Edmonton Real Estate Blog

Find the right fix-it pro for those jobs you can’t (or don’t want to) do yourself

The number one rule in hiring any service professional: Get references. Word of mouth from friends and neighbors is the best way to find a good worker who’ll deliver great results. You can also search user reviews on Websites like servicemagic.com (free to use, because prescreened member contractors pay to belong) or angieslist.com (subscription-based, but with no sponsor companies).

Ask anyone you hire about minimum charges, and what might cause the price to go up from the quote. Inquire about insurance (in case of injury, or damage to your or others’ property), and about professional affiliations and accreditation. Read contracts carefully. Here, some specifics to ask a prospective…

Plumber

• Do you specialize in repair work or remodeling? Some may do both, but you’ll get better rates and results if their expertise matches the job you need handled.
• Do you charge for travel time? Plumbers spend a lot of time on the road; their hourly rate may include driving to and from your house.
• Are you likely to have the necessary parts handy? A plumber worth his or her salt should be fully stocked; you don’t want to get stuck paying for multiple supply-gathering trips.

Electrician

• Do you need a permit to do the work? They’re usually needed only on larger jobs, and require that the wiring be inspected by your town (this can protect you against shoddy work). Discuss who’ll be filing for the permit, and what it will add to the cost.
• Will you buy the fixtures or parts for me? It’s generally preferable, because the electrician will then be responsible for the product warranty and any breakage or missing pieces.

Exterminator

• Will we need to leave the house? Are there any risks to people or pets? All pesticides should be EPA-certified, but there may be safety steps you or the exterminating crew need to take.
• How soon will the critters be gone? Total eradication may not happen after just one visit.
• Are return visits covered in the cost? Many firms offer 30- or even 90-day guarantees.

Housepainter

• What is included in the service? From masking off of unpainted areas to moving of furniture (for interior jobs), priming, and multiple coats of paint, all should be delineated in the contract, as well as what supplies and tools (brushes, rollers) are included.
• Can you get a discount on paint? A good painter has a relationship with a supplier to get you the best price on the best product for the job.

Roofer

• Should I repair or replace? Leaks are often difficult to diagnose, and a repair in one spot may not fix the whole problem. Recommendations will vary, so get three estimates.
• Will you be roofing over existing shingles? If the basic structure is sound and leaks will be easy to patch, a cover-up job is far more cost-effective; if you already have two layers, most building codes require removal and replacement. This should be factored into the quote.
• Is there a warranty or guarantee? There should be both: The manufacturer backs the materials for defects, while the work may be covered for up to 10 years by the roofer.

Source: Amy Roberts GoodHouseKeeping.com

What You’ll Need

• Drop cloth
• Stepladder
• Level
• Measuring tape
• Metal straightedge
• Utility knife
• Paste (specific to your paper type)
• Foam paint roller
• Wallpaper brush
• Sponge
• Work surface (such as a dining table)
• Wallpaper (try vinyl-coated with a free match pattern – no design to line up!)

BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Make a date: Wallpapering is a two-person job, says Frank Fontana, a designer on HGTV. Measure the length of the wall and multiply that number by the room’s height to determine how many rolls you’ll need. (A standard roll is 15 feet.) Remove everything from the walls and spackle any holes. Then give the entire wall a wipe-down with a damp sponge.

Step 1: Cut

Measure your wall and divide its width by the width of the paper to determine how many strips you’ll need. Cut paper into strips six inches longer than the wall’s height, to allow for shifting to match patterns. Use a level to make a plumb vertical line at the wall’s midpoint – you’ll align the paper with this straight line rather than your likely uneven ceiling.

Step 2: Paste

Lay your paper pattern-side down and use a paint roller to apply a thin, even layer of paste to the back, making sure to completely cover the entire surface, including all edges.

Step 3: Book

Gently fold the strip into thirds by bringing the two ends toward the center (don’t overlap them), being careful not to crease the paper. Allow to set for 10 minutes. This technique, known as booking, will help the paper absorb the paste and make it easier to manipulate on the wall.

Step 4: Hang

Unfold the top half of the booked strip, lining it up with the plumb line and overlapping the edge at the ceiling by about three inches. Smooth the paper outward and downward with a wallpaper brush to remove air bubbles. Once you reach the middle, unfold and smooth down the bottom half.

