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How To Increase The Resale Value Of Your Home

September 2nd, 2010 by Andrew Salmon | No Comments | Filed in Home Selling

By Andrew Salmon

Selling your home can be hard enough from an emotional standpoint. Losing out on a top dollar selling price only adds insult to injury. However, taking on debt preparing your home for the next occupants may not be the best plan of action either. So let’s shoot for some middle ground here with five affordable ways to increase the resale value of your home.

Do-It-Yourself Profit

This first option won’t drain your wallet, but you’ll have to be prepared to put in some time. You know those simple, small home repairs you never seemed to be able to get around to doing? Well, it’s time to do them. Fix cracks in walls, repair that banister, clean out those gutters. You know what needs to be done, you’ve been avoiding the work for years, haven’t you? Roll up your sleeves and get to work.

Home Cosmetics

Once you’ve got the house as sound as you can manage, it’s time to make like Joan Rivers and let the cosmetic surgery begin. Sand the floors, slap a coat of fresh paint on everything – choose a neutral color for best effect. Tighten loose light switch covers, sweep every surface. Wash the windows until they blind the neighbors. Your home is getting ready for its Big Day. You want everything to look just right. You need to evaluate everything.

The Money Is In The Details

Continuing along the lines of #2 on this list, you may want to think about any low cost renovations that are beyond your ability or skills. Adding an outside deck or patio increases the value of your home. Swap out your old appliances for new. Pay to switch the light bulbs to the energy efficient alternative, maybe even put in new light fixtures altogether.

Get Out In That Yard

Slaving over your house until it’s a gleaming palace will all be for nought if no one can see it through the jungles you call your front and back yards. Turn that lawn into a putting green, prune back bushes and shrubs until they are neat and tidy. Put in flower accents where needed. The key is to make these embellishments subtle. Don’t forget we’re talking about the frame here, not the picture. You want to draw potential buyers’ attention to the house.

Lose The Clutter

This is the interior version of tidying up the yard. Potential buyers are not going to be interested in your collection of classic LPs or the portrait rugs you’ll be taking with you but are now covering every inch of wall space. House hunters are interested in the house, not what you’ve done with the place. Clear away your clutter and let the house speak to them. With a lot of open space, they’ll be imaging their own things strategically placed after they’ve moved in and you want to give their imaginations a lot to work with.

Following these simple steps will help you get the most for your home.

Author Information

Andrew Salmon is with LifeCover, a website providing life insurance information and quotes for Canadians.

Photo Credit: Svilen Milev

Adv. — Get your home ready to sell! Visit SayHomeSell.com to find additional tips on how to get your home prepared.


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Everything About the Kitchen Sink

September 1st, 2010 by Josh Baxter | No Comments | Filed in Home Improvement

By Josh Baxter

When homeowners are remodeling their kitchens, they typically pay special attention to the cabinets, countertops, floors and appliances. Unfortunately, many do not put much thought into one of the most used items in their kitchen – the sink.

There are a wide array of sink options available today, offered in many different styles and utilizing a variety of materials. As stainless steel appliances have increased in popularity, so have high-quality stainless steel sinks.

Sink Options

Homeowners looking for a modern, sleek and professional look tend to favor stainless steel sinks. Cast iron is another sink option that homeowners favor for its durability. Acrylic and solid surface sinks offer a fun way to either complement or contrast countertops, as these types of sinks can be ordered in a variety of colors.

The material used in a kitchen sink is not the only area where homeowners have the ability to customize their space as sinks come in different shapes and sizes. Depending on the layout of a kitchen, sinks can be ordered in round, oval or square shapes.

Customized Sinks

If the sink area happens to be located in a corner, they even make custom sinks to accommodate that type of space. Installing an undermount sink is another popular option, as it makes the sink and counter look like a single fixture in the kitchen.

Homeowners must also decide whether they want a single or double bowl sink. Some homeowners prefer to have one large sink, while others like to have separate spaces that can serve two different purposes when preparing food in the kitchen. Additionally, different depth options are available, depending on the homeowner’s needs.

A 5-inch deep sink is standard in most homes, but a deeper sink can make it easier to clean larger pots and pans. However, it is important to note that deeper sinks may require changes in the plumbing and longer faucet styles.

Homeowner Options

There are a couple reasons why more sink options are available today than in the past. Some homeowners have become more interested in gourmet cooking options, and they want the ability to upgrade their cooking accessories. Conversely, other homeowners are spending less time at home, so they want a simple and convenient kitchen design to make their lives easier when they are at home.

Regardless of a homeowner’s lifestyle and desires, a kitchen sink can be customized to meet just about any needs.

