The do's and Don'ts of remodeling a kitchen

A kitchen is often described as the heart and soul of the home, and for good reason. This is an area that is often used for family gatherings, for entertaining friends and for everyday living. You may begin mornings talking to your family in the kitchen about plans for the day, and you may end the day preparing a meal together while you discuss the day's events. This is also a room that receives a great deal of scrutiny by buyers when you list your home for sale, and its style can have a direct impact on property value. In fact, in some areas of the country, homeowners may recoup more than 80 percent of the cost of a remodel in an increase in property value. With this in mind, you may decide to remodel your kitchen soon. By following a few tips, you can more easily walk through the remodeling process and get the kitchen you want.

Do: Create a Plan
Some homeowners will throw together a kitchen remodeling project by the seat of their pants. They may work on the back splash one weekend, and they may decide to do flooring a month later. This can create a hodge podge look to your kitchen, and it also makes it more difficult to budget properly. The best idea is to create a thoughtful, well-researched plan up-front before you begin any aspect of the project. Pick out all of your materials up-front so that they look great together, and you can even order them ahead of time so that your project is not delayed.

Don't: Make Hasty Design Decisions
Your kitchen design will stay in your home for years to come and perhaps even a decade or longer. It will influence the style of your home, your property value and more throughout this time period. Consider if you have plans to sell your home during this time period, and if you do, choose materials and an overall style that has greater appeal to the masses. In addition, make design decisions that add to the functionality of your space. For example, you can move the appliances in different locations for better flow.

Do: Prepare a Remodeling Budget
A kitchen remodeling project may range in cost from a few thousand dollars to $10,000 or more, depending on the size of the kitchen, the quality of the features and other factors. Costs can easily mount, so it is important that you create a budget and tally all costs. If you plan to keep your existing appliances in place, you may want to get them serviced. Review your home warranty to see if your appliance work is covered in an effort to reduce remodeling and repair costs.


Don't: Forget to Plan for Kids and Pets During the Remodel
In the days leading up to the start of your kitchen remodeling project, think about the scope of the project and how this will impact your daily lives. Your pets, for example, may need to be kenneled in the days while workers are in your home so that they do not get underfoot. You may need to move your fridge to the garage so that you and your kids have access to cold foods as needed. You may even consider asking a nearby friend or relative if the kids can stay with them for a few days while this process is completed. Because of how frequently used a kitchen is, a remodel can cause upheaval in your home that needs to be planned for.

Do: Seek Financing If Needed
The last thing you want when remodeling your kitchen is to run out of money halfway through the project. Financing is available in a variety of forms to help you pay for the high cost of a kitchen remodel. For example, some will put the expenses on a credit card, and others will apply for a short-term installment loan. If you have equity in your home, you may be able to access that equity through a home improvement loan. Explore the options with your bank to better determine which financing option is right for you.


A kitchen remodel is an excellent idea for older homes or homes that lack superior style. However, this is a major undertaking, and you want the project to be completed without a hitch. These helpful tips will assist you in completing your project without hassle or delay.


Buying, selling, decorating, improving, or maintaining your home? Click here www.mickisellscharleston
Michelle Mustain
A House 'SOLD' Name
843-338-4898

How to increase the value of your home

Most appraisers have stories of homeowners irate over the fact that the special remodeling job they performed added zero value to their home. The imported Italian tile you used in your entryway or the pool in the backyard may be of immense value to you while you live in the home, but unfortunately they aren’t items that buyers shopping in your neighborhood value.


To get the most bang for your home improvement buck, consider these 10 best home improvements:


1. Indoor Systems

Before you consider cosmetic and even functional improvements (such as adding additional square footage) to the home, make all needed upgrades, repairs or replacements to the home’s major systems. Major systems include plumbing, heating, electrical and sewer systems, among others.

Buyers want assurance that these basic items are in working order and won’t need to be replaced or repaired in the near future, an issue that will most likely be addressed in the home inspection. Older homes may require updated wiring and plumbing. An old roof should be replaced. Address problems with heating and air-conditioning units.

Looking for more information on major systems? Check outthis Yahoo! article about the effect of improving major systems on home buyer interest.


2. Outdoor Replacement Projects

Replacement projects will give you more added value than remodeling projects, according to Remodeling Magazine. Fortunately for homeowners, these types of projects are also the least expensive and add to the home’s curb appeal. Consider replacing the garage door, siding, the front door and windows. The average return on investment for these projects is almost 72 percent.

The ROI on replacing garage doors, siding, front doors and windows is almost 72%!

The magazine suggests fiber-cement or foam-backed vinyl siding, adding a steel entry door, and vinyl window replacement.


3. Attic Bedroom

The number one home improvement project as far as recouping a return on your investment is the addition of an attic bedroom, according to Remodeling Magazine. At a nationwide average cost of a little over $50,000, expect to recoup 72.5 percent of the cost of adding the attic bedroom when you sell the home.




