PorchLight Real Estate Group combines local market knowledge with cutting edge marketing skills. For more information on Denver CO real estate or to do a search for Boulder real estate, visit us online at PorchLightGroup.com.
Thinking of remodeling or renovating? Make sure you do not 'improve' your home out of the neighborhood. It is okay to do this if you want to stay living in it, but if you are making improvements to sell your home at a higher value - beware!
Realtors accept that there is a ceiling in realty prices, no matter which location you live in. The catch-phrase 'location, location, location' is not just for fun; every location has a 'bottom price and a top price'. If you live in a top location area - the sky is the limit - but sadly most of us do not!
If you are living in a lower price area and put in a swimming pool and an outdoor kitchen before you list your house, it will most certainly bring the buyers to your home. It will no doubt bring in offers for your home and all this is good news.
However, while you will be able to sell at the top neighborhood price, the sale price may not reflect the total cost of your improvements.
In order to avoid this error of judgment, ask an expert in the field of neighborhood prices - your local realtor! He or she will be happy to come and advise you on which specific improvements may potentially add value to your specific home in your specific neighborhood.
This is the type of advice that you want if you are improving solely to make money. Many home improvements have been 'analyzed' to see which ones give the best returns on their initial outlay.
For instance, in the 'Money Magazine' they recommend adding a quality deck to bulk up the potential square footage of your property. It should be no larger than the one third the size of your home.
A deck can be transformed into a luxury class fairly inexpensively - outdoor lighting around the deck area, waterproof speakers and an entry via French doors will help. If you use 'cute' strings of outdoor lighting and decorate with potted trees, the deck will have an appealing ambiance.
A report from HomeGain.com suggests that the outlay for updating a kitchen can add double of the initial cost of the improvement to the value of your home. If you have a closet that you can turn into a pantry - go for it!
The pantry is a sought after feature in a kitchen at the moment. Islands are another wished-for feature, although preferably with a secondary function such as a sink or breakfast bar stools.
Once again, keep a ceiling on your prices. If your neighborhood is for the average family, it is not worth investing thousands of dollars in top of the line appliances if this will price your home out of the local market. The report suggests that looks and newness are the most important factors.
- Related Articles
- Related Q&A
- Selecting a Remodeling Contractor for Your Home Improvement Remodeling Project
- Tips on Home Improvement Remodeling
- Home Decorating & Remodeling Questions and Answers
- Home Remodeling, Remodeling Versus Selling
- Common Issues When Buying A Home To Remodel
- Avoiding Common Home Owner Remodeling Mistakes That Can Cost You Tons of Money and Heartache
- Remodeling? Where Should you Start?
- LEED Certification in Your Remodeling and Construction Projects
Before Buying Miami Condos – Some Mortgage ABC’s
By: Mark Ferrer | 27/11/2009Before you look for Miami condos, you must first know the basics. You are about to travel a road most traveled but least completed. The real estate journey is a perilous one; full of challenges to test your patience and determination. And if you're a first-time buyer, make sure you know one of the most and probably the single-most important part of owning a home, the mortgage.
Houses for Sale Cornwall
By: Anna Barrington | 27/11/2009Browse the property sections of the popular residential sales magazines and websites and there are many tempting properties in the idyllic location of Cornwall. You may be doing this whilst sitting at your desk in the big smoke and want to relocate your family for a bit of the good life. But is it all it is cracked up to be. Here we outline some good areas to start your search and some of the pros and cons you will encounter.
How to paint a vinyl Window Replacement, Northern Virginia?
By: John Cvetkovic | 27/11/2009The new, replaced windows attract a lot of emphasis on to them and thus they have to be kept in the best of forms. The vinyl window panes get eroded with time and thus they need to be colored again. The Windows replacement, Northern Virginia companies take care of this aspect, but still, you will be required to take efforts to color your vinyl window panes.
How to construct a Virginia Deck?
