Archive for the ‘Home Improvement’ Category

• Jan 1

  Flipping Houses: Going the Extra Mile

  Flipping houses isn’t just about making an old house inhabitable – it’s about making it more appealing to buyers than any other listing. To that end, there are a few simple flourishes that you can add to your house to really make it catch a buyer’s eye. If you want to get the most out of your next real estate investment, make sure it has these fantastic features:

  • Cable jacks in every room. There is nothing more irritating than having to thread a coaxial cable through closets and around baseboard heaters just to get a TV to work in a bedroom. If you’ve already stripped the walls off of your real estate investment, do your future buyer a major favor and wire all of your bedrooms and your living room with cable jacks. Installing multiple outlets might seem like a bit of a chore, but you’ll see a nice return on your property value for your efforts.
  • A heated towel rock in the master bathroom. Heated towel racks work by pumping hot water through a series of hollow tubes. Plumbing a bathroom for one of these devices is as simple as tapping into the hot water and return lines. If you’re doing major pipe repairs anyway, why not go the extra mile and add a little luxury to your house?
  • An intercom. Domestic intercoms are pretty nifty devices, especially in large homes. They’re a great way for a family to communicate with one another without shouting, and they can even be used to play music throughout the home. You can install loudspeakers in the family room and office walls for a few hundred dollars if your budget is tight. They’re easy to put in, and they’ll raise your property value noticeably.

  These finishing touches might require a little more time and effort than you feel like spending when rehabbing properties, but when you’re trying to attract a buyer, every little thing helps. Remember, the extra mile is always worth the walk – if your feet can handle it.

  Tags: Flipping houses, property value
  Posted in Home Improvement | No Comments »

• Dec 28

  4 Property Value-Boosting “Presents” for Your House

  This holiday season, why not show your real estate investment how much you care by giving it a little gift? A few domestic upgrades like a new sink or toilet will boost your property value, and these additions will make your real estate investment much more comfortable to live in – even if you aren’t selling it. Consider adding these four items to your holiday wish list.

  1)    A new front door. Believe it or not, a new front door is the best way to boost your property value for the money. Since it’s a highly visible feature, don’t be afraid to splurge on a nice steel or oak door with glass panels installed. Your curb appeal will skyrocket, and your house will be better insulated as well.

  2)    A fancy faucet for the kitchen sink. Whether your kitchen is country rustic or metropolitan modern, you can always use an elegant new faucet. Aesthetics play a major part in how a buyer determines a home’s value, and the kitchen is one of the most heavily trafficked areas in any house. As a result, you want to make sure it’s pretty enough to appear in a magazine.

  3)    A few buckets of top-shelf paint. If you’re selling a home this season, you should already be planning on repainting your walls with neutral shades. Why not take advantage of the holiday season and invest in some high-quality paint for your real estate investment? Try using lighter colors with small rooms to open them up. Use darker shades with open spaces to make them seem cozier.

  4)    A hardwood floor. Replacing the carpet in your home with wood or laminate flooring isn’t cheap or easy, but the investment will be worth it when it comes time to sell your house. Wood floors last much longer than carpet and are typically regarded by buyers as the most attractive style of flooring. Installing it will do a lot for your property value.

  Your home has kept you warm and safe for years, so why not reward it with some holiday presents? You should already be considering investing in a few domestic upgrades if you’re selling a home, and now’s the perfect time to pick up some presents that will really enhance your house’s property value.

  Tags: property value, real estate investment
  Posted in Home Improvement | No Comments »

• Dec 27

  4 Ways to Winterize Your Real Estate Investment

  The weather outside may not be frightful yet, but it certainly will be soon. Smart real estate investors should take advantage of the mild temperatures to get their homes ready for the snow and ice. Here are four ways to make sure your real estate investment stays cozy and safe all winter long.

   

  1)    Tune up your furnace. The last thing you want is for your home’s heating system to break down in the middle of the winter. Call in an HVAC specialist to inspect your furnace and ducts. Stock up on furnace filters, and remove anything around your heater that might catch fire after prolonged exposure to the ambient heat.

   

  2)    Seal interior leaks. Blocking interior leaks is important if you want to keep your home well insulated this season. Try holding a lit candle near your windows, door frames and electrical outlets. If the flame flickers or the smoke moves in unexpected ways, you know you’ve got some caulking to do. Tacky rope also works well as a quick-fix alternative.

   

  3)    Reverse your fan. If you’ve got a ceiling fan in your house, you can switch its direction in order to aid with heat distribution. Rather than pulling all the hot air upwards, the fan will force it downwards throughout the room. It’s a great way to reduce your heating bill, one that not enough homeowners know about.