Step 5: Trim

Paste doesn’t stick immediately, so you can shift the paper until the seams match and the design is straight. Then, trim excess paper at the top and bottom with the utility knife.

Step 6: Dry – and you’re done!

Clean off any visible paste from the seams and surface of the paper using a damp (not wet) sponge. Let dry for at least 48 hours before hanging anything on the wall. Our pick: We used Thibaut’s Julian wallpaper in the cream and metallic color scheme (thibautdesign.com for store info).

Source: Lara Robby of RedbookMag.com

Is your closet an overflowing disaster? Clothes packed tight, shoes in a hodgepodge on the floor, purses, scarves and sweaters piled high on the shelves?

Some tips for organizing your closet in 10-minute chunks:

1. Plan. Decide what sizes you are going to keep, what is going to be stored in the closet, where you are going to take things that you no longer want, said Standolyn Robertson, certified professional organizer in Waltham, Mass.

2. Take the dry-cleaning bags off, said Lisa Zaslow of Gotham Organizers in New York. “It takes up space, makes it harder to see your clothes and is actually bad for fabric,” she said in an email. Remove empty hangers.

3. Organize clothing by type – blouses, pants, skirts, jackets, suits, etc., said Zaslow. Then spend another 10 minutes arranging by colour. As you go, get rid of anything that is worn or stained, that doesn’t fit, that isn’t flattering or that you just don’t like. Store the things you wear most often in the most accessible parts of your closet.

4. If you have a lot of short-hanging items, use a closet doubler that hangs from the top rod to increase your hanging space, said Zaslow. Put your slacks, blouses, jackets and skirts on the bottom rung.

5. Hang all of your fall clothes backward, said Ecker. As you wear them, put the hanger back on the rod the traditional way. At the end of winter, if an item is still hanging backward, it’s probably something you should get rid of.

6. Tackle the shelves. Use dividers to create cubicles, said professional organizer Erica Ecker of The Specialist in New York. “They slide right in a shelf and make perpendicular barriers so your piles of sweaters, shirts and jeans don’t avalanche into each other.”

7. Put like with like in terms of shoes, said Robertson, immediate past president of the National Association of Professional Organizers. Stick all the tennis shoes together, the sandals together and so forth. Put a magazine in the boots to get them to stand up. Remove shoes that are too small or need to be repaired.

8. Take advantage of unused space. The dead air between the floor and the bottom of a skirt or dress can hold clear plastic bins on wheels for shoes, belts and other accessories. The back of the door can have hooks or over-the-door pocket-type organizers.

Source: Megan K. Scott     YourHome.ca

The federal tax credit, which could put $1,350 back in your wallet, runs out this weekend. Find out what you can and can’t file for.

Aspiring home renovators have less than a week if they want to get $1,350 back into their own wallets.

On Sunday, the federal government’s vastly popular home renovation tax credit (HRTC) expires. It gives Canadians tax relief for 15 per cent of the renovation costs they incurred between Jan. 27, 2009, and Feb 1, 2010. People can file for a maximum $1,350 non-refundable tax credit on their 2009 income taxes for home renovation projects worth between $1,000 and $10,000.

Although home owners, contractors and retailers are hoping the credit is extended, the Finance Minister has indicated it will expire on the set date. That means Canadians need to get shopping in a hurry.

To help sort out what qualifies and what doesn’t, check out these tips from Brad Cran of Cran & Co., a Vancouver firm that specializes in personal and corporate income tax.

1 You have until the end of the month to use the HRTC.

2 The HRTC covers improvements to your home but not regular maintenance. As an example, sweeping your chimney would not be covered but fixing your chimney’s mortar would be.

3 This is a family credit, meaning a husband and wife who have spent $20,000 can still only claim $10,000 for the $1,350 credit.

4 If you sold your home halfway through the year and bought a new one, renovations to both are eligible but you are still limited to a maximum credit of $1,350.

5 If you have a rental suite in your house, you cannot claim the credit for work done on the suite.

6 It is not uncommon for renters to renovate their own rental units, but you must own the home being renovated to qualify.

7 People living in co-ops or condos can claim the credit on renovations to their unit and/or to a portion of work done on common areas. In order that costs to common areas qualify, you must be informed in writing what your share of the costs are.

