Kitchen Countertops A Value Added Upgrade

•Preparing Your Home for Sale Make Needed Repairs
Before a buyer considers your home seriously, it must meet his needs in a variety of ways. It must be a suitable commuting distance, neighborhood, design style, floorplan, size, number of bedrooms, etc. If all or most of these needs are met, the buyer will begin to move in the direction of making a purchase decision. The purchase decision is a both an emotional and intellectual response, founded on a level of trust in your home. So, it is logical that in marketing your home your goal should be...

•Clean and Neutralize Your Home For Sale
We often arrange our homes to express ourselves - our travels, collections, families, favorite colors and unique tastes. However, when selling a home, the goal is to create just the opposite - a clean, neutral background that many different buyers would like to move into. Buyers must feel that they could fit right in and be comfortable in your house. You can help to create this feeling inexpensively by simply cleaning and neutralizing your home before putting it on the market. (1) Clean...

•What is Hot in Houses Today
Are you are preparing your home for sale, planning to remodel, or shopping for a new home? Find out what is important in the current housing market, and make choices that contribute the most value and enjoyment for the money. Home Styles Old world styles are popular. French, English, Tuscan and Spanish homes with stone or stucco walls, tile roofs, iron fixtures, heavy beams and rustic floors are in demand. A sense of historic connection resonates with buyers today. The Craftsman...

•Gotta Go Green in Austin Texas
In the city of Austin a new energy ordinance will require that homeowners have an energy efficiency audit done prior to selling their home. The audit report must be disclosed to the buyer of their home. Energy audit and disclosure will become a part of the home purchase process in mid 2009. In Austin's hot climate energy performance has a lot to do with how efficiently the central AC system works. We are more concerned about cooling than heating, but both systems are used throughout the...

•Seven Steps to De Clutter Your Home for Sale
Your home may be in good condition and well built, yet simple clutter will create a perception of chaos, confusion, and disorder. The purchase decision is an emotional and intellectual response, based on a level of trust in your home. When buyers see clutter, they assume that the home has been neglected, with more to fix than meets the eye. This perception undermines your home's market value. De-cluttering is an essential part of your preparation, and is virtually cost free. This...

•A Greener Front Walk
We recently built a contemporary farmhouse style home. There was no lawn sod or sprinkler system for extra water. Deer are rampant in the neighborhood, so the landscaping choices are limited. We have dry periods too. Lady Bird Johnson once said - I like it when the land speaks its own language in its own regional accent. We intended to follow her lead. The terrain was left as natural as possible - mostly oaks and native grasses. When it came time to put in a front walk we were sure...

•Subprime Loans Playing Against the House
A subprime mortgage used to be an alternative for borrowers who did not fit standard guidelines. Perhaps they just started a new business or had some past credit problems. These borrowers paid a high interest rate or put more money down to compensate the lender for making a risky loan. Private investors who would accept higher risk for higher returns funded these loans. In recent years we began to see a new type of subprime loan. It was intended to enable a lot more people to buy...

•The Value of a Construction Inspection
Buyers of re-sale homes almost always have their homes inspected by a professional inspector. Buyers of new homes, however, often do not take this important step. There are several reasons for this: The buyer is getting a brand new home, and thinks that the inspection is an unnecessary added cost. The buyer feels that they are protected by the builder's one-year warranty for workmanship, plus extended structural warranty. In many cases, the home is inspected by city inspectors as...

•How to Build a Green Home
Green building is a design process that grows out of a connection with the natural landscape. It is a set of informed decisions that considers the site and materials to reduce the cost, maintenance, and energy usage of the home. Conservation is central to the green building approach. Green homes are healthier, safer, more comfortable, and cost less to operate. They connect people to the land and community around them. Here are seven green building ideas: 1) Build a passive solar...