Housing Upgrades That Might NOT Bring Value to your Home

When upgrading, home owners often seek features that aren’t only desirable to them but also what will add value to the home when it comes time for resale. Read more

Featured Listing of the Week: For Sale – 852 Spears Drive, Elgin, SC 29045

852 Spears Drive
Elgin, SC 29045

(Map)

Listing Price: $129,000
Square Footage: 1,638
Bedrooms: 3
Full Bathrooms: 2
Half Bathrooms: 1

Beautifully maintained 1,638 square foot, 3 bedroom and 2 ½ bathroom home offering MANY UPGRADES for you to enjoy!!! You’ll be greeted by 10 foot ceilings, gleaming hardwood floors and a cozy gas log fireplace as you enter the living room. A spacious, fully equipped eat-in kitchen featuring stainless steel appliances, solid surface counters, walk-in pantry, and a large island to entertain your guests around. Plus a conveniently located upstairs laundry room. The master suite features tray ceiling, custom walk-in closet, and private bath. All bedrooms are located on the 2nd floor. Nicely landscaped yard with in-ground sprinkler system. Quiet, gated neighborhood with sidewalks, community playground, and a convenient northeast location that is just minutes to the interstate, Village at Sandhills, & schools.

See here for a virtual tour and pictures.

And the Color of the Year for 2012 Is …

It’s bold, bright–and orange. Tangerine Tango is this year’s color of the year, according to the Pantone Color Institute. The reddish orange color takes the place as this year’s hot hue replacing last year’s reddish pink Honeysuckle.

Need an extra energy boost or an attention-getter in a room? Then Tangerine Tango is your pick, according to Pantone.

 

Read more

Selling a House With a Dated Kitchen?

You have a dated kitchen and you need to fix it up in order to sell your home, but you find yourself short of the typical $30-40K for a full upgrade. What do you do? Read more

From Unused Space to a Home Office Full of Smart Storage

Before and After: Bring On the Built-Ins

Sometimes one little request leads to a major transformation. Married neuroscientists Vivek Unni and Tamily Weissman-Unni, owners of an 1870s house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, started out with a new baby and a simple goal. Read more

Kitchens Sell a House

It’s a tool used by house flippers all across the nation. Stagers know its power. Real estate agents push its importance. What is this not-so-well-kept secret of real estate? A kitchen can sell a house. Read more

31 Scary Houses Turned Into Spectacular Homes – From Scary to Stunning

Saving an old house is no small feat. Just ask any of these homeowners, all DIYers who lived to tell the tale. From fire-damaged to foreclosures and everything in between, get inspired by these unbelievable makeovers that’ll either give you the restoration bug—or make you really happy your renovation is over.

To read the rest of this article, please click here.

Top Remodeling Projects

When Remodeling Magazine’s latest Cost Versus Value Report 2010-2011 was released, it revealed that the recent declines in housing are having substantial effects on the remodeling market.

Unfortunately for homeowners, there has been a downward trend since 2006 in the cost-to-value ratio, though now this pace has quickened, falling 3.8 percent in the last year. While homeowners were once able to make upgrades and additions to their homes and recoup this value during resale, these same updates now mean less return. An unstable jobs market has purse strings tightened and remodeling markets are feeling the squeeze.

The report revealed, however, the top 10 remodeling projects in the last year. Leading the way in cost versus value are exterior replacements, with garage doors and entry-doors at the head of the class.

Read more

Design Tips for Homeowners on a Budget

Having your home look like a million bucks doesn’t have to cost you big. Following a few simple design tips and researching the latest styles can help you transform your dull space into divine living.

The first rule of budget design is to have a clear focus. Work on one room and one design at a time. The reasoning behind this is simple. It’s too easy to go over budget if you are shopping for multiple projects at the same time. By focusing on one room, you can be clear on what items you really need.

Read more

Top 5 Home Improvement Projects Based on Average Cost and Return on Investment

HomeGain.com, a website to offering Web-based, free instant home values, announced that it has released the results of its nationwide home improvement and home staging Home Sale Maximizer survey.

HomeGain surveyed nearly 600 real estate professionals nationwide and configured a list of the top 10 do-it-yourself home improvements that cost under $5,000 and benefit sellers most when they sell their homes.

According to the HomeGain survey, the top five home improvements that real estate professionals recommend to home sellers based on average cost and return on investment (from highest to lowest ROI) are:

Read more

Next Page »