8 Supplies and incidentals are covered but tools are not. If you are painting your house, you can cover the costs of paint and incidentals such as brushes, but you can’t buy yourself a $500 band saw to cut a piece of wood to fix a door frame.

9 You can claim the expense for permits and equipment rentals.

10 If you are hiring a contractor to renovate your home, you can only claim the portion of the work that has been completed by the deadline. However, you can claim the cost of any materials that you have purchased before Feb. 1. So, if you were planning to paint your house this summer, you could buy the paint now and still claim the cost for the HRTC on your 2009 tax return.

Final Bonus Tip: Be well organized and tabulate your results. If you turn up to your accountant with a bag of receipts you are going to save with the HRTC but you will have to pay extra on your accountant bill.

Source: Roma Luciw  for Globe and Mail Update (theglobeandmail.com)

Homebuyers want smaller houses and they are willing to strip some of yesterday’s most popular rooms-such as home theatres-from them in order to accommodate changing lifestyles, consumer experts told audiences at the International Builders Show here this week.

“This is a traumatic time in (the United States) and the future isn’t something we’re 100 per cent sure about now either. What’s left? The answer for most home buyers is authenticity,” said Heather McCune, director of marketing for Bassenian Lagoni Architects in Park Ridge, Ill.

Buyers today want cost-effective architecture, plans that focus on spaces and not rooms and homes that are designed ‘green’ from the outset,” she said. The key for homebuilders is “finding the balance between what buyers want and the price point.”

For many buyers, their next house will be smaller than their current one, said Carol Lavender, president of the Lavender Design Group in San Antonio, Texas. Large kitchens that are open to the main family living area, old-fashioned bathrooms with claw foot tubs and small spaces such as wine grottos are design features that will resonate today, she said.

“What we’re hearing is ‘harvest’ as a home theme-the feeling of Thanksgiving. It’s all about family togetherness-casual living, entertaining and flexible spaces,” Lavender said.

Paul Cardis, CEO of AVID Ratings Co., which conducts an annual survey of homebuyer preferences, said there are 10 “must” features in new homes:

1. Large kitchens, with an island. “If you’re going to spend design dollars, spend them where people want them-spend them in the kitchen,” McCune said. Granite countertops are a must for move-up buyers and buyers of custom homes, but for others “they are on the bubble,” Cardis said.

2. Energy-efficient appliances, high-efficiency insulation and high window efficiency. Among the “green” features touted in homes, these are the ones buyers value most, he said. While large windows had been a major draw, energy concerns are giving customers pause on those, he said. The use of recycled or synthetic materials is only borderline desirable.

3. Home office/study. People would much rather have this space rather than, say, a formal dining room. “People are feeling like they can dine out again and so the dining room has become tradable,” Cardis said. And the home theatre may also be headed for the scrap heap, a casualty of the “shift from boom to correction,” Cardis said.

4. Main-floor master suite. This is a must feature for empty-nesters and certain other buyers, and appears to be getting more popular in general, he said. That could help explain why demand for upstairs laundries is declining after several years of popularity gains.

5. Outdoor living room. The popularity of outdoor spaces continues to grow, even in Canada, Cardis said. And the idea of an outdoor room is even more popular than an outdoor cooking area, meaning people are willing to spend more time outside.

6. Ceiling fans.

7. Master suite soaker tubs. Whirlpools are still desirable for many home buyers, Cardis said, but “they clearly went down a notch,” in the latest survey. Oversize showers with seating areas are also moving up in popularity.

8. Stone and brick exteriors. Stucco and vinyl don’t make the cut.

9. Community landscaping, with walking paths and playgrounds. Forget about golf courses, swimming pools and clubhouses. Buyers in large planned developments prefer hiking among lush greenery.

10. Two-car garages. A given at all levels; three-car garages, in which the third bay is more often than not used for additional storage and not automobiles, is desirable in the move-up and custom categories, Cardis said.

Source: Steve Kerch of Marktwatch (Yourhome.ca)

Taking Care of Stainless Steel

To keep your stainless steel bright and clean, Adam Kamens of Amuneal Manufacturing Corp. suggests using a light mist of wax-based aerosol spray once or twice a week. Don’t put on too much – you don’t want to soak the surface and make it greasy. Wipe the mist with a clean, lint-free cloth, and never use oils to keep away fingerprints – lint will stick to the oil. Also, don’t use cleaners with bleach after you’ve put on the waxy layer, or it will dry out and lose some of the luster. And finally, don’t use anything abrasive, not even mild products like Soft Scrub or Scotch-Brite pads. You don’t want to scratch or ruin the surface.

