Posts Tagged ‘home improvement’

• Sep 4

  4 Ways to Increase Your Home’s Curb Appeal: Fall Edition.

  Selling a home in the fall means dealing with challenging weather and temperatures that may negatively impact your curb appeal. If you want to make your real estate investment profitable, you need to make sure the outside of your home looks more appealing than ever. Here are four ways you can your boost your property’s curb appeal this fall:

   

  1)    Plant a Tree. It’s never too late to add a little green to your garden. While the time for herbs and flowers may be over, fall is a prime time to pick up an evergreen or deciduous tree from your local greenhouse or home supply retailer. Planting a tree is a great way to increase both visual appeal and property value.

   

  2)    Get Festive. A well-decorated home is a marketable one, and a few nice decorations will go a long way towards helping potential buyers visualize your house as their dream home. You don’t need to break the bank to add some fall flair to your house either – a seasonal wreath and a few pumpkins will do nicely.

   

  3)    Rake and Rake Again. Falling leaves are any real estate investment’s worst enemy, and if your house is going on the market this autumn, you should do everything in your power to keep the yard clean. Regular raking will help keep the loads light and your lawn clear. If you feel there are too many leaves to handle, try investing in a mower or a leaf blower with a mulching attachment. If you have a very large yard, hire a landscaping company. Their powerful wheeled blowers can clear your entire yard in about an hour.

   

  4)    Get Some New Siding. Dirty and worn siding is one of the biggest turn-offs for many buyers, and the gray skies of autumn can make it look even dingier. While new siding certainly isn’t a cheap fix, it’s worth the investment to make sure your home is at its absolute best before putting it on the market.

   

  While fall might be one of the messier seasons to sell your home, keeping your curb appeal high can help your house outshine the competition. Just remember that a little hard work and a festive spirit go a long way.

  Tags: home improvement, selling your home
  Posted in Home Improvement, Home Selling | No Comments »

• Sep 1

  Back to School: 4 Projects to Keep You Busy

  The new school year is under way, and now that the kids are occupied, you can use your free time to get your home ready for the fall. There’s a lot of work to be done to make sure your house is ready for the changing seasons, but it will go quickly if you pace yourself. Here are four afternoon projects that will keep your property value high through the fall:

   

  1)    Grab A Paintbrush. Autumn afternoons are perfect for throwing a new coat of paint on those old walls. A new color can really change the feel of a room. While homes with neutral-colored walls tend to sell better, using warm earth tones will make your house seem much cozier.

   

  2)    Clean Those Gutters. Now that the leaves are falling, cleaning out your gutters should be a weekly routine. Gutters loaded with too many leaves are prone to blockage and can damage your real estate investment. If you remember to clean them out regularly, you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble in the long run.

   

  3)    Rake the Lawn. The fall leaves might look beautiful, but they can be a pain if you let them pile up. Nobody likes spending an entire day out in the yard with a rake, and that’s why it pays to tidy up as often as you can. It’ll only take an hour or two of your time.

   

  4)    Clear Out the Garage. Now’s a good time to move all those pool toys to the shed or basement to make room for football cleats and field hockey sticks. And here’s an important tip: to cut the risk of an accidental fire, be sure to empty the gasoline out of your weed whacker and lawnmower.

   

  Taking care of your home or real estate investment in the fall doesn’t have to be a hassle. If you just take some time to clean up while the kids are in class, you’ll keep your house clean and cozy – and your property value high – all season long.

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

• May 15

  Real Estate Flipping Tips: Renovating 101

  If you’re interested in flipping homes, chances are you’ve read a ton of real estate flipping tips and learned the best ways to increase your property value. One great way to add thousands of dollars onto the property value of a home is to make major renovations. However, you’ll want to be absolutely certain that you can make money on the project. In fact, some renovations may even cause you to lose money in the long run. Before you renovate a property, read these real estate flipping tips to make sure you’re making the right decision:

  • Finished basements and attics. One of the easiest ways to add square footage and increase the property value of a home you’re flipping is to finish the attic or basement and turn it into living space. Whether the space becomes an extra bedroom or a “bonus room,” this is a massive undertaking and may even require making some structural changes.
  • Adding a room. Another way to get more square footage is to add an entirely new room to the home, extending it further to the side or back. Adding a room is an even larger project than finishing an existing space within the home. Think twice before you add on a room – while it may help a one-bedroom home sell to convert it into a two-bedroom, it may not help with larger homes.
  • Open it up. Real estate flipping tips will often mention making the home look large and airy by using paint and light. However, if the home is dark and crowded, these visual tricks may not be enough. One way to make a home seem more open is to literally open it up – by knocking down a few walls. Before you get started, you’ll want to work with a contractor to make sure you’re not tearing down load-bearing walls that are vital to the structure of the home.
  • Keep up with the neighbors. Before you make any major renovations, especially ones that add square footage, make sure you take a look at other homes in the neighborhood. If you’re making the home too large or too expensive compared to the other homes in the area, you risk not selling the home or losing money on your flip.

