Home Values Go Through The Ceiling!

Homeowners should be cautious in their selection of home improvements in terms of their ability to attract buyers and improve their homes’ value. In 2011, U.S. homeowners recouped 58 cents for each remodeling dollar spent, on average, compared with a 76% return on new projects in 2005. Of course, some projects do better than others. For instance, replacing a front door with a 20-gauge steel door not only increases “curb appeal,” but the improvement also returned an average 73%…

Is Your House Showing Its Age?

In this current real estate competitive climate, sellers want to do everything they can to gain an advantage. With buyers having their pick of so many properties, they are often reluctant to choose those that require updating. With this in mind, sellers are strongly encouraged to replace or refurbish any features in their homes that look dated. Outdated kitchens and bathrooms are the first places to look. Chipped laminated countertops, old refrigerators and other kitchen appliances, and worn vanities…

Repair and Rehab

Buyers with their sights set on a “fixer-upper” should consider a HUD-approved FHA home loan known as the 203K that combines funds for the home mortgage with money for repairs, rehab, and improvement in one closing. The mortgage amount is based on the projected value of the property with the work completed. The FHA 203K must be used for a borrower’s primary residence, either a single-family home, 2-4 unit property townhouse (as long as one is owner occupied), and…

2011-2012 Cost vs. Value: Which Remodeling Projects Pay Off the Most?

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

When tackling home remodeling projects, you’ll find some projects pay off more than others at times of resale. Remodeling Magazine, in conjunction with REALTOR® Magazine, recently released findings of its annual Cost vs. Value report for 2011-2012, revealing which remodeling projects offer the biggest bang for your buck.

Overall, the trend right now is replacement over remodeling–swapping out the old for the new rather than doing a total gut job, which can be much more…

Home Values Go Through The Ceiling

Homeowners should be cautious in their selection of home improvements in terms of their ability to attract buyers and improve their homes’ value. In 2011, U.S. homeowners recouped 58 cents for each remodeling dollar spent, on average, compared with a 76% return on new projects in 2005. Of course, some projects do better than others. For instance, replacing a front door with a 20-gauge steel door not only increases “curb appeal,” but the improvement also returned an average 73%…

What Do You Consider Affordable?

One measure that experts use to gauge housing affordability is known as the “Median Multiple,” which is the annual pre-tax median house price divided by the median household income. Generally speaking, in the decades following the Second World War, a ratio below 3.0 has been considered to be the benchmark of affordability. Therefore, it may come as welcome news that this ratio recently registered a 2.6 after having reached higher than 5.0 during the recent housing bubble. This is…

Green Bathroom Remodeling

If you want to make sure your bathroom remodeling project is as green as possible, here’s how to save energy, conserve resources, and protect your budget.

It’s all about the water

Thinking about greening your bathroom means considering how you use water in terms of consumption and energy. According to the American Water Works Association, your humble toilets are the thirstiest water users in the house, accounting for 27% of consumption. This fact inspired conservation schemes like placing something hefty in…

6 Green Kitchen Remodeling Tips

Turn your kitchen remodel bright green with these six resource-conserving tips.
1. Salvage nontraditional items for new kitchen storage.
Reuse is the gold standard for green remodeling, and a little creativity goes a long way. Banks of old school lockers or lab cabinets, for example, are a hot salvage item for retro-flavored kitchen storage.
2. Reuse stuff from your old kitchen.
Take a hard look to see if there are things you can keep—appliances, cabinets, hardware, faucets, and sinks are all candidates for…

Saving Money with Salvaged Building Materials

Salvaged building materials allow you to improve your home inexpensively—but might require an extra investment of time and energy.

Recycled building materials are getting easier to find

According to the Building Materials Reuse Association, recycling is becoming more common in the construction industry. That means reclaimed building elements like doors, windows, plumbing fixtures, and wood flooring are increasingly easy to find.

Habitat for Humanity’s nationwide chain of ReStores sells recycled items, and many cities have architectural salvage yards. Online, neighbors advertise unwanted…

LED Holiday Lights: 6 Need-to-Know Tips

LED holiday lights vs. old-fashioned bulbs: 6 tips to help you decide which is right for you.

1. LED holiday lights save you money. LED lights use at least 90% less energy than traditional holiday lights, according to the U.S. government’s Energy Star program.

That results in a $50 energy savings for the average family during the holidays, says Avital Binshtock of the Sierra Club in San Francisco.

Put it into perspective: The amount of electricity consumed by one 7-watt incandescent bulb…