5 Top Home Improvement Myths

You have decided to do a certain home improvement project, but are you sure you’re making the right choices in improving your home? This is a valid concern because you should understand that not all home improvements could provide you will equal benefits or any advantages at all. So as not to waste your time and effort, here are some home improvement myths you need to be aware of.

Any kind of home remodeling projects will increase your home’s value. This is certainly not true since only some home improvement projects can truly add value to home your home. Therefore, you should be aware which projects are worth doing like kitchen and bathroom improvements.

Adding a pool is worth the investment. It’s a common belief of homeowners that adding a swimming pool or a hot tub is a sure way to boost a home’s value. This is not always true because not all buyers see a pool as an important feature in a home. In fact, some see it as an additional expense as it needs regular maintenance that others can’t afford.

Keeping up with the latest trends. A lot of homeowners think that it’s a great idea to follow the current design trends in the market, but actually it’s not. When you improve your home, make sure that the styles and designs aren’t too faddish and if they are, be sure that they are easy to change when the trend starts fading.

It’s easy! A lot of people consider doing the home improvement project by themselves because they basically think that it can help them save money. There is a time and place for do-it-yourself projects but it will take careful planning and intensive work; for instance, adding a new room, redesigning your basement, and other major repairs. Before thinking about doing it on your own, ask yourself whether you have the skill, time and license necessary to get the job done correctly.

Changing a garage into a living space. This is certainly not a great idea because a garage conversion is always viewed negatively by a lot of future homebuyers unless you replace the lost garage into a better one. Of course your future buyer surely wants a space to park his car someday.

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7 Home Upgrades That Usually Don’t Pay Off

While it’s a smart move to add value to your home, don’t overdo upgrades. Spending too much on remodeling doesn’t guarantee a return on your investments – especially in a buyer’s market. To get the most bang for your buck on home improvements, check out the list of upgrades to avoid and not waste time and money.

1. Home OfficeOnce you convert one of your bedrooms into a home office, your house will be listed as having one less bedroom, which obviously is not a good feature. So, think twice before officially converting a bedroom into an office since most homebuyers, especially growing families, prefer more bedrooms.
2. Swimming PoolSwimming pools actually rarely increase the property’s value especially in today’s housing market. This is due to the fact that homebuyers see an in-ground swimming pool as an additional maintenance cost and a potential safety issue, especially with children.
3. Green Marble CountersStay away from boldly colored finishes and materials because they can turn off a lot of homebuyers. If you would like to upgrade your counters to marble opt for solid black or a less splashy design.
4. CarpetingNot all homebuyers like wall-to-wall carpeting. Hardwood flooring is now a popular trend. So before you shell out cash for carpeting remember that plush Berber may not appeal to all buyers especially if it’s not well maintained or has managed to attract with stains.
5. Miscellaneous upgradesStop and think long and hard before installing or adding unusual and or expensive home upgrades. Pause a moment before you start digging a temperature controlled wine cellar, a pool-sized Jacuzzi or pricey “green upgrades”.
6. New RoofThough this may sound odd, according to some studies, adding a new roof doesn’t really appeal much to homebuyers. Not only is this a costly upgrade but you should make this investment only if the roof has major issues.
7. GarageBefore you start sound proofing a major home feature like a garage to turn it into a music studio, think about your next buyer. In a housing market where most homes listed have a one or two-car garage, you don’t want to be the only house in the listing without one at all. Homebuyers prefer to have a sheltered place to park their car rather than having a place for their garage band.

Saving Big On Your Home Improvement Project

As a homeowner, you certainly want to get the most value for your money even when you do some home improvement projects. Sadly, homeowners discover than most of the projects they plan to do cost up to more than half of their estimated cost. But you can actually prevent this from happening by keeping in mind these five effective ways below.

Buying closeout materials. Purchasing closeout items is similar to buying a new car wherein when a new model is released; the last model is marked down significantly. For instance, if you plan to purchase a new refrigerator and its newest edition was just released or will be released soon, then you’ll be able to save big as manufacturers usually offer the last model a lot cheaper to make room for the newest model of the year.

Conceptualize your vision through the use of technology. Technology can help you a lot in overcoming the challenge of spending money on a remodeling but not being happy with the final result. Visualizing your target home improvement is very challenging that’s why you’ll need to use technology in your remodeling plan. In this way, you can clearly see what it looks like before the construction starts even in 3-D and you can do any alterations before you spend too much on something that you really don’t like.

Focusing more in must-haves. Especially when you are on a tight budget, it’ll really help if you prioritize your needs than your wants. It’s common for homeowners to be tempted on spending on their wants so to avoid this from happening, you should ask yourself wherever you need to do such part of the renovation project or not. If you’re unsure, you can ask yourself the following questions: Is it absolutely necessary to do such part of the project? Why? If you don’t change or remodel it, what happens? In this way, you can determine yourself whether it’s a must-have or a nice-to-have.

Purchasing items during special promotions. Manufacturers usually offer special promotions especially on costly items like appliances, furniture, and expensive finish materials. So if you want to save big on your home improvement projects, time your purchases during such promotions as this will surely help you save hundreds to thousands of dollars on your purchases.

Purchasing surplus materials. If you have family, friends or neighbors who recently did home remodeling or improvements, you can always ask them for any finish or building materials that they weren’t able to use or did not totally finish during their project. Try this as you can certainly walk away with a great deal which you can use on your remodeling project.