Organizing Closets

Organizing your closet is the first step to organizing the rest of your home. Get rid of unused clothes and accessories, and organize the rest by how you get dressed in the morning and by color. Your closet will look appealing, and your everyday routine will be easier.

Removing Stains and Odors

Ruth Travis, president of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, says that to remove stains and odors, blot up as much of the smelly mess as you can right away. While you’re blotting the upholstery, put a plastic liner or a garbage bag between the cushion and the fabric so you don’t push the contaminant into the cushion. Then flush with cold water as best you can. Blot and flush again. Cold water doesn’t set stains as much as hot water. You can also use a portable spot cleaner or wet/dry vac. If there’s still a residual odor, use a half-vinegar, half-water solution and rinse again. If that doesn’t work, call in the professionals.

Cleaning Painted Walls

To clean your painted walls, Carl Minchew, director of Product Development at Benjamin Moore, suggests starting with a clean cloth or sponge and water. If that doesn’t work, dip the rag or sponge into water mixed with a little dishwashing liquid, the milder the better. If the stain persists, apply a few drops of soap directly onto the wet sponge or cloth you’re using. For more stubborn cases, you could apply a little soap right onto the stain. If you need to resort to a stronger product like Fantastik or Formula 409, realize they have strong solvents in them and can soften the paint surface. Make sure that whatever you do to get rid of the stain, you rinse the wall afterward with plain water.

Creating a Different Mood

For easy makeovers, designer Thomas O’Brien says, “I’ve always collected textiles, and you can make a fast, easy change with bedding, towels, and table linens to create a different mood. Switch things out seasonally, or for a special event, or whenever you want to play with a certain color or pattern.”

Cleaning Your Carpet

To keep carpets looking nice, Paul Iskyan, owner of Rug Renovating, suggests taking off your shoes when you get home – but leave your socks on because walking around in bare feet leaves natural oils that attract dirt. Try to vacuum every day and use a top-load vacuum, so the dirt falls inward, and HEPA filters. Change the filters often, so you don’t blow pollutants back into the air. For less-trafficked areas, you can get away with cleaning the carpets once or twice a year, and every 18 months for a bedroom. For higher-traffic areas, the most often you’d need to bring in professionals would be three or four times a year, although once you see that your carpet’s dirty, you probably should have it cleaned for health reasons.

Caring for Your Tiles

Marty Hoffman of Hoffman Brothers Floors suggests cleaning bathroom and kitchen tiles with a cleaner that has “neutral pH” on the label. You can also mix baking soda and water for a homemade cleaner: Pour 1/2 cup baking soda into 2 gallons water and mix very well. Then apply the liquid with a string mop or sponge mop. For grout, use the same baking soda and water mixture, but for tough stains, call in the pros.

Removing Stains from Countertops

Getting rid of stains on granite can be tricky, but the key, according to kitchen designer Florence Perchuk, is to wipe up stains ASAP. Also have your countertop sealed a few times as soon as it’s installed. You’ll know it’s sealed properly when water beads and forms droplets on the surface. Then have it sealed again a year later. You can poultice away rust, and you remove soap scum or mildew with a solution of 1/2 cup ammonia in a gallon of water. For most coffee or juice stains, you can use a little hydrogen peroxide in water, plus a few drops of ammonia. For everyday wear-and-tear, buff away small scratches with superfine dry steel wool, called “grade 0000.” For all other stains, check out the Marble Institute of America’s Website or call in the professionals.

Reorganizing Bookshelves

Sort books by size and subject. Remove and discard any ripped dust jackets (unless you think they might have value). Line books, some vertically, some horizontally, in a rhythmic pattern. This will relieve the monotony of rows.

Caring for Your Area Rugs

Philip Costikyan of Restoration by Costikyan says you should clean your area rugs every four or five years – or every 10 years if a rug is not walked on much. Overcleaning contributes to wear and tear. Really fine silk rugs need be cleaned only every 20 or 30 years. For treating stains at home, keep a bottle of club soda on hand. Stains caused by pets, coffee, orange soda, red wine, and anything with dye or an acid base are the hardest to remove, and the key is to act quickly. Pour club soda directly onto the area, let the soda absorb into the yarn, and the salt in the soda will neutralize the acid. Blot again and again, until the residue is gone. For bloodstains, you should use milk instead, and for soil and grease-based stains, mix 1 part Ivory soap detergent with 16 parts water. If you still see residue when it dries, call an expert.

