Home Remodeling Tips
Before you begin a home remodeling project you should decide if you are doing the project for personal enjoyment, looking to bring your home more in line with your neighborhood standards or preparing you home for sale and attempting to justify a higher price with increased return on investment.
As a professional Realtor and also a Mortgage Originator, the best advice that I can give you is that you should never overbuild for the neighborhood. Examine the attributes of other homes in your neighborhood. If a number of your neighbors have solid surface counter tops in the kitchen and you have a laminate counter top, upgrading the counter tops would be a good choice.
It is generally accepted that the two home remodeling projects with the greatest return on investment are upgrading the kitchen or bathroom. While providing for personal enjoyment while you live in the home, either of these projects can help make your home desirable for prospective buyers when you are going to sell.
Remember, not all home remodeling projects return a large percentage of the cost. While a pool may be exactly what your family desires it may not be what a prospective buyers wants. If this is the case the buyer could reduce their offer by an amount of the value of the pool or rule out the home totally because of the pool.
Home maintenance projects should not be confused with remodeling projects. A new roof with upgraded architectural shingles which replaces an older roof would be a remodeling project while a roof repair or new roof to fix a roof leak would be maintenance. Fresh paint that repairs old peeling or cracking paint will not only help protect your home but also change a buyers prospective from "fixer-upper" to well maintained. Well maintained homes generally receive higher offers when being resold.
By doing your homework and deciding on why you are considering a remodeling project you will be best prepared on what to expect. Check out the links below as they will provide you with valuable information regarding return on investment and even more remodeling tips.