Author Information

Josh Baxter writes for Long Fence and Home, a home improvement company that provides services to homeowners in the DC metro area. He offers advice for homeowners tackling various home improvement projects, from kitchen remodeling to replacement windows.

Photo Credit: Justin Schaefer

Adv. — Are you preparing to renovate the home? Check out LetsRenovate.com for tips and financing information designed to help you get the job done.


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5 Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal

August 31st, 2010 by Jonathan Bentz | 1 Comment | Filed in Home Improvement

By Jonathan Bentz

Even before a potential home buyers steps foot in your house, the very first thing that the buyer will look at is what your house looks like on the outside. If they don’t like what they see, chances are they won’t even bother looking at what’s on the inside.

The good news is that it doesn’t take much to improve your home’s curb appeal. Here are 5 steps that would help you improve your curb appeal fast:

1. Symmetric Design Is Attractive – Symmetry is probably one of the easiest things to achieve when your staging the outside of your home. Try arranging light fixtures or side lights on both sides of your front door. This would help accent your front door and make it more inviting and attractive. You can also place plants or urns on your front porch to create a more symmetric path way for you guests.

2. Replace Old Fixtures – Unless your outside fixtures have antique value, you will need to replace any items that are rusty, dingy or out of date. This would also include house numbers, locks on your entry door, the mailbox and any light fixtures. When buying new pieces try to buy them in sets rather than individually. Having matching pieces create an inviting atmosphere and increases your homes aesthetic value. Also try to match pieces that match your home decor. For example bronze finishes match traditional homes and nickel finishes are more in tune with contemporary homes.

3. Bring “Green” Into the Equation – Let’s face it, having a little greenery around the front of your home can do wonders for your home’s exterior. You can get ready-made gardens from your local garden center or you can start working on your garden by yourself. You should also replace any planter beds that may not look right. The rule of thumb for gardens is to create a staggered, symmetric look  that doesn’t overwhelm the view of the house itself.

4. Arbors and Fence Panels – Now that you have an inviting garden, another addition that could put it over the edge is adding things like arbors or garden gates. An arbor is a short portion of decorative fence that makes a pathway to your home. This can also help increase the aesthetic value of your home and improve the value of your home as well. There are many stores that sell easy to build kits or you can speak to a carpenter about building one.   To ensure symmetry, paint the arbors the same color as your home.

5. Pretty up the Driveway – Think about it. The first thing a potential home buyer would see even before they see your home is your driveway. If your drive way is cracked and has weeds growing out of them, it doesn’t create a very pleasing atmosphere. Repaving the driving can be expensive, so rather than repaving the entire driveway you should fix the immediate cracks and kill any weeds. To dress up the Driveway you can add flagstones on either side to create a symmetrical pathway up to your house.

Author Information

Jonathan Bentz is the Content Manager for GetmyHomesValue.com, a provider of home values that connects home sellers with experts who can help them properly access the value of their home for sale.


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Mid-September Release For Facebook Nemesis Diaspora

August 30th, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | No Comments | Filed in Social Media

September 15 launch date announced

We’ve been silent for most of this summer about Diaspora (the upstart social network alternative to Facebook) as it percolates. The open source project of four New York University students, Diaspora is set to make its code available on September 15, some three months after funding was raised and the work begun.

Last Thursday, Team Diaspora updated their blog–their first update since July 1–to let everyone know how things have been progressing. Happily, the team is nearing completion and promises that what we’ll see will only be the first step in what could become a viable and useful alternative to the sometimes hated Facebook.

Facebook Alternative

Diaspora’s start came about due to Facebook’s failings or should I say their lack of respect for people’s privacy. The four students decided to do something about it and set out to raise $10,000 in seed money in order to work on their project all summer long. Turns out that the team raised more than $200,000 and garnered tons of publicity along the way. Even Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO, has endorsed Diaspora.

The extra funding has allowed Team Diaspora to travel to Portland, Oregon, to work with the Federal Social Web Summit and collaborate with like-minded developers. They also tapped Janice Fraser for design assistance who, by the way, has helped launch a number of companies including Adaptive Path.

Ongoing Project

Team Diaspora was supposed to have run for the summer, allowing two of the four students who aren’t done with their studies to resume their schooling this fall. However, interest in the project has mushroomed which means those two students will be taking leave of their studies for now to help build it into a long term project, perhaps a solid challenger to the 500 million member Facebook. Or not.

Adv. — If you’re planning to sell your home this fall, then making needed updates now will help you make your home more marketable. Please visit LetsRenovate.com for home improvements tips.


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