Caring for Wood Floors

The keys to keeping your wood floors looking new are to avoid oversanding, use trivets or saucers under plants to avoid water damage, use furniture protectors to avoid scratches, and damp-mop once a week with a mild soap like Murphy Oil Soap.

Polishing Silver

Metal restorer Paul Karner says to use a toothbrush and Hagerty Silver Foam on your silver because it’s not too abrasive and it’s water-soluble. For really bad black tarnish, Simichrome Polish is great. He also says to never put your silver in the dishwasher and store it in anti-tarnish cloth bags when you’re not using it.

Source: Housebeautiful.com

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Home remodelers are getting less bang for their bucks. For the fourth straight year, renovation jobs have added less to resale values relative to their costs, according to an annual Remodelling Cost vs. Value Report released this week by the National Association of Realtors.

The average remodelling job cost $50,908 in 2009 and added $32,497 to the value of the home, a ratio of 63.8%. That was down from a cost-to-value ratio of 67.3% in 2008, when the average was $49,866 and the added value was $33,568.

One common renovation, a mid-priced bath remodel, for example, runs an average of $16,142 and adds only $11,454 to the resale value of a house — recouping just 71% of its cost. In 2008, the same job cost less — $15,899 — and typically added $11,857 to the home’s value, recouping 74.6%.

The most financially successful jobs are smaller-scale, lower-cost renovations that improve the exterior appearance of homes. In this down real estate market, curb appeal is king.

“Once again, this year’s report highlights the importance of a home’s first impression,” said NAR President Vicki Cox Golder, owner of Vicki L. Cox & Associates in Tucson, Ariz.

Ron Phipps, a real estate broker in Rhode Island, said how the house looks from the outside is more important than ever.

“If you’re driving down the street and the house doesn’t have great appeal, it doesn’t matter how nice it is inside,” he said.

But here’s the kicker: Clients are savvier than ever in their shopping. Even though the costs of home improvements are less likely to be returned on resale than they have been in prior years, sellers may still have to bite the bullet and do the remodelling if they want their house to sell at all, he said.

“It’s kind of intriguing,” said Phipps. “Buyers are using the unimproved houses to negotiate lower prices, but they wind up buying the remodelled homes.”

So, if there are two similar houses in the area, buyers will use the listing price of the one that has not gone through a metamorphosis to get the seller of the renovated house to slash their price. Buyers want to pay for the caterpillar but get the butterfly.

Seller must play along if they want to make deals. “You get to sell the house more quickly if you do the renovations,” Phipps said.

Biggest pay-offs

The major job that returns most in resale value is an upscale replacement of siding using fibre-cement. The job costs an average of $13,287 but increases home value by $11,112, or 83.6%. A vinyl siding replacement returns 79.9% of costs.

Adding a basement bedroom is also fairly cost effective, averaging $49,346 but adding $40,992 in value, an 83.1% return.

“Increasing liveable square footage with a new deck or an attic bedroom is usually more valuable than just remodelling existing space,” Phipps said.

The return on investment for some jobs varies greatly by region.

In New England, where winter are long and cold, vinyl window replacements reap a better return than they do in the warm South Atlantic region, where poorly insulated windows don’t mean as much expensive heat leaking away.

So, although replacement windows cost more in New England — an average of $11,155 — they add $9,152 to home values there, recouping 82.3% of their cost. In the South Atlantic states, they cost $9,705 but add just $7,417 to home values, 76.4% of their cost.

On the other hand, buyers in the South Atlantic seem to reward sellers for adding living space more than they do in New England. Maybe thrifty Yankees hate having to heat those extra rooms.

Finishing a basement returns 84.4% of its $55,357 cost in the South Atlantic and only 64% of the $65,715 New Englanders spend for the job.

Among the remodelling jobs faring the worst in return on investment were large, upscale kitchen remodels. They cost an average of $111,794 in 2009 and added $70,641 in recoupable value, just 63.2%.

