Talking ROI – Home Renos That Yield The Highest Return

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When contemplating home renovation projects that will bring the highest return when you decide to sell, it’s important to choose the projects wisely. Key areas of the home that interest potential buyers include the kitchen, bathroom, square footage and interior and exterior paint, followed by floors, windows and appliances.

A critical point to remember is not to go overboard and make renovations that exceed the home’s look or out-price the rest of the home. Compromise by blending the new look with the old to retain the overall style of the house while keeping remodeling costs reasonable.

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Real Estate Agents & Brokers – Which one is right for me?

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You’re looking for a house for the first time, and everyone has some advice for you, especially when it comes to real estate agents. You’re hearing who you should and should not use, and why.

Here’s a secret: choosing the correct real estate agent is the last step before buying a home, not the first. Unless, of course, you want to buy their image of your dream home.

The top two important decisions you will make are the location where you want to live that is convenient to your life, and finances. Both of these factors are important in choosing a real estate agent.

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10 Tips to Help Position Your Home When Selling

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Selling a home may be more difficult today than it was in the go-go years of the mid-2000s, but it’s still very doable even in today’s recouping market. The key is to put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and ask what qualities you would want if you were looking for a new place. Then make your current residence meet those expectations as much as possible. Here are some specifics:

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10 Innovative Kitchen Ideas

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In any home, the kitchen is the hub of activity and the heartbeat of daily life. With a few changes, you can update your kitchen into “the place to be” whether it’s for morning coffee, family meals, special occasions or dinner parties.

Trends

Trends can range from using a neutral palette to paint the walls to installing recessed lighting or replacing outdated fixtures with modern minimalist-style faucets. One tried and true classic style is the clean and modern look of black and white utilizing the pristine color of white for all cabinets, walls and ceilings highlighted with black granite counter tops and black appliances.

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GE Set To Release Artistry™ Line of Appliances

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As of Wednesday June 26th 2013, General Electric announced the release of their Artistry Series™ Kitchen Appliances. For those homeowners building a new home, renovating or just wanting a fresh look, these retro-styled appliances may be just for you.

Set to release in Fall 2013, the GE Artistry™ Series sports an iconic, old-fashioned American design with the energy-efficiency and technology of today’s latest appliances. Offered in two colors – black and white — it appears GE will be releasing a full suite of appliances including: Energy Star®-qualified refrigerators and dishwashers, over-the-range microwaves and stove-oven combos all badged with the GE monogram reading “General Electric”; a perfect touch of the past.

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Home Maintenance Checklist

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Tips for keeping your home running in tip top shape broken down into monthly, quarterly and annually

Owning a home comes with many obvious advantages, but one notable disadvantage is that you are now solely responsible for the maintenance and repair of your home. You can’t just simply call your landlord when something goes wrong. Some maintenance and repair issues will be more obvious than others. So to make sure you’ve got everything covered, keep along this handy home maintenance checklist around to stay on track.

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The ABC’s of Colors & Painting

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It’s time to give your walls a paint-facelift but with the range of colors available, it can be daunting trying to decide which colors to choose.

To assist you in figuring out which color scheme is best, begin with a checklist of the ABC’s to help guide you to a successful and colorful conclusion.

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15 Can’t-Miss Renovations

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I’ll do a quick post like this every month or two, scouring the web (mostly Pinterest) for the most vivacious transformations and remodeling projects. The fit and finish on these amazing homes leaves nothing left to be desired.

If you’re thinking renovating [a part of] your home, these lovely end-results and before-and-after’s should give you some inspiration to stop waiting around and start your dwellovation today!

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Don’t Get Scammed!

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Things to look out for when hiring a new, potentially unknown contractor for your reno.

Picture this: you’re looking at hiring a contractor to completely redo your kitchen – countertops, cabinets, appliances, floors, backsplashes…the whole shebang. Depending on which contractor you choose, the quality of materials and numerous other factors, the remodel is going to be expensive. According to the thekitchn.com, the average kitchen remodel is around $15-20k (without appliances, mind you), and can cost upwards of $45k (average from another source). You pay your contractor half upfront and they never show.

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For You First Time Homeowners

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Some tips and tricks for first time, on a budget buyers looking to spruce up their home

You’ve bought your first home and while it’s in good shape, it could use a little remodeling and renovating. The problem is you don’t know where to begin, which projects you can do and which ones need a professional contractor.

Depending on how much hands-on, do-it-yourself knowledge you possess, there are quite a few renovation projects that are easily accomplished. If your knowledge is limited, there are many websites, videos, how-to articles and online tools to help you get started.

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