Home remodeling projects can stem from a variety of motivations, from improving functionality and comfort to preparing a home for sale. Before starting any project, it’s important to understand how different upgrades impact both your day-to-day living and your home’s long-term value.
Continue reading Popular Remodeling Projects: Are They Worth the Cost?
Double-pane windows have lots of great benefits and will increase the value of your home. But they also have drawbacks that window companies fail to mention when promoting them and touting their energy savings. As a REALTOR, I get to see how they function (or sometimes don’t) in homes.
Continue reading Double-Pane Windows: Pros and Cons
Landscaping is a great way to make the property you just purchased (or one you’ve owned for a while) feel truly like home. But not everyone has experience with designing outdoor spaces. Use these tips to help you properly plan your landscaping project and make your yard the best it can be.
Continue reading Landscape Your New Home
The start of a new year always compels people to take a fresh look at their goals, from health and career to relationships and finance. But with historically low mortgage rates, increased home sales and price growth, and a tight housing inventory, the time is right to also make some homeownership resolutions for 2021.
Continue reading 9 New Year’s Resolutions for Buyers, Sellers and Homeowners
Looking for those last minute presents for loved ones this holiday season? I’ve rounded up 20 of my favorite home gadget gift ideas. And since I work in real estate, I focused on items that add enjoyment, comfort and, in some cases, extra value to your home.
From music lovers to home chefs, I’ve got something for everyone. And I’ve included a range of price points to suit any budget, from under $50 to major splurge, in case you’re feeling extra generous this year. I hope you find this list useful in identifying gifts your friends and family will love. And maybe some of these items will make your wish list this year, too!
Continue reading 20 Home Gadget Gift Ideas to Fit Any Budget
There’s a reason REALTORS® always advise home sellers to remove all clutter when selling their homes: The difference is remarkable. The clutter-free home often looks like a new one entirely, and homeowners even wonder how their home could look that good.
You don’t have to wait to sell your home to make it look better. Plus, clutter can physically and mentally stress us out. By breaking your decluttering down into five-minute sessions, you can slowly conquer your clutter. Leo Babauta of Zen Habits offers some ways to start:
Continue reading Kill the Clutter
You can’t avoid paying taxes, and we all need to pay our fair share. However, paying your fair share shouldn’t place an unjust burden on you. As a homeowner, your tax burden is doubled because you pay both income and property taxes. To decrease that burden and boost your tax savings, take advantage of these homeowner tax deductions. As a result, you can use your tax savings to go on a vacation, increase your child’s college fund, build upon your retirement fund, or complete another home improvement project.
Even if you’re having a professional help you with your income tax return, you need to provide them with information on the money you spent that might be deductible. Look at the following list of homeowner tax tips to see if any of these things need a little more investigation to determine if they apply to your situation.
With roughly 12.5% of the population over 65 years of age, it is understandable that some people are thinking of downsizing because they may not need the amount of space they did in the past. There is something to be said for the freedom acquired by divesting yourself of things that have been accumulated over the years but are no longer needed. Should you downsize your home? It does have its benefits.
Homeowners can raise the basis or cost in their home by money spent on capital improvements. The benefit is that it will lower their gain and may save them taxes when they sell their home.
Improvements must add value to your home, prolong its useful life or adapt it to new uses. Repairs are routine in nature to maintain the value and keep the property in an ordinary, operating condition. They do not raise its basis.
Continue reading Raise the Basis and Lower the Gain