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Posts Tagged ‘remodeling’

By Geri Mason

If you are selling your own home, you, undoubtedly want to increase the value of your home as much as possible before putting it on the market.

(There is a link to download a free ebook, that gives you 101 Tips For Selling Your House, at the bottom of this page).

Increasing your home’s value means that you can increase your asking price, ultimately resulting in a larger profit from the sale of your home.

The more of these tips you can follow, the more your house will be worth.

When you start thinking of ways to increase the value of your for sale by owner home, you think of home improvements.

Indeed improving certain aspects of your for sale by owner home will increase the value, thereby allowing you to increase your asking price. Before you start knocking down walls and adding on new bedrooms, there are a few guidelines to take into consideration.

Improvements done to for sale by owner homes do not always provide the highest return on investment.

If your house is in good condition, improvements probably won’t increase your for sale by owner home value dollar for dollar based on the cost.

For example, if you spent $1,000 making improvements to your home, you couldn’t necessarily increase your home price by $1,000. Home improvements DO increase the value of a home that is in poor condition.

If you are thinking about doing some repairs or renovations, the best rooms are kitchens and bathrooms.

These are the two rooms that buyers are most concerned about looking up to date. In many cases, you can do minor work to both of these rooms and receive a greater value in the home than if you did a major remodeling job.

Of all the improvements you can do to your for sale by owner home, minor remodeling of your kitchen has the most payout. Next on the list is adding a bathroom, major kitchen remodeling and adding a family room. There is an even lower payout for adding a deck or replacing windows or siding.

The best rule of thumb when you are selling a for sale by owner home is to avoid doing home improvements unless the condition of the house is so poor that you can’t sell it otherwise. Some of these items will come up in a home inspection or appraisal. Others you might be able to easily identify.

For example, if the for sale by owner home has a leaky roof, it must be repaired or replaced before you can sell it. There are few buyers that will purchase a home with a roof that leaks.

Some improvements can be completed if you can do it yourself for a lower cost. You can expect to get the same type of increase in the value of the for sale by owner home.

This gives you a much better return on the investment you put into the home. Be careful though, poor home improvements will end up decreasing the value of the home rather than increasing it. Poor work ends up costing you more in the end, not only because of the money spent on the improvement, but also because of the resulting decrease in for sale by owner home value.

About the Author: Download 101 Free House Selling Secrets Here: 101 House Selling Secrets

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=119115&ca=Real+Estate

See original here: How Home Improvement Can Help You Increase The Value Of Your House

Kitchen remodeling; each year millions of homeowners do it. Are you looking to become one of those homeowners? Whether you are looking to remodel every square inch of your kitchen or just part of it, there is a decent chance that you may be in the market for new kitchen lights. The lighting found in a kitchen has a significant impact on the room’s overall atmosphere. That is why many homeowners, when remodeling their kitchens, make the decision to change their kitchen light fixtures.

If you are interested in replacing your kitchen lights, you will find that you, literally, have an unlimited number of different options. Kitchen lights, as well as their fixtures, come in a number of different sizes, shapes, and styles. Honestly, there are some many different kitchen light fixtures to choose from, you may have a difficult time making up your mind. Despite having a difficult time making a decision, it is important that you do. As previously mentioned, the lighting in a room has a significant impact on the overall quality of that room, as well as how you may feel while inside of it. That is why it is important that you take time to research all of your choices, so that you can make the perfect selection.

One of the most popular types of lights for the kitchen are ceiling lights. Ceiling lights are light fixtures that are attached right to the ceiling. Although they are often known as the most traditional type of lighting for the kitchen, they can be anything but traditional. Whether you are shopping online or at one of your local retail stores, you should have access to hundreds of different light fixtures, many of which are ceiling lights. The cost of a ceiling light will all depend on which style you choose, but, in most cases, you will find that ceiling lights are the most affordable of all kitchen lights. If you are remodeling your kitchen on a budget, these types of lights may be best.

In addition to ceiling fans, hanging kitchen lights are quite popular. Hanging kitchen lights comes in two main styles, chandeliers or pendants. Pendant lighting fixtures are lights that hang down from the ceiling, often about a foot or more. Chandelier lights are a usually a collection of hanging lights that are all grouped together. When it comes to chandelier lights and pendant lights for the kitchen, you will often find that they are referred to as mini lights. This is because the larger size light fixtures are often too large to use in most standard kitchens.

In addition to the above mentioned kitchen light fixtures, you may also want to purchase lights that are known as under cabinet lights. Under cabinet lights are ideal for those who are looking for a quick snack in the middle of the night. If you are purchasing new kitchen cabinets, as part of your kitchen remodeling project, an under the cabinet light may be the perfect addition to your new cupboards.

