking about large family homes. Ideally, you should start sorting your belongings and downsizing before you move, a few weeks prior to moving to the smaller home or apartment.

Have your measurements ready

Most people who downsize are planning to move some of their old furniture into the smaller home. In such situations, it’s very important to take detailed measurements of the furniture, the space where you want to place it, and of the door frames as well. Door frames can be smaller, especially if you’re moving from a single-family home into an apartment, and you don’t want to find that out when your sofa was already delivered at the new address – and you can’t get it inside. Also, if the rooms in your new home are smaller, it’s important to visualize how your old furniture fills the space – a simple way to do that is by using tape on the floor to draw the contours of the furniture you’re planning to bring.

Consider turning to self storage

According to recent research from self storage website Storagecafe.com, more than a third of Americans are using self storage, and the most common reason for renting a unit is downsizing. In fact, renting self storage is a huge help if you’re downsizing. It can benefit you throughout the actual process of packing up the belongings and preparing them to be moved as well as after the move. Rent a self storage unit located close to your new home and use it to safely store items you decide to keep, as you pack them, until moving day comes along – this takes a lot of the pressure off and allows you to use your time and effort more efficiently.

Self storage also helps because you are temporarily relocating to a new city or new country, combining remote work with traveling. It’s a safe – and affordable – way to store the stuff you’ll be needing when you get back home. The cost of renting self storage varies depending on where you live. For example, renting a 10’x10’ self storage unit in Austin costs around $170 per month. A unit in Oklahoma City, on the other hand, hovers around $100 per month.

In both instances, however (or in any other location in the country), using self storage is more convenient than paying months of rent on an apartment, just to house your stuff, or dumping your possessions on reluctant family or friends.

If you’re a homeowner and plan to relocate for several months or longer, it’s still a good idea to downsize your belongings and place the expensive and important ones in storage. Then, you can put your home up for rent without worrying about potential damage to your furniture and other items. This way, you’ll be cashing in a monthly income instead of paying mortgage and maintenance on an empty home.

How to decide what stays and what goes

This might just be the hardest thing about downsizing. We all get attached to our stuff, and it’s hard to let go. Try to apply some of the following principles in order to move things along and speed up the process:

  • Sentimental items (old photos, journals, postcards, your kids’ artwork since they were in kindergarten) are probably the most difficult to deal with. But you have a simple solution to that: scan and take digital pictures of everything. You’ll hold on to the memories, which will be at your fingertips all the time, on your phone or on your tablet, without cluttering your space with a lot of boxes filled with old papers. Other ideas to keep your sentimental items without causing clutter include creating scrapbooks or framing and displaying the most significant ones.
  • Limit yourself to just one of everything – if, for example, you own two vacuum cleaners, keep only one, the one you prefer. The same goes for everything, from tools to kitchen utensils and so on.
  • Use the stuff you were saving for the future – the future is now. Maybe you have a set of fancy China, or luxurious bedding, that you saved up until now. Well, downsizing is the perfect opportunity to get rid of your old stuff and put the new and nice items hiding in your closets and cabinets at good use.
  • When it comes to clothing and shoes, a good rule of thumb is to get rid of everything you haven’t used in the past 12 months.

What to do with your stuff?

Once you decide what items you want to keep, you’re left to deal with the rest. Some of them will probably go to recycling or straight to the trash bin. As for the stuff that’s in good shape, you can find various uses. Ask your family and friends if they need anything and gift it to them. Or you could sell them online, or even organize a garage sale. Find local organizations that accept charitable donations and contact them to pick up your belongings.

However, all these actions take a little bit of time – which is another reason why it’s important to start the downsizing process early on.



Infographic provided by Oncourse Home Solutions, a top company for a heating system maintenance plan

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Ultimate Guide to Home Electrical Safety

Make sure you stay safe at home with these simple electrical safety tips!

Photos By: Pexels

For well over a century, we have enjoyed the modern convenience of electricity to live comfortably. It lights our homes, provides warmth, and powers our ever-growing assortment of electronics. It’s so common that it’s easy to forget its inherent dangers. Over time we’ve added safety features to appliances and outlets and adopted electrical wiring standards that keep us safe.

These measures make our home’s safer. For example, when ground fault circuit interrupters (GCFI outlets) became the standard for outlets placed near water sources like in the bathroom or kitchen, the number of accidental electrocutions dropped by 83%. That’s a shocking change considering that our dependence on electricity has grown during that same time.

Enhanced safety measures and familiarity provide a false sense of security, and many DIY-savvy homeowners take on more than they can handle with home electrical projects.

The Real Deal on Electrical Safety in Your Home

There was a time before the 1970s when electrocutions and house fires were a lot more common. And while we’ve made a lot of progress at improving the safety of electrical use in our homes, there is still a risk. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that faulty electrical wiring is still responsible for approximately 10% of all house fires. And we still see more than 400 deaths every year attributed to electrocution injuries.