That was down a whopping 7.5 percentage points from their 70.7% return on investment in 2008 . At the height of the housing boom, in 2005, upscale kitchen renovations returned more than 80% of their costs.

“A lot of the things that, historically, had huge value, don’t have as much today,” said Phipps. “If you want to redo a kitchen, it may no longer make as much sense to use upscale appliances — Viking ranges, Sub-Zero refrigerator. Buyers may not pay any more than they would for a home with GE appliances instead.”

Of course, most remodelling jobs are done to please homeowners. Any increase in home value is a bonus, not an end in itself. But for anyone thinking of selling in the near term, keeping an eye on the bottom line is always a good idea

By Les Christie CNNMoney.com

These days everyone’s on a budget, so we’ve come up with some inexpensive ideas on how you can remodel your kitchen, bath, or living room for under $1000

Bathroom

If you do the work yourself, remodeling your bathroom doesn’t have to be that expensive. Some projects, like painting, are not difficult to tackle while others, such as tiling a floor, require more expertise.

Here are some of the most common bathroom upgrades with approximate DIY prices:

• Paint walls and trim ($75)
• Replace bathroom accessories ($100)
• Install new sink faucet ($100)
• Replace sink and vanity ($400)
• Tile floor ($225)

When tiling a floor, be sure to buy 10-15% extra for waste so you’ll have plenty of tile to finish the job.

Living Room

Most renovation efforts in living rooms, family rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms involve painting, window treatments, ceiling light fixtures, and replacing the flooring, all of which can make great DIY projects.

For those on a budget, the least expensive flooring to install is either carpet or laminate flooring at about $2 per square foot. Though more expensive than carpet, laminate flooring makes a great do-it-yourself project while installing carpet often requires professional installation. Replacing the light fixture in the ceiling with either a new model or a ceiling fan is the perfect way to finish out the room.

Here’s approximately what it will cost to remodel your living room:

• Paint ($150)
• Window treatment ($50)
• Ceiling fan or light fixture ($100)
• Carpet or laminate flooring ($700)

Kitchen

A minor kitchen remodel is another great homeowner project that has a high rate of return on your investment should you decide to sell your house.

Start with a fresh coat of paint on the walls and cabinets. The kitchen receives a lot of traffic, so a kitchen and bath enamel is the best choice, since it holds up to repeated cleanings. The key to painting in the kitchen is to thoroughly clean the surfaces of any grease or grime before painting. You should also lightly sand or apply a liquid deglosser to cabinets before painting to improve adhesion.

Next, consider updating the knobs, handles, and hinges on your kitchen cabinets with new ones. Take your old hardware with you to home improvement center so you can match the size and holes to the new hardware.

A kitchen floor also take a lot of abuse, so replacing it may be high on your priority list. Ceramic tile is the obvious choice, with prices between $1 to $2 per square foot for materials if you do the work yourself.

If you have any money left over, consider replacing your countertops. There are a number of inexpensive choices available including plastic laminate and solid surface.

Here are the approximate costs to remodel the kitchen in your house:

• Paint walls and cabinets ($300)
• Hardware for cabinets ($100)
• Tile floor ($340)
• Replace countertops ($400-$800)

If you budget carefully and do the work yourself, you can make big improvements to every room in your house without spending a fortune.

Source: www.DannyLipford.com

These simple do-it-yourself projects that can make a big difference, without taking too much out of your wallet.

Think spending $50,000 on a total kitchen remodel or $10,000 overhauling the bathroom is the only way to add value to a home? If large, expensive projects are beyond your grasp, you’re in luck: Increasing the value of your home doesn’t have to involve large outlays of cash, especially when you’re willing to put in a little sweat equity. Why spend big money when there are so many low-cost, do-it-yourself (DIY) projects? Whether you’re planning on selling or just want a nicer place to live, read on to find out what you can do to add value to your home for as little as a few dollars. (To read more about home improvements, see Fix It And Flip It: The Value of Remodeling.)

House-Wide Updates

The following are some changes that can be undertaken for surprisingly little money.

Freshen Up the Walls
If your walls have scratches and dirty paint, an outdated color or tacky wallpaper, a few cans of paint can make a dramatic difference. If you’re trying to maximize the value of your home, it’s best to choose a neutral color scheme that unifies the entire house, makes the space look bigger and will appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers.