  Major renovations can help improve the property value of a home – but can also make it impossible to sell. Make sure you do your homework before you proceed with large project. Having a budget can help you ensure that you’ll recoup all your money from the flip and make the entirely process easier.

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

• Apr 22

  Real Estate Flipping Tips: Bedrooms 101

  The average person spends about a third of their life asleep, so when you’re flipping real estate, you should keep that in mind. Reading real estate flipping tips can help give you a good idea of what changes you can make in a bedroom to make it appealing to potential buyers. When you’re fixing up homes, make sure you follow some basic real estate flipping tips for bedrooms:

  • Keep it neutral. As we’ve mentioned before, neutral paint allows your potential buyers to showcase their own sense of style. Bedrooms in particular should remain neutral, since you’ll have no idea about the person who will be living there. Even though powder blue may be your favorite color, a little girl who loves princesses may not find it as appealing.
  • Update the lighting. One simple change that has a big impact in a bedroom is the lighting. While most real estate flipping tips will tell you to keep your home bright and airy, the bedroom may be one exception. Think about putting in a dimmer switch to make the room more romantic and soft. A ceiling fan is another welcome addition, particularly in warmer climates.
  • Consider carpeting. Even if you’ve uncovered gorgeous hardwood floors throughout the home, you may want to keep the bedrooms carpeted. It can help them look relaxing and comfortable – just what you want out of a bedroom.
  • Add small details. Small touches can make a big difference to the look of a bedroom. Next time you’re flipping real estate, consider adding crown molding or a chair rail to the bedrooms. It can make them look nicer with very little effort.
  • Doublecheck the closets. Closet space is a must in any bedroom. If the closets are small, consider adding more closet space somewhere else. If you absolutely can’t find a spot with more space, installing a few pre-made racks or shelves may help a small closet become more appealing.

  When you’re flipping real estate, it pays to put time and energy into every room in the house. Although the bedrooms may not bring in as much money as kitchens and bathrooms, they can still help sway a potential buyer. Make sure your bedrooms are top-notch and you’ll be sure to sell quickly.

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

• Apr 19

  Real Estate Flipping Tips: Walls 101

  Real estate flipping tips cover everything from kitchen renovations to updating lighting fixtures. Of course, if you’re rehabbing properties, one of the most important things to focus on is the walls. If you get the walls wrong, you may miss out on making a sale. Next time you’re rehabbing properties, follow these simple real estate flipping tips to make sure your walls are picture-perfect:

  • Look for obvious signs of damage. Before you get started, go through the entire house looking for signs of damage. Any large cracks in the walls should be checked to make sure they’re not a sign of structural damage. Brown stains, particularly near the ceilings or windows, could be a sign of water damage – so keep an eye out for the source. Spots of mold or mildew are particularly common in bathrooms.
  • Repair any cracks or holes. Small cracks and holes are fairly easy to fix yourself. Small nail holes and cracks can be fixed with spackle, while larger cracks may need tape and joint compound. Larger holes will typically require a piece of sheetrock and a sheetrock saw to ensure complete coverage.
  • Check the texture. Walls and ceilings with a particularly ugly texture may require some TLC. Popcorn ceilings are often hiding cracks or other damage and may need to be scraped off to uncover the ugly truth. Textured walls can be covered up by applying joint compound, then painted over.
  • Wallpaper woes? If you’re rehabbing properties and you discover truly terrible wallpaper, you have two choices: tear it down or paint over it. While tearing it down may take more time, it will ultimately result in a more appealing wall. However, some wallpaper simply refuses to come off (or is covering up dozens of layers of paper). In that case, consider painting over it.
  • Contemplate your color. While white is always a safe choice, you can feel free to expand into the entire world of neutrals. Traditional real estate flipping tips will tell you to stay light – and they’re right. Dark or overly bright paint can make your house look dull or clownish. Neither gives off the impression you’re hoping for. Sticking with neutrals will allow your potential buyers to imagine themselves living there and incorporating their own style – rather than yours.

  Walls make up a huge part of a home. Making sure they’re in good condition and appealing to buyers can go a long way in helping your flipped home sell. Next time you’re rehabbing properties, make sure you follow these real estate flipping tips for walls.

