Planning a New Kitchen? Read This Before You Start (III)

Part 3

For some, a new kitchen is simply a case of updating cabinets and equipment, but for the discerning homeowner, it’s an opportunity to completely re-plan the room — to increase its size or capabilities. We are happy to share your top tips for managing a successful remodeling project:

    * Get estimates from two or three different professionals. Be clear about what you want done and ask for a written specification and quotation.
    * Ask for references and talk to previous customers. A good remodeler will provide you with credentials and references. Seek jobs similar to your own.

    * If the builder is a member of a trade association, check the membership criteria – and make sure they really are. Some disreputable handymen have been known to inflate their credentials by falsely claiming membership.
    * Avoid adding to the job or changing your mind halfway through – it will usually cost more and cause delays. Confirm any changes you do make in writing.
    * Use a contract – plain English agreements, in writing, work fine for small building work.
    * Agree on staged and final payments before work starts.
    * Avoid dealing in cash.
    * If any problems arise while work is in progress, or you are unhappy about anything, talk to your remodeler right away. A good one will work to make it right — and want to — before the project is finished.

Southlake Restoration and Remodeling builds, renovates and remodels custom kitchens (and homes) for discriminating clients. Serving Southlake, Trophy Club, Keller, Forney, Frisco and Dallas/Fort Worth. www.SouthlakeRR.com

Planning a New Kitchen? Read This Before You Start (II)

For some, a new kitchen is simply a case of updating cabinets and equipment, but for the discerning homeowner, it’s an opportunity to completely re-plan the room — to increase its size or capabilities.


Part 2

Last time we began discussing how to approach a kitchen redesign. We left off with the important issue of safety and competence.

Safety and Competence
Moving or changing utility points (water, gas and electrical) will add to the cost of the project, but this is the time to make sure that you have a good supply of well-placed electrical outlets.

Lend Your Support
If you are renewing an existing kitchen, your remodeler can help you with plans and drawings, but major alterations to the existing layout – for example taking out a wall or building an extension – will almost certainly require additional supports to the existing structure. Be sure you discuss that and get the right professional advice.

Check Out the Rules
Planning permission is not always necessary for small extensions but you should ask if the work can be done within permitted development. All extensions must, however, meet Building Regulations. An informed professional can help get this done.

Are You Floored?
Think about flooring – can you overlay your chosen material on to your existing floor? Make sure whatever you choose is suitable for kitchen spills and water leaks which are inevitable. Some laminate flooring, for example, does not cope too well with leaks.

Use the Pros
Finding a professional company to transform your kitchen won’t be a problem. A good place to start is to ask friends and relatives who have had similar work done to recommend someone – they are only likely to do so if they had a good experience.

Lastly, during the construction work think about how you are going to cope without kitchen facilities. Most remodelers will work around your family needs but the hot water and cooking facilities will inevitably need moving at some point so get your contingency plan in place.

Next up: Top Tips for a Successful Kitchen Remodel

Southlake Restoration and Remodeling builds, renovates and remodels custom kitchens (and homes) for discriminating clients. Serving Southlake, Trophy Club, Keller, Forney, Frisco and Dallas/Fort Worth. www.SouthlakeRR.com

Remodeling Your Home? Adjust Your Homeowners Insurance

As soon as you’re ready to remodel that kitchen or renovate that bathroom, you should remember to notify your homeowners insurance agent or company about their renovations.

Update your Homeowners Insurance Policy

A recent survey revealed that nearly 40 percent of homeowners who had significantly remodeled their homes, had not updated their homeowners insurance policies to reflect these changes. Remodeling quickly adds to a home’s value, though many homeowners fail to increase their insurance coverage to match. Many homeowners only insure their homes based on their lender’s requirements, purchasing only enough insurance to cover their mortgage balance. This leads experts to estimate that nearly two-thirds of all U.S. homes are underinsured, many significantly so.

Upgrades Could Lead to Homeowners Insurance Savings
Plus, if you do not have a homeowners insurance policy that automatically raises your coverage on an annual basis due to increasing home values in your area, make sure you adjust your level of coverage to match your home’s value. It’s a good idea to report any renovations to your insurance company or agent as soon as you begin, or at least right after completion. It’s a good idea to take before and after pictures in case your insurance company requests them. Many times, we do this as a service to our clients, using the pictures as case studies for future customers, too.