4. Add an Additional Bathroom

Over the past few decades, the kitchen was the average homebuyer’s focal point when choosing a home. In 2011 bathrooms became more important to buyers than kitchens. That said, anadditional bathroom, even a half bathroom, adds significant value to your home, according to the experts at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

A half bath may add up to 10.5 percent to a home’s value, while a full bath can tack on an additional 20 percent. Of course, the amount of additional value you will receive varies according to the home’s other features.

In 2011 bathrooms became more important to home buyers than kitchens.

The price of adding another bathroom to the house varies as well, depending on region. If you live on the West Coast, plan on paying almost $50,000 for a new bathroom, according to Remodeling Magazine. The magazine also states that, at the sale of the home, you’ll recoup almost 67 percent of the cost of the additional bedroom. East Coasters can plan on spending a bit less – around $41,000, but will recoup less as well – 47.7 percent of the cost.

Tip: If you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford a bathroom addition, give the existing bathrooms a facelift. A fresh coat of paint, new fixtures and new flooring will add value and make the home show better.


5. Kitchen Improvements

Kitchens tend to be the heart of a family home so anything you do to improve your kitchen will add value. Again, painting the kitchen should be the first step, whether you plan an entire remodel of the room or just a minor facelift. Vinyl flooring tends to make the room look dated, so consider replacing it with laminate or tile. New cabinetry, kitchen sink fixtures and updated lighting will all add value.

Tip: Folks on a budget can still increase value by sanding and then painting or staining cabinetry and adding new hardware and by purchasing new (matching) appliances and new countertops.


6. Boost Curb Appeal

When a TV show can be built around this one subject, it’s a pretty good indication of its importance. Curb appeal is what beckons potential buyers into your home and underestimating its importance to the value of a home is a big mistake many homeowners make.

If you have a healthy budget, and your landscaping needs extensive work, consider hiring professionals for this home improvement project. A landscape architect can be pricey but necessary if your yard is in desperate need of an overhaul. According to Jeff Mitchell with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), curb appeal shouldn’t stop at the front yard, but should be extended to the backyard as well.

At the very least, clean the yard of any debris, trim trees and shrubs and spread fresh mulch in the planting beds. A poorly maintained front yard can result in up to a 10 percent drop in value, according to Houston appraiser Frank Lucco.

Here’s a quick video that will walk you through the basics of increasing curb appeal:

Budget curb-appeal improving landscape projects include:

Line the walkway with solar-powered lights. The big home improvement stores carry a variety of inexpensive styles and all you need to do is stick them in the ground. Not only are they functional – lighting your way at night – but they provide ornamentation as well.

Green up the lawn, keep it mowed and edged and reseed bare spots.

Add color to the planting beds. Be careful to keep your color choices aligned with the home’s architecture. In other words, don’t add cottage garden-type flowers to a bed in front of a starkly modern home. Certain plants are grown because of their interesting and colorful foliage, such as hosta and coleus, and are better suited to more modern homes. If you have questions about what to plant, consult with the experts at your local nursery.

Plant a tree. Yes, it sounds like an Arbor Day slogan, but planting a tree in your front yard pays off by helping cut energy costs in the summer (if strategically located to shade the house) and by adding value to the home. Not sure which tree to plant? Use the fun National Tree Benefit calculator to assist you with making the right choice. Just enter your zip code and the calculator will bring up a list of trees suited to your region and let you know the benefits of each.

We’ve only barely scraped the surface of this important topic here. Check out these time-tested curb appeal boosting tips to learn how to get more money for your home when you decide to sell!


7. Refurbish the Basement

Converting the basement into a finished room adds usable square footage to the home. Finishing basements is one of the best ways to increase your home’s value as it transforms unfinished basements – glorified storage space – into a usable, attractive room.

Consider the following basement bar. Who wouldn’t be willing to splash out thousands for the privilege of owning something like that?

Here is a short list of rooms your basement can become – and accoutrements to put inside it – if you choose to renovate it:

Sports den – Big screen TV, sports memorabilia, overstuffed couches and cushy carpeting

Lounge – Pool table, wet bar, dark hardwood floors and a poker table

Children’s play area – Playset, soft furniture like beanbag chairs, arts and crafts table and bins and shelves for toys and books

Photo courtesy of KairosPhotography.


8. Additional Storage

Most new homes come equipped with lots of storage. Older homes, on the other hand, tend to lack even some of the basic storage options, such as a coat or linen closet. If you lack the space to expand closets or other storage spaces or build new ones, consider redesigning the spaces you do have.

There are specialty stores now dedicated to nothing but storage solutions. Do-it-yourself projects may include adding a complete closet system or adding organization details to a pantry.


9. Additional Square Footage

Every 1,000 square feet added to a home raises the value by more than 3.3 percent, according to a 2003 study for the National Association of Realtors®.

While that percentage doesn’t sound significant, when you put it into numbers it makes a lot more sense. For instance, if your home is valued at $200,000, a 3.3 percent increase adds an additional $6,600 to the value.

Additionally, the 3.3 percent statistic can most likely be adjusted upward based on the age of the study. The study also claims that each additional bedroom adds 4 percent to the value of the home.