Install Crown Molding
This task is surprisingly simple but adds a lot of character. You simply buy the molding, which is nothing more than decorative strips of wood from a home improvement store, cut it to the size that fits your room (or have the store cut it for you), and attach it to the top of the wall with a nail gun. It may even come already painted. This involves a bit of woodworking skill as well as the right tools, but is very inexpensive if you can do it yourself.

Update Fixtures
Switch plates, outlet covers, curtain rods, light fixtures and doorknobs are often boring or overlooked, but a few bucks can add major pizzazz. Attractive metal switch plates and outlet covers can cost as little as $5 apiece but look much more expensive. Light fixtures and decorative curtain rods can be a little pricier, but sometimes you can make an inexpensive piece look elegant with the right can of spray paint. Again, make sure to choose items in colors and finishes that will appeal to a wide audience.

Install Ceiling Fans
Everyone likes to save money on electricity bills, making ceiling fans an appealing addition to any home. Using ceiling fans can definitely cut down on air conditioning costs, and in fact, they can also reduce heating costs by circulating warm air away from the ceiling. A basic fan costs about $50, and a nice one can be had for no more than a couple hundred dollars. If you don’t already have overhead lighting in the room or rooms you want to install fans in, the electrical work needed to install them can significantly escalate the cost of this project as well as take it out of the DIY realm.

Improve Window Treatments
The cheap vertical plastic blinds, paper shades, or horizontal aluminum blinds that may have come with your house definitely don’t add any value to your home. Consider replacing them with plantation shutters, wooden blinds or nice drapes. By the way, it doesn’t matter whether the drapes will come with the house if you are in the market as a seller. The important thing is that they make it look nice while it’s on the market and help you get top dollar for your home.

Reveal and Restore Hardwood Floors
Older homes in particular are likely to have hardwood floors lurking beneath carpet. If your floor squeaks, that’s a decent sign that you may have wood floors. If you’re not sure, pull up your carpet in an unnoticeable corner and investigate. If you do have wood floors, there’s a good chance you’ll have to refinish them to restore them to their original splendor, but that will be much less expensive than installing new flooring from scratch.

Bathroom

Redo the Bathroom Floor
Many people can learn how to do this task themselves with a simple class (your local home improvement store may offer one). Because installation makes up a major part of the cost of most home improvements, saving all that money on labor may allow you to pick nicer flooring than you could otherwise afford. Opting for a neutral-colored tile will add the most value.

Update Fixtures
If you have generic, cheap and/or outdated fixtures, replacing them with newer, more customized versions can make your bathroom sparkle. For about $40-$100, you can replace a shabby bathroom vanity or ceiling light fixture with something elegant. A similar cash outlay will get you a new sink faucet. A spa-style chrome shower head adds a touch of luxury for about $80. Towel bars are the easiest and cheapest fix at about $20-30. Sometimes the upgrade can even be more energy efficient, increasing not only the aesthetics of your home but “greening” it up as well. (For more on saving energy, read Ten Ways To Save Energy And Money.)

Kitchen

Paint or Stain Kitchen Cabinets
You could buy all new cabinets and save money by purchasing prefabricated (rather than custom) cabinets and installing them yourself, but that’s more work and money than painting or staining your existing cabinets. White cabinets will brighten the room, don’t usually go out of style and are easy for future owners to repaint if they want something different. You’ll need to remove all the hardware from your cabinets, including removing the doors. You’ll also need to clean the cabinets first so that residue like grease won’t ruin your work. This renovation can be used to spruce up your bathroom cabinets as well.

Upgrade Cabinet Knobs and Drawer Handles
It’s surprising how a seemly innocuous element like a cabinet door knob can make your kitchen look cheap or dated. Updating this hardware can give your kitchen a face lift whether you redo your cabinets or not.

Living Room

Clean Fireplace Brick
If you have a brick fireplace and it’s ever been used, chances are some of the brick is stained with soot and creosote. Because a nice fireplace can be a major selling point in a home, you’ll want to make yours look as nice as possible. Just use a damp rag to wipe away some of the soot, then follow up with a fireplace cleaner designed to remove creosote. It will take some scrubbing with a stiff brush and possibly several applications, but you’ll have that brick looking spiffy when you’re finished.

