Don't Wait-Increase Your Home's Value Now

Top 5: Looking for a Summer Remodeling Project? These Tips Might Help.

noreply@blogger.com (rosemarywest1) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:54:00 +0000

Top 5: Looking for a Summer Remodeling Project? These Tips Might Help

Looking for a Summer Remodeling Project? These Tips Might Help
Other than vacations, summer is the time of the year most popular for home improvement. The long days and warm, sunny weather make a great time to work on repairs and renovations without much of the hassles and delays that rain and other elements bring.

As a member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I have years of experience and understand how taking on a remodeling project is beneficial to you, both now and then later down the road should you choose to sell.

For these reasons and more, a good number of homeowners undertake home improvement projects, especially during the summer.

Following are tips and projects—both large and small—for homeowners looking to spruce their homes up this summer.

Patios and Decks
What better way to enjoy the warm days than by creating an outdoor living space for the family to enjoy.

Decks and patios are among the most popular summer remodeling ideas. There are various factors to take into consideration when deciding on whether a patio or deck is the most appropriate project to undertake. Such factors include soil condition and consistency, site terrain, use, capacity and privacy, as well as the cost and maintenance you are willing to put up with.

Home Maintenance
Throughout the seasons, your home has taken good care of you and your family and now is the best time to give back.

Go through your property to evaluate and create a checklist on areas that need mending or replacement. This list is a crucial preparation before calling a contractor or handyman for maintenance/repair services. Some common maintenance and repair include:

* Waterproofing the basement
* Re-caulking and replacing weather-striping
* Cleaning and sealing wooden decks
* Trimming bushes and trees
* Realigning downspouts and gutters
* Repairing the roof
* Cleaning the pool
* Mending the fence
* Sealing cracks along driveways, foundation, walkways, etc.
* Maintenance of HVAC systems

Energy-Efficient Renovation
When it comes to summer remodeling, there's no better way to invest your hard-earned dollars than by making your home energy efficient. An energy-efficient summer remodel is truly a worthwhile endeavor as it will result in years of savings on your energy bills. Some of the common items you can buy and integrate into your energy-efficient renovation include:

* Insulation systems and materials
* Roofs that resist heat gain
* Biomass-burning stoves
* Energy-efficient windows
* HVAC systems with the highest efficiency tier
* Solar panels
* Fuel cells
* Geothermal heat pumps
* Wind energy systems

Taking on one (or more!) of these projects is a great way to give back to your home this summer…and, in some cases, save you a bit of money, too. For more information on home renovation projects, please e-mail me - and please feel free to forward these tips to any family and friends you think might benefit from them as well.

Top 5: 11 Ways to Get Your Home Ready for Appraisal

noreply@blogger.com (rosemarywest1) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:59:00 +0000

Top 5: 11 Ways to Get Your Home Ready for Appraisal

11 Ways to Get Your Home Ready for Appraisal

If you’re looking to sell or refinance your home, you know that a home appraisal is a necessary step in the process. While the value of your home may not be what it once was, it is important for homeowners to be realistic when it comes to getting their home appraised.

As a member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I know how vital it is to list your home at the right price. Price is, after all, only a part of marketing…but it is crucial, and having an appraisal done is the first step toward making the right pricing decision.

Here are 11 ways to prepare for a home appraisal:

1. The appraiser will need approximately 30 minutes to one hour to complete the inspection phase of the appraisal process, which includes: exterior photos of the front and rear of the home and a photo of the street in front of the property; measurements of the exterior of the home, garage and any outbuildings; a walk-through inspection of all rooms and levels of the interior of the home, including the basement.
2. Get organized. Put together a checklist that will help you get ready for your appraisal.
3. Be flexible when scheduling the appointment.
4. Have a copy of your home’s blueprint to help verify measurements and lot size.
5. Provide a list of improvements made to the property since the purchase. Improvements that should be noted include adding a pool, patio, updating your kitchen or bathroom, and any room additions, etc.
6. Allow your appraiser access to the entire property, including access to any crawl space or attic areas.
7. Keep in mind that a clean home makes a good impression. Be sure to trim the lawn, clean the pool and garage, repair cracked windows or torn screens, check for leaky faucets and secure gutters and down spouts before your appraisal.
8. Point out any amenities that may not be obvious to the appraiser: sprinkler systems, patios, pools, security systems, built-in pool vacuum, etc.
9. Provide a copy of last year's tax assessment information.
10. Know what year the house was built and when improvements were made.
11. The first thing appraisers look for is comparables, so be prepared and have a list of recent sales of similar properties in the immediate neighborhood.

