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Thinking Smart about Home Improvements

Monday, July 7, 2014
by Tom Stachler,ABR,CDPE - Group One Realty Team

Summer is the perfect time to think about Home improvements, but thinking smart about home improvements is critical. Use these guidelines when trying decide what home projects to tackle next:

 

  • The first thing to think about is the return on your investment. Building an addition is costly and is best weighed against how much longer you plan on owning your home. Understanding how much value a project adds to your home or how much your family will enjoy the new features will help you make a better decision about what projects are worth doing.
  • When considering home improvements, be careful not to price yourself out of the market. Adding a large addition to a home that is in a neighborhood of smaller homes may limit the return that you can get on your investment.
  • Make your money go further. While a complete remodel is nice, often giving the room a "facelift" is a good alternative and is less pricey than the remodel.
  • Adding curb appeal is always a great home improvement project. New flowers, trees, pavers, and more can add a polished appearance to the exterior of a home.
  • Updating appliances and choosing energy efficiency models is always a good idea. Not only will the new appliances help to modernize your home, they will also save money when it comes to energy costs.
  • Instead of adding on to your home, reinventing the existing space is a great way to be smart about a home improvement project. Turning an unused room, attic, or closet into a space that can be used is a great way to make your money go further.
  • Since a bathroom or kitchen remodel can get pretty pricey, a great solution is to replace fixtures and hardware. The change is definitely noticeable and budget-friendly.

Thinking smart about home improvements not only saves time and money, but it also helps to ensure that the homeowners receive the full benefit of their investment.

 

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4 Tips to Setting an Accurate Asking Price

Thursday, July 3, 2014
by Tom Stachler,ABR,CDPE - Group One Realty Team

There are many emotions and tough decisions that are present when selling a Home. Perhaps one of the toughest decisions involves how to price your home. While a seller never wants to price a home too low, they also don't want to price themselves out of the market. Use these four tips to setting an accurate asking price when selling your home:

 

  • Living in an age where information is available in an instant can be both a wonderful and an awful thing. Use the information available by gathering enough data to make a smart decision. Educating yourself about the selling process and local market trends, helps you elect the best asking price.
  • While understanding the current market is a great way to begin, it often takes seeing comparable homes to understand what asking price is appropriate for your home. Ask that your Realtor set up showings for other homes in the area so that you can see what those homes have to offer in relation to their price.
  • A bidding war is a seller's dream. Help to ensure multiple offers on your home by staging it effectively. Showing buyers the potential that your home has will increase the amount of offers that you receive on your home. Also be sure to sell the key features of your home. Mentioning the little touches that make life easier goes a long way in securing offers.
  • Selling a home is an emotional time. When pricing a home, it is important to take your emotions out of the process. Buyers are not interested in paying you for the sentimental value of the home. They only want to secure the perfect home at a fair price.

These four tips to setting an accurate asking price will hopefully provide you with the information that you need to make a decision about the selling price of your home. It is important to remember that your real estate agent is someone that possesses the information to assist you through every step of the process, including determining an accurate asking price. Rely on their experience during this difficult decision.

 

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Creating a Functional Backyard

Thursday, June 26, 2014
by Tom Stachler,ABR,CDPE - Group One Realty Team

Summer is here and with it comes children playing outside, backyard barbecues, and time spent enjoying the summer sun. Creating a functional backyard can be an easy process and is attainable on any budget. Use these tips to create the backyard of your dreams:

  • Adding a deck to a Home helps to extend the indoor living space and greatly adds to the outdoor appeal. In addition to helping to define the space, a deck provides a place for seating, dining, and entertaining. It is estimated that almost 88% of the cost of a deck is recouped when a home is sold.
  • Whether it is constructed from wood, bricks, or stone, a patio provides the perfect setting for outdoor gatherings. This budget-friendly backyard addition can be personalized with a fire ring, flowers, patio furniture, or a wide-variety of other items. Small patios help to create an intimate feel in a garden, while a larger area is ideal for entertaining.
  • Gardens are a great way to add personality and color to a space. Whether it is flowers or vegetables, a garden is something that provides beauty, enjoyment, and produce. Adding a water feature to the garden continues to enhance the space.
  • Adding a sunroom is the ultimate way to create a functional backyard space. A sunroom provides a comfortable way to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature while also containing a protective element during inclement weather. Sunrooms are noted as one of the top ten ways to add value to your home, and coming in at about half of the cost of a regular room, it is easy to see why sunrooms appeals to so many people.
Creating a functional backyard helps to define the outdoor spaces of your home, showcases your personal style, and adds value to your home. With outdoor living spaces being in high demand from home buyers, a little time improving your outdoor spaces could pay off.

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Displaying blog entries 1-3 of 3

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