Don’t Forget the Exterior

It may be easy for you to ignore your home’s exterior when you spend most of your time inside, but it’s the first and sometimes only impression that others get of your house. Here are a few simple ways to make it look its best.

Install a New Front Door
A very basic steel front door costs about $100, but for just another $100-$200, you can get a door with a lot more character that will improve your home’s curb appeal. If you can’t afford a new door, a fresh coat of paint in an inviting color may be all you need.

Replace the Front Door Mat
When you’ve had the same doormat for years, it can be easy to overlook how worn out or dirty it’s become, but it’s one of the first impressions people get of your home. This is one area where $20 can make a big difference.

Gutters
This is more an issue of maintaining your home’s value than increasing it, but it’s extremely important. Without properly functioning gutters, which are designed to carry water away from your home, rain may seep into your home or pool around it, causing problems like mold and mildew and eventually compromising the house’s structural integrity, leading to very expensive repair bills.

Power wash the Exterior of Your Home
For less time and money, a good washing can make your home’s exterior look almost as good as a fresh coat of paint.

Repaint the Exterior
If washing the exterior of your home didn’t brighten it up as much as you’d hoped, consider a new paint job. With the ladders and heights involved, this may not be a DIY task for everyone, but even if you have to hire others to do this job, it’s still pretty inexpensive as far as home improvements go and can make your house look almost new from the outside.

Power wash the Driveway, Walkways and Patio
As long as you’re renting the power washer, you might as well clean your driveway, your patio, and any walkways. You may be surprised by how new they’ll look afterward.

Upgrade Landscaping or Clean Up Existing Landscaping
Flowers and other plants are a great way to brighten your home’s exterior. Use greenery in front of your house and/or along walkways to draw attention to your house. To get the most for your buck, choose perennial plants, or ones that will come back year after year, rather than annuals, which will die in a year or less and not return. Patch any bald spots in the yard with fresh sod and trim existing trees and bushes to complete the yard’s new look.

Put on Your Tool belt
Upgrading your home doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult and it doesn’t have to involve contractors. There are a variety of projects for all price ranges and all levels of skill and enthusiasm that can improve your home’s value, whether to future buyers or, perhaps more importantly, to you. Putting a few of these home-improvement ideas into action will help you get the most value out of one of your biggest assets whether you’re staying in it or selling.

Amy Fontinelle  Investopedia.com

Time to Put Your Home on an Energy Diet: Eight New Year’s Resolutions for Your Home

Bill Cunningham, an energy efficiency expert with Lennox – a leading provider of customized home heating and cooling systems – says homeowners can significantly curb their energy usage and reduce their energy bills in the coming year by making the following quick and easy home-related New Year’s resolutions:

1. Make a Light Switch. Replace your five most frequently used incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, and save $65 each year. These bulbs use less energy and can last up to 10 times longer.

2. Get With the Program. Install an ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat, and take the time to program it (the majority of consumers don’t). When used properly, these thermostats can save as much as $150 per year in energy costs.

3. Go with the (Low) Flow. Replace your existing shower head with a new 2.5-gallon-per-minute (low-flow) shower head. The new water efficient shower head coupled with a 10-minute shower will save five gallons of water over a typical bath and up to $145 each year on electricity used to heat the water.

4. Let the Laundry Chill. To save hot water – and the $24 to $40 in fuel that it takes to heat that water each year – wash your clothes in cold water. Be sure to choose a laundry detergent that is formulated for use in cold temperatures.

5. Make a Dent in the Lint. Clean the lint trap in your clothes dryer before every load of laundry, which will help increase the drying efficiency of the machine and save another $34 each year.

6. Dial it Back. Lower the temperature on your hot water heater from 145 degrees to 120 degrees – the only place you’ll notice the difference is on your utility bill. In fact, this slight reduction in temperature can save the average homeowner between $36 and $61 each year.

7. To Repair or Replace: That is the Question. Consider replacing an older furnace that is 60 percent efficient with one that is 95 percent efficient, and save approximately 57 percent on energy bills and up to a whopping $5,513 over a five-year period.

8. Stop the Standby Energy Use. Unplug digital devices when not in use, as “standby” energy consumption can add up. In fact, you can save about $165 per year just by unplugging a plasma TV.

This article is provided by Lennox. For more tips and advice on maintaining or purchasing a home comfort system, visit Lennox.com or ItPaysToLiveSmart.com.