By: John Cvetkovic | 27/11/2009The process of building up a deck can be a hectic process. The deck builders in Virginia can charge you inappropriate amounts. But, what if you do not have the knowledge to build it up, on your own? Or, what if there are a few ambiguities regarding the deck layout and material? You have no option to leave your deck half built or to bring in any of the deck builders in Virginia as that will be an added expenditure.
Get a Virginia window replacement and experience the warmth for many more years
By: John Cvetkovic | 27/11/2009Virginia is quite an eminent state of the US, a cosmopolitan in true sense. There are many people living and there is hence a very well developed residential plan of the city. Hence the circuit of markets and service providers are also well developed and widespread.
Fact-file of Northern Virginia Deck
By: John Cvetkovic | 27/11/2009The Virginia deck and fence manufacturers have got a very difficult task to do. On one hand they have to deal with the appropriate design of decks, for them to look good, while on the other, they need to manage the mechanics of the deck to save it from instability. These Northern Virginia Deck builders have a particular format on which the decks are built up. Let us have a look at the guidelines set forth.
Doing Virginia window replacement in a professional way
By: John Cvetkovic | 27/11/2009The Virginia window replacement is a task that most of the people do not insist upon. They only do this replacement if either the existing window panes get deteriorated with time or when they want to give their house a new look. The best thing about these windows is that they can easily be replaced and also can be distinguished very easily.
Dining out at Virginia Kitchen
By: John Cvetkovic | 27/11/2009A kitchen is literally defined as a place for preparing meals. Of all the different kitchens you will find in Virginia, the Virginia Kitchen by Waffle King is one the best places for a fine dining experience. It is located in Herndon, at 450 Elden Street. It is open all week round from Monday to Sunday and treats you to a great breakfast, brunch and lunch menus.
Halve Your Energy Bills by Doubling Up! Part 2
By: Carol Freyer | 07/10/2008 | DIYIt is not an accident that the list compiled by The National Association of Home Builders on how to save energy in your home has windows included in it. In fact, right near to the top is 'double-pane windows that have high performance glass that helps reduce heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer'.
Halve Your Energy Bills by Doubling Up! Part 1
By: Carol Freyer | 07/10/2008 | DIYWhen we think of windows in a home we don't think in terms of energy efficiency - we think in terms of style. Windows can add elegance to a home, or if you prefer they can add a cozy-cabin feeling or more recently, that wide open feeling of there being no windows..
The Dirt on Dahlias
By: Carol Freyer | 07/10/2008 | GardeningA well stocked garden really can make a difference to the amount of buyers who find your house appealing. A cared-for garden can indicate a cared-for house, and it also adds to the curb appeal of your home. For a really eye-stopping front yard, you cannot beat the beautiful and vividly colored dahlia.
Rent or Sell?
By: Carol Freyer | 07/10/2008 | Real EstateIt was a question that once never entered our consciousness - if we wanted to move, of course we would sell up! Now suddenly there are too many variables involved and many of us are asking the question: shall we sell now or shall we rent our house.
Small is Beautiful
By: Carol Freyer | 06/10/2008 | Real EstateOne major bonus of Shafer's homes is the low cost of heating. Heated with propane, his own home—a smaller model—costs him $170 per year to heat, and that's in Iowa, where winters are winters. Plus, a smaller home requires less maintenance. Everything is smaller and therefore the amount of work to be done is less: less to dust, less to vacuum.
Realty Remodeling Rules
By: Carol Freyer | 06/10/2008 | Real EstateIf you are living in a lower price area and put in a swimming pool and an outdoor kitchen before you list your house, it will most certainly bring the buyers to your home. It will no doubt bring in offers for your home and all this is good news.
Get Your Heating Bill Down
By: Carol Freyer | 06/10/2008 | Real EstateSome statistics say that as much as 80% of the hot air can be lost up the chimney. If that is added to the amount of cold air that is pulled from the atmosphere, then the old log fireplace could almost be said to be mainly a visual experience.