   

  4)    Clean your gutters. You’re running out of time to scrape that leafy gunk out of your gutters, so grab a pair of gloves and a ladder and get to work. Blockages in your drainage system are bad enough, but if that sludge freezes, it could warp or even break your gutters. Worse, ice dams can cause water to seep under the shingles and into the house. If your property is located in an area where ice has been a problem in recent years, gutter heaters may be a worthwhile investment.

   

  If you haven’t taken these steps to prepare your real estate investment for winter, you should put them at the top of your list. This season won’t be kind to houses, especially empty ones, so it’s important for real estate investors to do everything they can to ensure that their properties stay warm and safe until the spring.

  Tags: real estate investment, real estate investors
  Posted in Home Improvement | No Comments »

• Dec 25

  Flipping Houses: How to Make Your Real Estate Investment Pet-Friendly

  If you’re rehabbing properties in a neighborhood with a lot of pets, it’s a good idea to make sure that your real estate investment is a suitable home not just for people, but for cats and dogs too. Making your house comfortable for Fido and Whiskers isn’t hard if you know what you’re doing. Here are a few ways you can start preparing your home for pets:

   

  • Put latches on your low cabinets. Pets love to explore, but there are some places they just shouldn’t be allowed – like into the cabinets where families keep their cleaning agents and other chemicals. Installing latches or locking handles on all of your low cupboards and cabinets will score you major points with pet owners and families with small children.
  • Install an invisible fence. Instead of spending thousands of dollars to surround your yard with a wooden or metal fence, why not install an invisible one instead? These devices are a humane and effective way to keep pets and check, and they’ll definitely boost your property value if your buyer has a dog or is planning on buying one.
  • Cover your heating vents. You don’t want any pets falling into your heating manifolds, so make sure to cover them. Vent covers aren’t expensive, and they can be installed in minutes. Just make sure you get a grill that’s small enough to prevent tiny paws from slipping through.
  • Consider a doggie door. A doggie door would seem like an obvious upgrade when you’re flipping houses and trying to be pet-friendly. But these installations are major heat sinks. If your property is in a warm climate, a doggie door could be a welcome addition to your real estate investment, but if your winters are harsh, you should leave them out of the equation.

  Making your real estate investment pet-friendly is a great idea if your neighborhood belongs to the cats and dogs. Many of the safety features you install will also be appealing to families with babies and toddlers, so don’t hesitate to make these upgrades the next time you’re flipping houses.

  Tags: Flipping houses, real estate investment
  Posted in Home Improvement, Home Selling | No Comments »

• Dec 13

  4 Investments That Seem like They’ll Raise Your Property Value (But Won’t)

  Many people justify remodeling their homes by convincing themselves that they’re boosting their property value. Unfortunately, there are a few home modifications that will never recoup their initial costs. If you’re selling a home this season, make sure to avoid these four bad investments:

  1)    A Swimming Pool – A swimming pool is far and away the poorest real estate investment a homeowner can make. Although they’re rewarding to use, they’re also very costly to maintain, and as a result many buyers will refuse to pay more for a house just because it has a pool. When you consider that the going rate for an in-ground pool is around $30,000, it all becomes clear: this is one luxury that you should simply forget. A pool won’t help your property value.

  2)    Gaudy décor – Colorful paint jobs and lots of assorted knick knacks might be your style, but they’re sure to be a turn-off for any interested buyers. When selling a home, you should make it look as neutral as possible. This means avoiding bold patterns, screamingly bright colors and anything you think looks “exotic.” Seriously, you’ll thank us later.

  3)    New Windows – Installing new argon-filled windows in your house is a great way to improve its insulation, but a poor way to raise your property value. Double rung windows cost at least $200 per item plus a hefty installation fee that you won’t see a return on. Unless your windows are so bad that they’re detracting from your property value, its best to leave them alone.

  4)    Landscaping – Gardens are great, but you’ll never recoup the cost of planting one, even if your buyer has a green thumb. The same goes for hardscaping like stone walls, paths and fences. While they look pretty, buyers won’t add them into their value equation when making you an offer.

  These real estate investments aren’t necessarily bad financial decisions. If you want a swimming pool or an elaborate garden because you enjoy them, then by all means spend your money. However, if the only reason you’re putting money into these things is to see a return on your property value, you should make the right decision and keep your wallet in your pocket.

  Tags: property value, selling a home
  Posted in Home Improvement, Home Selling | No Comments »

• Dec 1

  3 Ways to Increase Your Long-Term Property Value

  When remodeling a house, you should always consider how your investments will affect your home’s property value. Every upgrade you give your house will increase its property value to a certain degree, but some projects will boost your sticker price more significantly (and permanently) than others. Here are three investments that are sure to add long-lasting value to your real estate investment:

   

  1. Lay some wood. Hardwood floors might not be as cheap as carpeting, but they’re an investment you’ll be glad you made. Not only are hardwood floors more appealing to buyers than carpeting, they’re more resilient and easier to maintain. A well made wood floor can even outlast your house itself and is sure to add thousands of dollars to your property value.