Whether you have decided that you would like to purchase a mini pendant light, a ceiling light, or a mini chandelier kitchen light, you will still need to choose the light that looks best in your kitchen. As previously mentioned, it may be a good idea to start shopping at one of your local home improvement stores, but if you are looking for a light fixture with a particular design, it may be best to shop online.

There’s nothing quite so satisfying as being able to immerse yourself in total darkness before seeing a crystal clear studio logo pop onto the big screen while a blast of 5.1 digital surround sound overtakes your senses and rumbles beneath you. You are experiencing the rush of watching a movie in a theater. But not just any theater, it’s your home theater.

That’s right. No one kicking the seat behind you, throwing candy at your head or talking on the phone during the best scenes; if they do you can kick them out yourself!

In many ways the home theater experience far surpasses the big screens of movie theater chains. Not only the annoyances listed previously, but there’s also the factors of cost and convenience.

With the price of a movie ticket running somewhere around $10, plus the cost of snacks, you could easily afford your own home theater just by skipping those evenings out for a year or two. Depending on how expensive your tastes are possibly even sooner than that. And there’s no need to wait for the 7 o’clock showing or stand in line; you can start, stop and schedule your movie showings whenever it’s convenient for you.

As true home theater enthusiasts we’d been designing our perfect escape since before we bought our house. We were just looking for the perfect house to fit our dreams. We found it a few years ago and proceeded to design our dream theater with gusto. We had most of our cinema equipment (just needing a few finishing touches like the 5.1 digital surround and more monster cables) so we dug into planning everything from seating arrangement and style, to carpet color and decor, to the large hinged wall with secret escape route (doesn’t every kid want one?)

By doing most of it ourselves we saved thousands of dollars but it also took about a year to “finish.” Well, it’s finished enough for us to enjoy, we are always working on the little touches here and there. Many people hire professionals to design and build their theater’s, which saves a lot of time (but not always money.)

After a long hard day at work, or an evening of frustrating parenting, the need to escape reality can become overwhelming. Being able to drop ourselves into complete darkness and seclusion and then immerse ourselves in a full senses banquet of sights and sounds from Hollywood we can quickly forget our own headaches and get wrapped up in the big screen. Those two hours are sanity savers without ever needing to leave the house (or get candy thrown at our heads).

Before a buyer considers your home seriously, it must meet his needs in many ways. It must be a suitable neighborhood, commuting distance, size, layout, etc. If most of these needs are met, the buyer will move toward making an offer for your home. The purchase decision is an emotional and intellectual response, based on a level of trust in your home. So, it is logical that in preparing your home for sale your goal should be to enable the buyer to build trust in your home as quickly as possible. Your first step should be to address apparent and hidden repair issues.

Make a Complete List

Keep in mind that potential buyers and their real estate agents do not have the fond personal memories and familiarity that you have with your home. They will view it with a critical and discerning eye. Anticipate their concerns before they ever see your home. You may look at the leaky faucet and think of a $10 part at Home Depot. To a buyer this is a $100 plumbing bill. Walk through each room and consider how buyers are going to react to what they see. Make a complete list of all needed repairs. It will be more efficient to have them all done at once. Use a handyman to fix the items quickly. If your house is a fixer-upper, keep in mind that most buyers will expect to make a profit that is substantially above the cost of labor and materials. When a house needs obvious repairs, buyers will assume that there are more problems than meet the eye. Take care of repairs before marketing your home. Your home will sell faster and for a higher price.

Get an Inspection

It is a good idea to have your home inspected by a professional before putting it on the market. Your may discover some issues that will come up later on the buyer’s inspection report. You will be able to address the items on your own time, without the involvement of a prospective buyer. You do not have to repair every item that is written up. For example, due to building code changes, you may not meet code for handrail height, spacing between balusters, stair dimensions, single glazed windows, and other items. You may choose to leave items such as these as they are. Just note on the inspection report which items you have repaired, and which are left as is. Attach the report to your Seller’s Disclosure, along with any repair receipts that you have. A professional inspection answers buyers questions early, reduces re-negotiations after contract, and creates a higher level of trust in your home.

Offer a Service Contract

A home service contract may be offered to the buyer for their first year of ownership. For a fee of about $350 a third party warranty company will provide repair services for certain systems or components in the house for one year after the sale. These policies help to reduce the number of disputes about the condition of the property after the sale. They protect the interests of both buyer and seller.

Should You Remodel?

Our clients often ask if they should remodel their house before marketing. I believe the answer to this is no – major improvements do not make sense just before selling a home. Studies show that remodeling projects do not return 100% of their cost in the sales price. Normally, it does not pay to replace cabinets, re-do kitchens, upgrade bathrooms, or add space prior to selling. There is a fine line between remodeling and making repairs. You will need to draw this line as you review your home.

Repair Decisions

Countertops are outdated: If other components of the house are up to date, the kitchen may be greatly improved by new, modern countertops. Although this is an upgrade, not a repair, it may be worth doing because the kitchen has a significant impact on the value of your home.

