Introduction
Our kitchens are the most vital part of our homes. You plan the day at the kitchen, discuss with your family in the kitchen and cook delicious food at the kitchen. They are your trump cards when it comes to selling homes.
Buyers will scrutinize your kitchen as compared to any other room in your home. So make sure to keep an uncluttered, tidy and functional kitchen. DC Fawcett, a real estate investor and mentor, gives guidelines on kitchen remodeling.
Have a plan
Kitchen remodeling must be done with a proper plan. Most people do remodeling in parts – they do the backsplash first and then remodel the floor and so on. This will make the kitchen look like a set of disparate elements. So plan ahead, buy the materials and start with a proper budget.
Have a functional design and choose appealing material
The effect of kitchen remodeling will linger for a long time. Ensure that you buy materials which attract potential buyers. Also make the kitchen more practical and useful rather than decorative.
Leave the corners free
Keep the corners free. Have space for your door’s swing in your kitchen design. Don’t allot spaces for kitchen equipment’s in the corners of your kitchen and make sure that doors don’t crash into each other when opened simultaneously.
Lay down a budget
Draw out a remodeling budget. While you do so, you have to consider the following things.
- Check your home warranty to see if the appliances have been covered
- Plan according to the size of the kitchen, the quality of the features and others
- You have to service and repair the equipment’s that you want to retain
- Make sure that you don’t run out of money for mounting expenses
Chalking out a kitchen remodeling budget is very important
Keep abreast of the trends.
There are some in the trend kitchen designs.
For example:
Deep drawers
In the depth drawers make cooking and storage easier. They are easier to access and incorporate into kitchen design.
Fewer upper cabinets
Upper cabinets are not the preferred style nowadays. People want airy and open shelves to display artwork and utensils.
No frills kitchen designs
Heavy molds and decorative designs are no longer the fashion. You should consider having a no-frills design with strong horizontal lines.
Use polished silver for taps and shelf holders
Add polished nickel or chrome to faucets, shelf brackets and others.
Have functional sinks
Install sinks which perform timelessly and which can hold large pots, pans and other items that require hand washing.
Tips for Improving the Curb Appeal of Your Home – DC Fawcett Real Estate:
Curb appeal means external appeal. While staging your home, you need to make sure that it carries a good exterior appeal. Buyers are attracted to your home through the curb appeal of the home. You must make it so attractive that they will be pulled into your home through the exterior appeal. Don’t leave the front yard dirty and keep it clean. Trim the overgrown bushes at the entrance and dispose extremely old furniture sets in the portico of the building. These are some of the basic steps that you take towards increasing your curb appeal. If you don’t do this, it will be a put off for potential visitors to enter your home. Home staging is extremely important and if you don’t do it well, your home continues to sit vacant in the marketplace for a long time. And curb appeal is the most important part of home staging as first impression is the best impression. In this article Dc Fawcett, a million dollar online entrepreneur, gives tips for increasing the curb appeal of your home.
Engraving the name of your home differently
Instead of using plain letters, you can use different types of embossments to engrave the name of your home. This will present the name in a unique and outstanding fashion. Instead of using digits to denote the number of your home, use non-traditional letters. It will look distinct.
Flowers
Flowers are the queens of beauty. Anybody, even the driest hearts will get attracted towards flowers. Put flowers in the exterior to enhance the beauty of the home. They will give a warm welcome to potential buyers of your home. Their fragrance will put the buyers in a cheerful mood. Flowers come in different colors and look enticing. Contact the local nursery and they will tell you what flowers to grow. Also keep decorated flower pots. You can keep them in a line on the staircase.
Window boxes
They give a dignified and alluring appearance. They give the posh touch to your windows. You can put some window boxes outlined by grey cylindrical pipe-like structures and add some color and beauty to it through flower pots.
Adding a stone edging
Add a stone edging to the driveway. It gives the driveway a precise and clear cut look and lays down a defined path for the drivers. It prevents accidents and increases the exterior appeal. The driveway looks outstanding now.
Replace external doors
This may be expensive but still old and dirty doors are put offs. So spend a few bucks and replace them to give your house a fresh and new appearance.
Add a coat or two
Add fresh paint to the exterior walls and the doors. Let the portico paint contrast well with your front yard. Painting leads to freshness and a new dawn and let it be a new dawn for both you and your buyer.
Add a new letter box
This will increase the curb appeal. Add a colored and freshly painted one. It does attract prospective buyers.
Add lights
Add lights to the door and make the lighting symmetrical. Symmetrical lighting illuminates the exterior and goes well with the door hardware. The door can be supported by 2 bejeweled candle holders. Buyers will be put off by dark exteriors. Lights create a myriad of colors in their hearts and make them dance. You should add lights to the garden and walkways. Add low voltage lights and add fixtures. Fixtures can add area specific lighting. If you cannot use wired lights, use solar lights but it may not be so intensely bright.