Each additional bedroom adds 4% to the value of the home.

If your laundry is located in the basement, the value of your home decreases by two percent, so if you plan on adding square footage to the home, build a laundry room on one of the upper floors.



10. Miscellaneous Home Improvements

There are many small items you can add to the home that buyers will perceive as adding value. Some of these include:

Alarm systems

Water filtration system

Luxury touches such as an upgraded dishwasher, whirlpool bathtub and built-in wine coolers may peak the buyer’s interest. Luxury homeowners can take this a step further by adding an in-home theater and additional spa-like features to the bathrooms.

Caveat – Invest in Home Improvements Wisely

One of the most important things to keep in mind when considering any home improvement project is to not go overboard. The value of your home is partially determined by the value of your neighbor’s homes, so don’t make improvements that bring your home’s value significantly over the general value of other homes in your neighborhood.

Michelle Mustain

A House 'SOLD' Name

843-338-4898

http://www.mickisellscharleston.com

Top Selling Agen in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Staged, listed and SOLD in 5 days.
Michelle Mustain
A House 'SOLD' Name.
#sellingskills🗝 #MarketingStrategy📰 #HomeSellers🏡 #devotion#marketanalysis📈 #motivated🏃#charlestonstrong🏋

Michelle Mustain

A House 'SOLD' Name

843-338-4898

www.mickisellscharleston.com

Inspect your attic prior to closing

Although attic inspections are rarely foremost on a buyer's mind, there are a lot of good reasons why buyers need to get into an attic or send their home inspector into the attic before completing a home inspection. Attics should not be overlooked. An attic reflects the history of a home. It can provide clues to serious problems that might not be disclosed or even known by the current occupant of the home.

 

Supporting Truss or Rafter Damage in the Attic Inspection

Roof inspections won't necessarily turn up defects in the structural members inside the attic. While the roof might look sound and secure, inside the attic you could find broken trusses or rafters. An inspection would disclose stress cracks that could lead to a loss of integrity and would also give buyers peace of mind that the size of the lumber was correct and up to code.

Previous Fire Damage Noted in Attic Inspection

If the rafters are any other color than natural wood, that could be a sign that the home was on fire. If the wood is black, scorched and sooty, that's almost a sure sign it had been burned in the past. However, if the wood is painted white, that could indicate that the smoke and burned damage was covered up because painting wood helps to eliminate the smell.

Adequate or Inadequate Attic Insulation

Attics can be insulated in a number of ways, including blowing in insulation or laying fiberglass batts.

 

Insulation is rated with an R factor, meaning the higher the R number, typically the higher the insulating factor. Ask your home inspector if the batts are facing the right direction (paper up or paper down). Properly insulated attics can cut down on your heating costs in the winter and cooling expenses in the summer.

 

Water Damage in the Attic

Water flows from the top down and rarely enters a home sideways. Inspectors will look for staining on the wood supports or on the walls which would provide evidence that water had leaked or is leaking through the roof somewhere. Condensation can form around pipes, which can cause wood to rot. Sometimes furnaces are located in attic space. Check to see that no metal has rusted around the furnace.

Chimney Access in the Attic

Of course, one cannot inspect the interior of the chimney from the attic, but an inspector can note whether the structure itself is solid within the attic. That portion of the chimney that is not exposed to the elements can also weather and deteriorate, and this especially holds true for older homes. Inspectors will look for cracks in the bricks and whether the mortar has crumbled. It's not unusual to discover a chimney in the attic but no sign of a fireplace inside the home because it has been walled in.

Squirrel, Raccoon and Rodent Damage in the Attic

The first sign that a critter has been living in the attic is often the telltale evidence of tiny poop pellets left behind by the critters.

 

Squirrels, raccoons, possums, rodents often enter attics through the eaves or loose boards and this wildlife can cause considerable damage.

A home inspector on the job in Land Park, a leafy neighborhood in Sacramento, discovered that squirrels in the attic had gnawed through the insulation around the pipes and they chewed through the Romex plastic coating, down to the bare wires. The seller at some point had tossed poison into the attic, then forgot about the situation and did not disclose any of it to the buyer. As a result, the inspector ended up tossing three dead squirrels into a bucket to show the buyer. On top of the damage and potential for fire from exposed wiring, the insulation now posed a health risk and required replacing.

Believe it or not, the listing agent did not think anything of it when presented with the horrible facts and even tried to defend his client's actions. Seller disclosures are a crucial matter in California. Altogether, this job was priced at almost $5,000 to fix. And guess who paid it? It wasn't the buyer, thank goodness! It was the seller....

Michelle Mustain

843-338-4898

www.mickisellscharleston.com

100 Salty Tide Cove

Purchase this view of the Wando River in Mount Pleasant, SC.  for $370,000 and get the 3 bedroom 2 bath furnished condo for FREE....PERFECT



-Michelle Mustain

843-338-4898

www.mickisellscharleston.com

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843-338-4898

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