Following these steps will go a long way toward making the home appraisal process a bit easier. For more information on home appraisals and preparing your home for sale, please e-mail me—and please feel free to forward these tips to any family and friends with a home sale in their future.

Top 5: Why You Should Buy a Home Now...Even after the Tax Credit

noreply@blogger.com (rosemarywest1) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:47:00 +0000

Top 5: Why You Should Buy a Home Now...Even after the Tax Credit

Why You Should Buy a Home Now…Even after the Tax Credit

While much press coverage has been given to the recent first-time and move-up buyer tax credit, there are many time-sensitive factors that make the current climate an exceptional time to buy a home…even without the tax credit.

As a Member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I have seen many real estate markets come and go, and I know for a fact that the many outstanding opportunities that exist for home buyers today will not be around forever.

Besides mortgage interest rates that have been hovering at near-record lows, homes in many markets have become more affordable. Prices have moderated from the highs of the housing boom that occurred in most of the country, especially in major markets where they had increased significantly.

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), new construction homes are an especially wise investment for home buyers. New homes are generally built to be much more energy efficient than homes constructed a generation ago, making them more affordable to operate. Plus, new homes often incorporate open floorplans, flexible spaces, improved safety features and low-maintenance materials—making them well-suited for today’s modern families.

So, if you’re thinking about buying a home, please don’t count on interest rates or prices staying at current levels—I’ve seen them change unpredictably and quickly! Mortgage rates are sensitive to market conditions, and even a slight increase can push monthly payments beyond a family’s budget. As the country recovers from the recession and people stabilize their financial situations, NAHB economists expect that home prices will begin to increase by 2011.

For further advice on buying a home or market conditions, feel free to e-mail me anytime. And be sure to pass this information on to friends and family who might also be considering a real estate purchase.

Top Remodeling Projects for Boosting Your Home’s Value

noreply@blogger.com (rosemarywest1) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:46:00 +0000

As a leader in real estate, I am repeatedly asked specific questions about today's market - especially in today's economy. In an effort to provide more information to my community, I am sending you this Top 5 Real Estate Social Networking System^sm “e-Article,” in which I provide useful real estate information to my real estate networks. If you find the enclosed information beneficial to your family and friends, I encourage you to forward it to your “social network" as well.

Top Remodeling Projects for Boosting Your Home’s Value

Whether you are thinking about putting your home on the market or you are concerned about increasing your home’s equity in a time of depreciating house values, knowing which remodeling projects yields the best return on investment, is critical.

Not all home remodeling projects are equal in terms of ROI, however. Here are the National Association of Home Builder’s suggestions for the best ways to add value to your home:

• A Home Office Remodel
With more and more people telecommuting in today’s difficult business climate, home offices are becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity. Creating a state-of-the-art space for potential teleworkers is a surefire way to increase your home’s value.

• Renovate or Add a Family Room
A family room is an excellent way to make existing homes more like new construction. Take into account what homes in your area are like. People like to purchase homes that blend with other homes around them.

• Replace the Roof
The roof is one of the first impressions people have of a home. Replace an old roof or change the character of your home by looking into architecturally styled roofing tiles.

• Landscape Your Yard
Landscaping is also an integral part of your home’s first impression. A professionally landscaped yard adds value to your home and increases your living space.