   

  1. Stir up a new kitchen. A kitchen is a home’s command center and remodeling the one in your real estate investment will increase your property value dramatically. You don’t need to go big on this project, since modestly upgraded kitchens recoup more of their value than lavishly decked out ones, but you should try to maximize your kitchen’s aesthetic appeal as much as your budget allows. Try installing stainless steel appliances, contemporary faucets and, if you have the space, an island.

   

  1. Open a door. Believe it or not, new entry doors are the best way to raise your property value for the price. Installing a $1,000 steel door to the outside will boost up your real estate investment’s sticker price by $1,500, so if you’re selling a home this season make sure to upgrade all of your exits.

  The best investments to increase your long-term property value are the ones that last the longest themselves. Steel doors, wood floors and new countertops will last for lifetimes after they’re installed and that’s a major selling point for buyers. Pro tip: look for upgrades that come with warranties that can be transferred to the new owner.

  Tags: home improvement, increase property value, property value
  Posted in Home Improvement | No Comments »

• Nov 30

  Rehabbing Properties: Feel the Heat

  If you’re into flipping houses and want to get a foreclosure ready to sell before winter puts a lockdown on the market, then you should have heat on your mind. With the temperature steadily dropping, you’re going to need a functional heating system installed in your real estate investment if you want keep buyers interested for more than a few seconds. Here are a few different ways to bring the heat in your house:

   

  • Forced Air Systems. Forced Air is far and away the most popular and affordable type of domestic heating system used in modern homes. It works by blowing air that has been heated in a special furnace throughout a system of ducts and out of registers located in the rooms of a house. If your real estate investment already has these ducts installed, upgrading your heat can be as simple as replacing the furnace with a newer, more powerful model. If you don’t have any ducts, however, you might be better off saving the money it would cost to install them and using an alternative heating system instead.

   

  • Radiant Heat. Before the invention of forced air systems, radiant heat was the standard for houses everywhere. It works by forcing water that’s been heated in your house’s boiler through a system of thin pipes. As the water cools in the pipes, it radiates heat and raises the room temperature. There are several different ways to incorporate a radiant heating system into your home. While many houses use sheathed baseboard units that run along a wall in every room to radiate heat, these can easily be upgraded to a more modern system where the heating tubes are installed under the floor itself. This method is much less intrusive and will distribute the heat more evenly through your house.

   

  • Steam Heat. Steam heat was the first commercially produced heating system on the market and many older homes and apartments continue to use it today. Like radiant heat, steam heat works through the process of boiling water and then distributing it into mechanical heating units. Unlike radiant heat, steam heat requires the use of large, cast iron radiators that can withstand the pressure of the superheated steam inside of them. These radiators, while affordable, can be unsightly and dangerous and are best replaced with a radiant heating system if you’re flipping a house.

  When rehabbing properties that need a heating upgrade, a forced air system should always be your first choice. The furnaces they use are affordable, interchangeable and will run on any type of fuel. If your real estate investment doesn’t have the ducts required for forced air, then always go with a radiant heating system over a steam-powered one.

  Tags: home improvement
  Posted in Home Improvement | No Comments »

• Nov 25

  4 Ways to Reduce Your Power Bill This Season

  As the days get shorter and the weather gets steadily colder, homeowners across the country will see their power bills increase dramatically. Heating and lighting your real estate investment through the late fall and winter can cost you thousands if you’re reckless. So don’t be! Here are a few steps you can take to help keep your heating and power bills to a minimum:
  

  1. Pull the plug. Did you know that even when a device or appliance is turned off it’s still drawing power? Things like televisions, home theater equipment and stereos actually run in “standby” mode when you leave them plugged in, and they can draw as much energy as a 100-watt light bulb. If you remember to switch off your power strips or unplug the individual devices, you can easily save $10 a month on your electric bill.
  2. Put your computer to sleep. Much like car engines, a computer uses more energy during startup and shutdown than it does when it’s left to continuously run in a low-power state. Instead of shutting your computer down, try putting it into hibernation mode instead. You’ll save money on your power bill, and because you won’t have to boot up quite so often, you’ll save time too.
  3. Use small space heaters. Don’t crank up the thermostat every time your real estate investment gets a little chilly. Small, portable space heaters can warm a bedroom in minutes, and when used wisely they can save you hundreds a month on your heating bill. You can pick them up at any department store for less than $20 per unit.
  4. Upgrade your windows. Do you have double-paned argon-filled windows in your home? If you don’t, they’re definitely worth considering. Not only will they save you 9.8 tons of heat annually, they’ll also boost your property value significantly.