Your Luxurious Bathroom

One of the great joys of being a homeowner is to be able to customize your bathroom experience. From sinks to showers to tubs, making the bathroom your own and turning it into something special is part of the very definition of homeowner.

Modern technology has graced us with many new luxuries, not the least of them include the various shower heads that are available when you are replacing or remodeling a bath. In fact, Elle Decor devoted an entire section to showcasing showerheads recently. You can see it here.

Now, I’ve seen and tested a lot of these, and and their are many excellent ones from which to choose; it’s all about your personal taste and style. One of the most refreshing to me was the Water Tile Rain, by Kohler. 54-nozzles, and fully-adjustable sprayheads. Gentle, yet volumunous enough; it’s a perfect combination, I think, for men and women. Check out the video below, and then go take a shower and think about your new bathroom.

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1078562390

Tech Toolbox – Solar, Celing Fans and Calculators for the Homeowner

Solar Technology, Celing Fans Galore and Financial Calculators, all for the benefit of you, the Homeowner.

I’m always looking for ways to make homeowners, and their homes, better, simpler, safer and more efficient. Today we have a few helpful items that can save you money, and add comfort to your life.

There is a handy Finance Calulator on Realtor.com that provides an estimate of the home price you can afford. It’s easy, and a little fun to play with the numbers. Keep it handy, or share with a friend you think might like it.

Whether you are building a new home, or renovating an existing home, energy efficiency is always a consideration. Within the energy industry, new solar technology is finding new and better ways to get us all using solar energy. Check out this idea: solar lease.  Now homeowners can go solar without any upfront cost and save money from day one. Go Solar for $0? Solar City says it’s so –solar without the high initial cost of installing a system. Instead of buying the equipment, you simply lease it. Thet got me interested enough for a closer look.

One reason that lots of people are turning to ceiling fans these days is to reduce their energy usage. Therefore, it’s important to get the most efficient ceiling fan possible. And if you are in the market for a ceiling fan, one of the best collections or ceiling fan ratings and reviews )including energy star listings) is at Ceiling Fan Wizard.  No matter what your needs are for ceiling fans, you may find your answer on this site.

Tell me what you think. I’m always interested in. And keep those questions coming!

Thanks

Are Homebuyers Staying Put or Surging? That Is Not the Question.

Are homebuyers waiting for prices to drop further, or are they snatching up deals now? It’s a heated discussion with evidence on both side of the balance sheet.

Whether or not potential buyers are truly sidelined waiting for prices to drop as more houses enter the market might be irrelevant. Assuming there is a larger pool of potential buyers out there, buyers must still qualify under today’s stricter credit rules.

So even with government support in the form of tax credits, the market appears stalled: sellers are resisting dropping prices further while buyers are looking for lower prices and underwater homeowners lucky enough to buck the foreclosure trend are stuck in a holding pattern.

Further evidence shows that refinance applications recently dropped, suggesting a slowing down in home refi’s. (The average contract rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages was 5.01 percent last week, up 6 basis points from 4.95% for the prior week).

Timing Is Everything; So When to Renovate?

If you’re looking to remodel any part of your home this year, now is a good time. Contractors may not be as busy these days both because of seasonality and because many homeowners have either already finalized their homes preparing for a sale or making life more comfortable for themselves.

So if you are ready to go, give one of them , or me, a call and let’s get started.

A good contractor will remind you of the important tennants of renovating:

• to get the most bang for your revo buck, you should look to the kitchen and the bathroom. Remodeling these rooms can give you a 98 to 100% return on your money.

• avoid “trends” that tend to come and go like trash compactors or avocado green appliances.

• think ‘neighborhood’. When you remodel, consider what your neighbors homes are like. Standing out can work both ways. You may love a fish pond, an expanded garage or a big porch/patio addition, but be careful–you don’t want your house to look out of place. On the other hand, if you’re the only house on the block without a swimming pool, or your landscaping is bare, you may want to consider adding features that make your home more attractive to buyers, or yourself.