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

• Apr 4

  Real Estate Flipping Tips: Flooring 101

  From tiles to carpet to hardwood floors, flooring can be a huge expense when you’re flipping real estate. Reading up on real estate flipping tips for floors can save you money and time in the long run. Next time you’re doing a flip, why not try one of these real estate flipping tips for floors:

  • Check for hardwood. Many older homes that are carpeted have decent hardwood floors underneath the carpet pads. Before you make plans for a new floor, check to see if there might be hardwood floors lurking below that ugly shag carpeting.
  • Decide if you actually need new floors. Many carpets can be salvaged with a decent professional cleaning. Smelly carpets can sometimes be fixed with baking soda and time. Bathroom and kitchen floors may just need to be thoroughly cleaned or grouted again for an entirely new look. When you’re flipping real estate, consider cleaning or refinishing the floors before you make the call to replace the flooring. If you’re going to be doing lots of flips, you may even consider purchasing a carpet cleaner.
  • Stay simple. If you do decide to replace the floors, remember to keep them neutral. Don’t install a busy kitchen floor or bright blue carpet, no matter how much it appeals to you. Sticking with neutral tones will ensure that potential buyers won’t strongly object to a cosmetic issue.
  • Do the work yourself. You can save a lot of money by doing some or all of the labor yourself. Hiring contractors will eat up your budget quickly, so try to do as much as possible with friends or family as your crew.
  • Consider the neighbors. Do the neighbors all have hardwood? If so, you’ll probably want to stick with wooden floors. Make sure the new flooring is comparable with the rest of the homes in the area or you risk the home selling for less than other properties on the block.

  Flooring is a large part of any flip, but by reading up on real estate flipping tips for floors, you can be sure that you’ll save time, money and frustration. If you’re flipping real estate, make sure you focus on the floors and you’ll be sure to sell quickly.

  Tags: flooring tips, home improvement, home selling
  Posted in Home Improvement | No Comments »

• Mar 25

  Real Estate Flipping Tips: Bathrooms 101

  Real estate investors can make huge profits purchasing cheap homes and flipping them into gorgeous properties that buyers will snap up. If you want to flip a house, you’ll want to follow some simple real estate flipping tips to ensure that buyers are enamored with your property. One of the smallest areas in the home also has the biggest impact: bathrooms. A well-designed, modern bathroom can convert potential buyers into a sale.

  To get your bathroom looking clean and beautiful, follow these real estate flipping tips:

  • Put in some elbow grease. Don’t replace anything in the bathroom until you’ve tried scrubbing it. A little baking soda goes a long way in revamping sinks, tubs and shower doors. Try sprinkling some baking soda on problem areas, then spritzing with vinegar to make a cleaning solution that works wonders.
  • Revamp a dingy toilet. Rusty or brown toilets are unattractive and gross. You can make your toilet look new again with the help of a little bleach. Let it sit in the toilet bowl for a couple of hours, then scrub. You’ll be amazed at the difference it can make. Replacing the toilet seat also makes the toilet look a lot nicer – so you won’t have to shell out to replace it.
  • Clean up the caulk. If the caulk is stringy or blobby, you should reapply to give it a clean, neat edge. Fresh caulk makes your old tub or vanity look a lot newer.
  • Put in new fixtures. Replacing the old faucets and handles can make a world of different. Go for stainless steel to make your bathroom shine.
  • Keep it bright. If you don’t want to replace the lighting, at least put in new, bright lightbulbs. A bright bathroom looks cleaner and more appealing than a dim one. If you do decide to replace the light fixtures, look for ones that will give lots of light, especially around the mirror.

  If you want to join the ranks of real estate investors who flip houses, follow these real estate flipping tips to get a gorgeous bathroom that buyers will drool over. Making the bathrooms modern can help increase your profits and will let you sell the home quickly. Next time you’re flipping a house, make sure you turn this small room into a house-selling beauty.

  Tags: Flipping houses, home improvement, home selling
  Posted in Home Improvement, Home Selling | No Comments »

• Mar 23

  Real Estate Flipping Tips: Kitchens 101

  Rehabbing properties can be an excellent way to garner a large profit. If you’re going to start rehabbing properties, it’s important to know which changes will make the biggest impact. Kitchens can often make or break a buyer’s decision to purchase a house. Make sure you’re doing it right when you’re rehabbing properties for profit. Following just a few real estate flipping tips can ensure that you sell the house quickly. Try these real estate flipping tips to make the kitchen look modern and beautiful:

