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Choosing a House Plan for Your Dream Home
First things first, when choosing a house plan you must first find the land that you will be building on. Not all designs will look right or even fit on certain lots, so in order to insure that your dream home will be a good fit for your lot,...
Garage Floors - Let's Look at your Options
Garage Floors have come a long way. During the last decade the advances in plastics, paints, epoxies, polymers and many other related products has led to the introduction of a whole new arena of products that may be used to coat, cover and enhance...
How to Choose a 'Safe' Color to Paint Your Rooms
Are you STILL thinking about painting your walls with color? Many people are afraid to make the leap from 'builder's beige' to a more daring color choice. What holds you back? Are you afraid the color will be too strong? Not match your furniture?...
Sell Your Home For The Biggest Profit By Keeping Things Uncluttered!
Getting your house decluttered will help you clear your own mind and get you ready for the prospective buyers to start coming. The best way to get organized is to try to see your house through new eyes. When you pretend like you are the one who is...
The History Of The Vacuum Cleaner: Perfection Has Taken A Bit Of Time!
The first vacuum cleaner is thought to have been created in the United States, in the mid 1800’s. Today, the vacuum cleaner is found in just about every household in the world! It is depended upon to keep carpets and other floors clean and free of...
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Home Value Experts Warn: Think Before You Improve!
Misunderstanding your home’s value could lead you to make wrong or costly decisions.
Most Americans watching mortgage rates rise are deciding that now is the time to buy or sell before it’s too late. Whether you want to sell, or just improve your home’s value before you tap into your equity, here are five things experts suggest you consider before calling your bank or putting the ‘for sale’ sign on your lawn.
Make Only Renovations That Count.
Experts agree that the right renovations, especially bathrooms and kitchens, affect the marketability of your home. Bathrooms have become a popular remodeling choice, and for good reason— they have the highest rate of return of any home addition or home remodel. Real estate agents agree that a gleaming kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances, cork or hardwood flooring, stone countertop and lots of cupboard space can sell a house the instant a prospective buyer sees it. Conversely, a cramped, ill-lit kitchen with outdated linoleum and harvest gold appliances might actually scare buyers away.
Improve What You Can’t Renovate.
If you can't afford to renovate, update and refresh key rooms instead. Replacing an old countertop, repainting cupboards and walls, and installing new door pulls and lighting make big improvements to your kitchen for a very modest price. Similar touches increase the appeal of older bathrooms, too. Fresh paint throughout your home is another low-cost, high-return project — it makes everything look cleaner and brighter, and buyers love a house they won't have to redecorate immediately.
Maintain Where You Can.
Depending on the age of your house, you can expect to spend between one and three percent of its value every year on maintenance and repair. Your
maintenance budget should increase as your house ages, so remember to include funds to replace major systems as required. Foundations and roofs are things that are difficult to inspect, but in the long run minor repairs can save you about ten times the cost of work necessary to replace or rebuild.
Don’t Overimprove.
Before you commit to any big project, ask, “Is this three-car garage or pool out of character for my neighborhood?” If the answer is yes—you may be consigning your house to an oddity status. If your house is improved beyond the scope of all the neighborhood homes that surrounds it, it is likely that the value of your home won’t be realized when it comes time to sell.
Do Your Home Value Homework.
Many sites promising to give you the value of your home don’t deliver, but at http://www.domania.com you can use their Value Check tool to get an instant valuation from a real estate professional that includes a value range and neighborhood statistics. If you want to “value it yourself” at Domania, you can search through their database of 28 million historical home price records. Searching by price, by location or by address you’ll develop a better understanding of neighborhood trends—and if you look hard enough—what your neighbor paid for their house.
About the Author: The editorial staff of Domania lives and breathes home values. Find more advice and real estate tools at http://www.domania.com
Source: www.isnare.com
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