• get the best contractor you can afford. Get references; see past work. And while you should always get at least three bids, don’t jump at the lowest rate. Consumer Reports warns that people who did generally got poorer work. ALWAYS ask for proper licensing and insurance. Don’t mess around with amateurs or weekend warriors.

As mentioned. now is the time to get started, and you can enjoy your improvements for the rest of the year, the rest of your life, or enjoy the return on your investment when you sell. Any way you look at it, it’s smart.

Improve, Then Sell

If you have selling your home in mind, you may want to try to wait a bit; but not for a recovery. Home values aren’t likely to rebound to previous highs for several years; perhaps much longer. If you must sell, you may face a loss by selling now, but that negative figure may only be a paper loss, particularly if you’ve owned your home for some time.

What you can do is make improvements to increase your home’s value. If you have access to any credit, consider improving and repairing your home before placing it on the market, rather than trying to go for a quick as-is sale. Fixing up your home is more affordable now, with reduced construction materials costs and lower contractor charges. Upgrades to kitchens and bathrooms, especially, yield the highest returns.

Hire professionals, not friends or relatives, to repair, upgrade and sell the biggest investment you’ll likely own. Your real estate agent should be well connected with other agents, lenders and industry professionals. Or look for some at your local home show. Ask for credentials, references and a history of recent performance. Get three estimates from contractors and add another 10% for unexpected costs.

It’s a great time (and the perfect season) to rennovate, repair or restore your home — before you put it on the market.

Your Home, Your Schools, Your Taxes

In the spirit of civic awareness, in the shadow of last night’s State of the Union address, I have a bi-partisan message for all homeowners: Get involved with your school board, and vote.

If you have children, you will be influencing their education and the future of our country. Even if you do not, you will be playing a role in how your tax dollars are spent.

In most states, citizens control their public schools and their own property taxes in part by electing a school board — three, five or seven members who must be residents of the school district. What does the School Board do?  The most important thing is to establish a vision for the community’s schools that reflects a consensus of the board, community and district staff. But the board has a wide variety of additional responsibilities, such as adopting a balanced annual budget and issuing interim financial reports, adopting the school calendar, negotiating contracts with employee unions, approving curriculum materials and closing or constructing schools.

School board meetings must be open to the public with the agenda publicly posted in advance. You can learn a lot about your district’s policies and challenges by attending a meeting. In most cases, board meetings are also structured to give you a chance to express your opinions to the board and the community.

Your property taxes are imposed by counties, municipalities, and school districts, where the rate is usually determined by county commissioners, city council members, and school board members, respectively. (See where your state property taxes rank.) The taxes fund budgets for schools, police, fire stations, hospitals, garbage disposal, sewers, road and sidewalk maintenance, parks, libraries, and miscellaneous expenditures. In Texas, property taxes are used to fund public school districts.
 
Find your state’s School Board Association here.
 
Your Home, Your School, Your Taxes…. Your Future.
 

Tech Toolbox – New Phone Apps for Househunters

Realtor.com released a free iPhone app that it says has relationships with 933 multiple listing services, giving it more than four million total listings. The app also claims to have the most up-to-date listings by refreshing data every 15 minutes. The app lets you search for nearby homes and open houses, saves listings that you may want to look at later, and keeps a record of those you’ve recently viewed.

You can search for homes on a street map, or use satellite view or see it as a list. The list is valuable because if there is a high-rise with several open condos, the map will show only a single listing while the list view shows several.

Searches can be refined to include houses within a specified distance of where you are, by price range, number of bedrooms and baths, size, age of home and other parameters. When you choose a property, you can see any pictures that have been posted or read a list of particulars like square footage, acreage, year built, type of heating and so forth.

Like any modern app, there is a social component. You can e-mail listings to friends or post them to Twitter and Facebook. Android released a new free app called HotPads. It not only searches for homes for sale, but also for apartments, rentals properties and hotels.

It also has map and list search, saves favorites and searches, and lets you post your favorite properties to Facebook or e-mail them to friends. Along with basic information and pictures of the properties is a statistics box showing the property’s price compared with other homes in the same ZIP code, neighborhood, city, county and state.

Both are nice additions to your tech toolbox.