The electricity in your home is a live current, and it is capable of producing significant injury and starting fires in the same way that a bolt of lightning can. Even simple tasks like replacing a bad switch or installing a ceiling fan come with some risk.

Here’s why you’re better off hiring an electrician:

●   Wiring trouble can increase your risk of a house fire, putting the safety of your family at risk.

●   Electrical work can be dangerous.

●   Your DIY electrical project can cause your home to fail an inspection when it comes time to sell.

●   Electricians have training and experience to navigate safety and compliance to get the job done right.

●   You don’t have to worry about building code violations.

●   Electrical work is time-intensive and takes you away from enjoying your personal time.

When it comes to home remodeling projects or fixing a pesky problem, hiring an electrician might feel like an expensive burden. But it’s one of those things that is often a controllable upfront cost to save a lot more money down the road.

Electrical Safety Tips

Electrical safety in the home goes beyond building codes and qualified workmanship. It starts with practical, everyday actions that can protect your home and your family. Here are a few tips to take note of.

Use the Right Light Bulbs

A quick trip down the lighting aisle at your local hardware store can be overwhelming. There’s an assortment of bulbs in different sizes, shapes, and wattages. While some fixtures require special bulbs, most US fixtures take a standard medium bulb or E26. That code identifies the screw type and size, with “E” indicating an Edison bulb and “26” indicating a 26mm width socket.

The problem is that the E26 bulb comes in different wattages, which indicate how bright the bulb is. A 40-watt or 60-watt bulb is common, but they go all the way up to 100 watts. Light fixtures, on the other hand, are designed for a specific wattage. Overlamping, or using a 75-watt bulb in a 40-watt-rated fixture causes excess heat build-up and quickly becomes a fire hazard.

Pay Attention to Cords

Frayed cords and tangled messes shoved behind a piece of furniture are both common electrical hazards in the home. Worn or damaged cords on appliances can lead to exposed wiring that is not properly insulated, increasing the risk of shock when someone uses that appliance. Homeowners should keep their cords tidy so that wear and tear is easy to recognize and promptly replace cords that become dangerous.

Use What You Need, Unplug What You Don’t

You probably don’t realize this, but appliances constantly draw energy when they are plugged into an outlet. Even when a device is powered off, it’s using energy as long as it’s connected to the wall. The US Department of Energy says that gaming systems, phone chargers, and other common electronics are energy vampires that cause millions of Americans to pay higher electric bills.

So, unplugging what you don’t need makes sense from a cost-savings perspective. But it’s also a safety measure. If you’re not regularly using the appliance, you won’t notice when something goes wrong. Leaving them plugged in increases the risk of overheating or damage from a power surge that can pose a bigger threat to your safety.

Remember, Water and Electricity Don’t Mix

The use of GCFI outlets has improved the safety of electrical wiring in areas that also are prone to water exposure, but safety features don’t replace common sense. Allowing moisture to build up anywhere there is an outlet, fixture, or appliance that is connected to your electrical system can spell big trouble. Avoid electrocution injuries by being vigilant about electrical safety in the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, garage, and outdoor areas.

Get an Electrical Inspection

It’s always a good idea to be proactive. Most electricians offer routine electrical inspections as a common-sense approach to keeping up on your home maintenance. These inspections can identify problems so that you can address them before they become a serious, life-threatening situation.

In newer homes built after the 1970s, a routine inspection every 10 years or when electrical problems appear will keep things in good shape. If you live in an older home, especially if the wiring hasn’t been updated, you’ll want to keep a closer eye on things. For these homes, aim for a routine inspection of three to five years or when electrical problems appear.

Get a professional electrician on-site immediately if you notice signs of a problem like:

●   Flickering Lights

●   Strange Smells

●   Warm Switchplate Covers or Fixtures

●   Frequent Tripped Beakers

●   Buzzing, Humming, Cracking, or Popping Sounds

●   Any Amount of Spark

What to Remember About Home Electrical Safety

Electricity can always be dangerous. Even though it has become a common part of our lives and both homes and appliances are outfitted with dozens of safety features, the risk of injury or death is still very real. Take the time to address common electrical hazards in your home and talk with your family about the hidden dangers of unmonitored appliances and carelessness when using electricity in the kitchen or bathroom. Invest in the best safety equipment and consider using gloves while working like those from https://unigloves.co.uk/ to avoid injury. The best thing you can do to promote electrical safety is to pay attention. If you notice a sign of trouble, remember that it’s always a good idea to leave electrical work to licensed professionals.

Author Bio

Bobby Lynn, the owner of Livewire Electrical, is a fully licensed electrician in Charlotte, NC. Bobby is insured for both residential and commercial electrical projects and has over 20 years of experience in the industry.