Carpet is worn or outdated: Carpet replacement almost always worth doing. Sellers often ask if they should offer an allowance for carpet, and let the buyer choose. Do not take this approach. Choose a neutral shade, and make the change yourself. New carpet makes everything in the house look better.

Wall texture is poor: You may have an outdated texture style or acoustic ceiling. In most cases, it does not make sense to strip and re-texture the walls. Just repair any wall damage or minor texture problems.

Walls need paint: This is a must do! Freshly painted walls greatly improve the perception of your home. Don’t forget the baseboards and trim. Use neutral colors, such as cream, sage green, beige/yellow, or gray/blue. Stark white, primary colors and dark colors do not appeal to a wide market, and may be a negative factor.

Bathroom caulking is dirty: Put this on the must do list. Cracked or stained caulking is a turn-off to buyers. It is easily replaced. Make sure the tile grout does not have voids.

Drainage or leak problems: Address any drainage issues or leaks in plumbing or roof. Use professional help to correct the source of the problem and check for mold. Fully disclose the repair on your sellers disclosure, but avoid giving a personal guarantee of the repair.

Structural and trim repairs: Fix any sheetrock holes, damaged trim, torn vinyl, broken windows, rotten wood or rusty fixtures. Homes sell for more that show a reasonable level of maintenance.

Overgrown shrubs and weedy beds: Repairs to the yard are some of the most cost effective changes you can make. Mow and edge the lawn. Add inexpensive mulch to flower beds. Cut back any shrubs that cover windows. Trim tree branches that rub against the roof. Buy new doormats. Replace dead plants. Remove any trash.

Check HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems: These systems need routine maintenance. Have the heat/AC system serviced and filters changed. Check for plumbing leaks, toilets that rock, corroded water heater valves, and other plumbing problems. Replace burned out bulbs and electrical fixtures that do not work. Check your sprinkler system and pool equipment for problems.

Make Needed Repairs

If you are planning to sell your home, your first step should be to discover and make needed repairs. By making repairs you will answer buyers questions early, build trust in your home more quickly, and proceed through the closing process with fewer surprises. Your home will appeal to more buyers, sell faster, and bring a higher price.

Are you a homeowner who has recently decided that a remodeled kitchen is just what you need? If so, there is a good chance that you may want to do that remodeling yourself. If that is the case, there are a number of tools, likely a large number of tools, which you will need. While there is a good chance that you may already have the majority of the tools needed for your next kitchen remodeling project, there is also a chance that you might not. Rest assure though because the majority of the tools needed can be found right at one of your local home improvement stores.

When it comes to determining the tools that you will need, when starting your remodeling, it is important to determine which type of remodeling you will be doing. For instance, if you are installing a new set of kitchen cabinets, you will find that the tools needed may vary a little bit from the tools that would be used to replace your kitchen floor. That is why it is advised that you determine exactly what in your kitchen you would like remodeled, as well as what types of tools will be needed. Despite the fact that you may need different tools for different projects, there are a number of common tools; common tools that you may need no matter what kitchen remodeling project you are working one.

Perhaps, the most important tools to have is a hammer. Hammers are used on a wide variety of different kitchen remodeling projects, particularly ones that require nails. Hammers can also be used to help position a tile or countertop piece into a tight space. Since hammers are used all around the house, sometimes on a daily basis, there is a good chance that you already own a hammer. In fact, there is a good chance that you own more than one!

Aside from a hammer, it is also a good idea to have a collection of screwdrivers on hand. Although there is a good chance that you already own a couple of screwdrivers, you may want a multi-function screwdriver. A multi-function screwdriver is one that easily allows you to change the screwdriver heads, in no time at all. In fact, if you are really looking to save time, you may want to purchase an electric screw gun.

A putty knife is another tool that you may need to use, when remodeling your kitchen. Putty knifes are ideal when replacing a kitchen countertops or when retiling your kitchen floor. They are great for removing unwanted or unneeded caulk or spreading around the glue that is needed to hold your kitchen tiles down. Putty knifes are common tools, but they are not as common as hammers or screwdrivers; therefore, you may need to purchase yourself one.

It may also be a good idea to have box cutters or handsaws on hand. If you are replacing the flooring in your kitchen or if you are installing a new laminate kitchen countertop, there is a good chance that you need to cut materials down to size. In some cases, a box cutter could do, but in other cases, you may need a handsaw. That is why it is best to have them both on hand.

In addition to the above mentioned tools, you may need to have a wrench, a measuring tape, a glue gun, a pair of pliers, and a ladder. Of course, it is also advised that you think along the lines of safety. In addition to the above mentioned tools, it may be a good idea to have a pair of safety goggles, a face mask, work gloves, and even a hard topped construction hat, just in case.

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