What Projects are Worth the Money?

"We want to get the house ready to show. It needs some work, what should we fix first?"

This week I had the same conversation with three different clients. They want their homes to sell quickly and for full price. So do I! They each recognize that they need to get their homes in the best possible condition to garnish the best possible sale price. Where to begin and on what to spend their precious time and money is not always clear to homeowners.

Fortunately, your Friendly Neighborhood Real Estate Man has the answer!

in the summary charts to the right and below, the higher the percentage of return the better. So, if you spend $1,000 updating your kitchen, you can count on that adding value to your property at sale in an amount close to $795.00. The bathroom remodel (esp. the master bath) will come back to you at 74%. After that, the percentages drop off slightly with most returns centering in the mid-sixties percentile.

What about the exterior?
Drive up appeal is important right? WAY important it appears.

If the house was built prior to 2002 it's likely to need some or a LOT of attention to the siding. Wood fiber siding is fine until it looses the protection of it's coat of paint. Then the stuff turns into a sponge. As it swells with water it cracks, deteriorates, then abandons ship! A good carpenter can make replacing pieces of siding affordable, call J.T. for a referral.

Fences are very expensive. I've had clients replace whole fences before calling me. That's THOUSANDS of dollars, guys. Sometimes it might be necessary, but often a few hours of pay to the Handyman, some new pickets, a post or two, a gallon of stain and you're set! See why Your Agent Matters? On the other hand, I've had clients who were sure that everyone would like the linoleum their mom picked out for them and look at me like I'm nuts when I suggest that some affordable ceramic tile might be worth the expense. Seriously.

The bottom line is this: unless you've meticulously updated and maintained your home throughout its life, you're going to have some work to do in order to make the impact on the market you desire. Where to drop the big bucks and where to just plant some Pansies and Marigolds, that's where your Friendly Neighborhood Real Estate Man comes in!


This article by G.M. Filisko was a great source for this post. Next... the value of a pre-inspection (an inspection provided by a TREC licensed home inspector). The punchline? How can a inspection by All Pro Inspections, Inc. turn a $275.00 GFCI Outlet replacement into a $10 trip to the hardware store! Yes, I put the decimal in the right spot...

I want aCoolerHouse!

My home in Murphy is great.

It's in a great Murphy neighborhood, the elementary school is exemplary, the yard, the house, the trees, the flowers, and shrubs. It seems silly to say, "I love this house!" but I do. I do not, however, love my electric bill. This house is only 7 years old! It's Energy Star certified, etc., etc. We're not hanging meat in the living room, the Thermostat is on a mere 79 degrees. WHY IS IT SO HOT??? WHY AM I PAYING $400 TO THE UTILITY COMPANY???

Enter in my latest favorite home improvement service provider: ACoolerHouse.com

I really liked my initial meeting with Mike Ross from A Cooler House and I am eager to get the work started on our radiant barrier, new green ventilation options, and the sealing of our HVAC duct work. I'll be detailing our experience here on the blog... so stay tuned, stay green, and stay cooler!

Go Green for the sake of your $Green$ (2.0)

John Tierney has another list I like about being a Greedy Greenie, or an Armchair Environmentalist. The goal here isn't to turn into Al Gore or some other environment saving superhero. Don't worry, not another list of to-do's! My goal is to save money and not hinder the earth being... well, the earth. No, this is a list of 'skip it' items that at best make you feel greenish but neither green up the earth nor your wallet.


5 Environmentally Green Things Not to Sweat

• Turning off your car's air conditioner - Yes, the AC does affect fuel efficiency. But Consumer Reports figures it amounts to only one mile per gallon...

• Filling up your tank with ethanol - The corn-based fuel benefit is swamped by the adverse environmental consequences, according to an exhaustive study of bio fuels last year by Swiss researchers.

• Recycling everything - While it can make economic sense to recycle aluminum and paper, towns frequently lose money recycling glass and plastics because they're expensive to collect and aren't worth much.

• Buying local food - Foods from farther away may be grown and shipped so much more efficiently (and cheaply) that they produce fewer greenhouse gases.

• Going organic - Buying organic food makes sense if you believe it's tastier, but there is one major environmental downside: organic farms often yield less per acre thus leaving less room for forests that absorb carbon dioxide and wilderness areas that promote biodiversity.


Wow... I need a Radiant Barrier company in Murphy or Plano to sponsor this blog! Maybe Ed Begley, Jr. can come hug a tree with me.