  • Kitchen cabinets. Installing new cabinets can be expensive and time-consuming. Save money by refinishing the existing cabinets. If the cabinets are wood (as opposed to laminate), you can freshen up the color with a new stain. Some cabinets may just need an oil treatment to be brought up to date.
  • Upgrade the lighting. Adding a simple pendant light over an island or kitchen table area can make the entire kitchen look more cozy and modern.
  • Hardware matters. Outdated cabinet and drawer handles can make an entire kitchen look old. Replace the old hardware with new knobs and drawer pulls from a hardware store to make the entire kitchen seem newer.
  • Maximize counter space. You can free up counter space by installing a microwave over the stove or adding an island. If you have the room, a bar can be a nice touch for a kitchen as well.
  • Think about the room. If you do decide to install new cabinetry, stick as close to the original layout of the room as possible, especially the sink, stove and refrigerator. Moving these key staples of the kitchen will require changes to the plumbing or electricity, which is costly.
  • Change up the floors. Keep the kitchen looking bright and modern with new flooring. Try to stay away from busy patterns or bright colors – you don’t want to turn a potential buyer off by instilling too much of your own taste. Neutral is always better.
  • Counters. Disgusting, dingy counters will send potential buyers packing. Update the whole kitchen by installing new counters. If you don’t want to shell out for granite, laminate counters are an excellent option.

  Buyers often feel strongly about the kitchen when they’re looking at homes, so keep that in mind when rehabbing properties. Following a few of these real estate flipping tips can give you a kitchen that sparkles – and will help you close the sale.

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

• Mar 9

  Real Estate Flipping Tips For Your Connecticut Home

  From Old Mystic to New Haven, there are plenty of opportunities for you to purchase a cheap Connecticut home and flip it for profit. Many real estate investors make big bucks by picking up a foreclosed home and making a few simple changes, then reselling it for a dramatically improved price. You can quickly and easily flip a Connecticut home by reading and implementing these simple real estate flipping tips:

  • Focus on renovations that pay. Some renovations make more money than others, it’s as simple as that. Cosmetic changes are usually the ones that will sell your Connecticut home, so spend more time and money on the changes you can see. Don’t waste money updating the basement unless you absolutely have to – you may only see half of the money you put into it once you sell the home.
  • Pay special attention to the “money rooms”. A killer bathroom or kitchen will sell a home. Simple changes, like putting in new tile and fixtures in the bathroom, can net you a huge profit. For kitchens, you can save some money on new cabinetry by refinishing your current cabinets (lighter colors are more appealing to the eye) or simply replacing the doors and handles.
  • Get the details right. One quick change that makes a massive difference is installing crown molding and chair rails. Get extra impact by painting the walls and molding slightly different colors – go with bright white on the molding to make the room look extra elegant and rich.
  • Put your money out front. New doors and windows make a huge impact on a home’s value. You can make your Connecticut home look inviting by placing flowers, bushes and other decorative landscaping in the front yard. Getting bright and cheery flowers to line the path to the front door makes the home look cheerful and homey.

  If you’re hoping to make it big by flipping a Connecticut home, try following some of these real estate flipping tips on your next investment. Adopting just a few tricks that the professionals use can up your ante significantly on your next flip.

  Tags: Connecticut real estate, Flipping Tips, home improvement, home selling, real estate investing
  Posted in Home Improvement, Home Selling | No Comments »

• Feb 22

  Make Money By Flipping Connecticut Foreclosures

  Connecticut foreclosures are a great chance for new and experienced real estate investors to make a huge profit quickly and easily. Flipping homes can be challenging – if you’ve ever seen an episode of Flip This House, then you know how hard it can be. However, if you keep some of these tips in mind, you’ll be in good shape:

  • Get the property inspected. Before you pick up any Connecticut foreclosures, do your due diligence and have the property inspected. A home may look decent at first glance, but may have some underlying problems that can be prohibitively expensive to fix. Make sure you’re getting the property you want by having a qualified home inspector give the home a once-over.
  • Minor renovations can mean big bucks. Something as simple as updating the bathroom with new fixtures can make Connecticut foreclosures more appealing to potential buyers. Sometimes, all a home needs is a fresh coat of paint and new floors to boost the value by thousands of dollars.
  • Focus on curb appeal. You should put at least 10% of your total budget into landscaping and curb appeal. Make sure the home looks decent from the outside, and people will be more inclined to purchase your newly-flipped property.
  • Location is most important. Flipping Connecticut foreclosures can make you tons of money, but only if the property is in a good location. You can change the home, but you can’t add more parks, better schools or closer amenities. Look for foreclosures in decent neighborhoods to maximize your investment. While the initial property may be more expensive, it will make it easier to sell down the road.

  Make a big bang for your buck by flipping Connecticut foreclosures. Pick up a property on the cheap and make a few upgrades to see your investment multiply.

  Tags: Connecticut real estate, Flipping houses, Home Buying, home improvement, real estate investing
  Posted in Home Buying, Uncategorized | No Comments »