  The weather might be extreme this season, but that doesn’t mean your power bill has to be. If you take the right steps to insulate your real estate investment and remember to unplug your appliances when they aren’t being used, you can keep your wallet stuffed and your property value high.

   

  Tags: property value, real estate investment
  Posted in Home Improvement, Home Maintenance | No Comments »

• Nov 15

  Flipping Houses: Must-Haves for the Modern Kitchen

  These days a kitchen isn’t just the place where food is made – it’s the command center of the entire house. If you’re in the business of rehabbing properties, you need to make sure that your kitchen is in good shape before listing your real estate investment on the market. Here are a few things every marketable kitchen includes:

  • An Island. Islands and standalone counters have become the norm in contemporary kitchens, and if your real estate investment has the floor space, there’s no excuse for not installing one. While many islands are built directly into the kitchen floor, if you’ve already installed your flooring you can find a wide variety of “aftermarket” islands – with feet attached – at your local home supply retailer.

   

  • A Stunning Sink. The kitchen sink isn’t the boring old function-over-form installation it used to be. If you’ve been flipping houses for a while then you’re well aware that lavish and curvaceous faucets are a major selling point with buyers. Even the most affordable designer faucets will add significant property value to your real estate investment, so you should make sure to pick one up.

   

  • Eco-Friendly Appliances. If you’re remodeling your kitchen, you can increase your property value by thousands if you’re willing to go green. Energy-efficient dishwashers, magnetic-induction cooking ranges and tiles made from recycled glass or vinyl are a great way to appeal to the environmentalist in everyone, and they’re guaranteed to be a hit with buyers.

   

  • Steel. Lots of Steel. In the past, stainless steel appliances were a commodity to be found mainly in ultramodern houses. But as more and more consumers began to associate a steel finish with quality, brushed-metal appliances steadily gained popularity. Now they can be found in every type of home, from Spanish revivals to Bauhaus bungalows. Needless to say, if you’re replacing your stove or refrigerator then you should spring for stainless steel models. After all, you’re guaranteed to make back the difference when it comes time to close the sale.

  When it comes to remodeling the kitchen in your real estate investment, the progressive approach is best. No matter the style and theme of your house, buyers will be looking for modern aesthetics and convenience in the kitchen, so make sure to incorporate eco-friendly technology, an artfully designed sink and as much stainless steel as you can find.

  Tags: Flipping houses, property value, real estate investment
  Posted in Home Improvement | No Comments »

• Nov 8

  4 Ways to Make Your Home More Secure

  Security is a major concern for homeowners these days. Taking steps to ensure your real estate investment is protected from intruders won’t just make your home safer for your family – it will increase your property value as well. Here are some ways you can step up security on your real estate investment:

   

  1)     Invest in new locks. Not only is a lock upgrade one of the most affordable steps you can take to protect your real estate investment, it’s also one of the most effective. Nothing keeps a home safer than a new set of locks. You can pick up a new set for your house at any home supply retailer for less than $100. They’ll only take a few hours to install, and they’ll give your property value a major boost.

   

  2)     Light it up. Believe it or not, a good outdoor light setup is more important than just about anything – including visible security cameras – when it comes to deterring burglars. Mounting a few motion-sensing light rigs near your front and back doors is a great way to catch unwanted visitors off guard and to alert your neighbors that something’s amiss. On top of that, they’re also really useful for navigating in the darkness.

   

  3)     Get a security system … sign. Home security systems might be the ultimate in residential safety, but they’re also the ultimate in cost. If you don’t have a few thousand lying around to install one of these systems, a sneaky alternative is to just go ahead and post one of their signs in your yard anyway. Thieves tend to avoid houses that advertise their security, and they won’t know any better. On the other hand, if you have the money to install a real security system, you could see a nice rise in your property value when it comes time to sell the home.

   

  4)     Find a Fido. Dogs are excellent home security assets, even if they’re pint-sized. A dog’s keen ears and nose will detect an intruder long before a human would, and they’ll be sure to make noise – either joyful or vicious – as soon as they sense a disturbance. Like spotlights, a barking dog will alert a thief that he’s suddenly being watched, and that should be enough to deter most wannabe crooks.

  Protecting your real estate investment isn’t just good for your family – it’s also great for your property value. Buyers like to know that their home is safe, and if you invest in these measures now, you’ll see a nice financial return on closing day. That’s definitely some peace of mind!

  Tags: home improvement, home security
  Posted in Home Improvement | No Comments »