• Replace Old Windows
Thirty percent of a home’s energy is lost through its windows. Replacing old windows with energy-efficient ones ups the overall quality of the house and saves you money on monthly utility bills.

• Remodel Your Basement
Do you have space that serves as a black hole of unused items…like your basement? Remodeled basements make excellent game rooms or guest suites, adding value to your home without adding space.

• Paint, Paint, Paint
It’s been said over and over but can’t be emphasized enough. Hire a professional if you need help and keep the colors neutral if you’re looking to sell.

• Remodel Your Kitchen
Kitchens sell a home, and in this case, size does matter. But a kitchen remodel is a long-term investment; you’ll see payback 10 years down the road. Sometimes doing it yourself can save money, but always bring in a professional for the big jobs.

• Remodel or Add a Bathroom
A bathroom remodel can mean making the most of your current space by upgrading fixtures, flooring and lighting. Or add a bathroom and automatically increase the value of your home.

For more information on adding value to your home, visit www.nahb.org/remodel, or in Canada, www.chba.ca.

As a Member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I am happy to provide specific remodeling suggestions based on your individual needs and home values in your neighborhood. Please e-mail me for more information or to receive a complimentary copy of Top 5’s Home Improvement Q & A Guide. Also, if you feel this article can be of benefit to your family and friends, please feel free to forward this email to them.

Sincerely,

Rosemary

Rosemary West
RE/MAX of Joliet
rosemarywest5@comcast.net

Don't Wait Increase Your Home's Value Now

noreply@blogger.com (rosemarywest1) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:42:00 +0000

Don’t Wait – Increase Your Home’s Value Now

In today’s climate of dwindling home values, I am often asked, “How do I make my home worth more without spending a lot?”

To elevate the value of your home, a detailed and specific assessment of your home, and the homes against which it will compete in the market, is necessary. A professional home inspection—especially for those who are not planning to sell their home soon—can go a long way towards increasing the value and creating demand for your home, and can help you plan for expenses if there is work to be done.

As a Member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I am committed to maximizing the potential of my clients’ homes. Having your home professionally inspected well before putting it on the market—or when you’re not even planning to put it on the market—has a number of advantages:

For a relatively minor investment, you will have the opportunity to review an objectively prepared assessment of the condition of your home’s structure, systems and amenities.

Everything else being equal, your inspection report should be consistent with the report prepared by your buyer’s inspector, virtually eliminating stressful surprises when your home is on the market one day.

You will have the opportunity to decide whether to do the work yourself or to have the work contracted while time is on your side.

The greatest value of proactive inspection is that the decision to repair vs. replace will be yours alone. A buyer may use the replacement of the air conditioner or the roof as a negotiating gambit when a proactive, high quality repair would have been completely satisfactory. Armed with the facts, you have the alternative of making a completely professional and perfectly functional repair of the roof rather than deducting the expense of replacement from the price. This places you in a much stronger negotiating position.

Finally, you will be able to enjoy the new roof, live worry free with the new water heater or use your new air conditioner and enjoy its higher energy efficiency. When you and your family are ready to move up, relocate, downsize or retire, you can put your home on the market with peace of mind, and concentrate on moving forward rather than looking back upon the costly repairs that you should have made.

Not only will buyers associate a specific value based on your home’s “move-in” condition, but by addressing major repair/replacement issues, you will diminish competition from newer and better maintained homes on the market. Also, you will not have to worry about inspection issues arising at the last minute that could stop your transaction cold…especially when this stress could have been avoided. For more information about home inspection, visitwww.ashi.org, the website of the American Society of Home Inspectors, or, in Canada,www.cahpi.ca, the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors.

If you would like my recommendation for an experienced, local home inspector, I would be glad to help. Just e-mail me at rosemarywest1@comcast.net. And if you have a relative, friend or colleague who would also find this information valuable, please feel free to forward this e-mail to them.

Sincerely,

Rosemary

Rosemary West
RE/MAX of Joliet
rosemarywest1@comcast.net
rosemarywestteam.com