Keep windows clean and let the sunshine
This is a very simple and inexpensive tip. Clean the windows. Wipe the glasses with a wet cloth. Take a small cloth and then clean the edges. But this will be cumbersome. You have machines to take the dust out of edges. Research the net on how to clean windows. There will be some tips. Also keep these spotless windows open and let the sunlight in. This will ensure that the home is bright when the potential buyer enters. Dingy, dull and badly illuminated homes are put offs to the prospective buyers who will think that there is no proper facility for sunlight to peep into the house.
Chuck out rot and trim overgrown bushes
Trim overgrown bushes and spruce up the front yard by throwing away trash, mowing, reseeding the lawn and so on. Also chuck out rotten wooden materials and furniture. You can remove the rot by using specific tools and materials. Chuck out old fixtures and other materials as well.
Vestibule railings
These add to the beauty and dignity of the home. They are also a caution feature as they protect people from slipping out of the portico. They are expensive but it is a well grounded safety feature and enhances the look of the home.
Add gutters
Gutter pipelines are not just important for the drainage and waste water to go out but it also adds to the appearance of the home. Shiny copper gutters can be added and contact local bodies to check out which types are best suited for the climatic conditions in your city.
Put neat and new furniture in the porch
The new furniture will add pleasant freshness to the exterior of the home. Sometimes you can put ornamented and expensive furniture if you can afford it.
Curb Appeal Blunders: – Dc Fawcett Real Estate
First impression is the best impression isn’t it? It is an important part of home staging. Buyers feel attracted by the external appearance of your home. On the other hand, they will not think about buying the home if it has a bad curb appeal. For a deeper insight into curb appeal, read articles by Dc Fawcett on how to improve the curb appeal of your home – part 1 and 2 and also read Dc Fawcett ideas for landscaping curb appeal. In this article, Dc Fawcett reviews some basic curb appeal blunders.
An untidy and cluttered front yard
Some people leave the front yard cluttered during home showings and when it is in the market. They leave toys, hose pipes, buckets, uninstalled comboards and so on in the yard. This will be a put off for prospective buyers. This increases the time your home sits in the market and is one of the biggest curb appeal mistakes.
The neighboring house must be tidy too
The neighboring house’s front yard must be tidy too and an untidy neighboring yard drives off the buyer. So, you should politely request the neighbor to remove clutter and mow his yard. You can even offer him some support or help to do it. Ignoring the next door yard is yet another curb appeal mistake made by buyers.
Leaving the trim or the front door untouched
You can invest in painting the entire exterior and it is an excellent choice. But if you cannot do so, it is comprehensible since everybody cannot afford to paint the entire exterior. Therefore, you have to paint at least the front door and other peeled off parts of the exterior. This way, the buyer will surely be impressed by your home’s exterior. Leaving the exterior trim and the front door untouched is a significant curb appeal mistake.
Parking the car in the driveway
This is probably one of the most serious curb appeal errors. This is a put off for buyers for the following reasons
- The photos taken with the car parked in the driveway are likely to leave the viewers thinking that this is how they too have to do it when they buy the home
Gives buyers the impression that the garage is really cluttered and that’s why the car is parked in the driveway
- Buyers who come for open houses need privacy. A car parked in the driveway will make them think that the owner is around somewhere here.
- Buyers who come for open houses are put off by more than 2 cars parked in the driveway since they don’t like competition.
This is the biggest curb appeal mistake that you can make.
Improving Curb Appeal Through Landscaping: – Dc Fawcett Real Estate
Beautiful landscaping heightens curb appeal. It does not matter even if you plant unknown plants but it surely adds a sense of beauty and freshness to your home. You can plant vegetables trees and flowers, grow grass and so on. Badly maintained landscapes cost you bucks. There may be deductions of about 10-15% while well maintained landscapes can add value to your home – nearly 28%. So, here are some great ideas to augment landscapes.
Make it greener than ever
So what do you do? Obviously grow more green grass. Add sod to your garden or you can plant turf grasses. They are long standing and withstand dry spells. Remove unwanted and space-occupying weeds and watch out for vacant spots. You should add fertilizers every six weeks and water the grass continuously. A greener front yard is better than ever.
Do landscaping according to the house
Small and pretty flowers don’t fit in with big houses. They will not be conspicuous from the streets or the driveway. Instead use midsize shrubs and plant them along a line. Let them project the walkway and the house. Clubbing plants together will grab the attention of people. You may have seen this in parks, natural areas preserved and converted into tourist spots and national gardens. You can do it somewhat close to that by observing the group planting there.
Choose colors for flowers
The color of the flowers should go with the color of the house. For instance: a red house will look nice when you use yellow, white and pink flowers. If the house dominates and people don’t see the flowers on the plants, then you have chosen the wrong colors.
Add lighting
Illuminate those plants which will grab the eyeballs of the potential buyers. Plants, shrubs and trees should be well lighted. Use professional lighting services to add lighting. Again choose light colors according to the flowers. They must contrast well with the flower colors. The entire ensemble of flowers, lights and trees should create dozens of joyous patterns in your buyer’s minds.
Plant trees
Trees not only improve curb appeal but add more value to your property, especially mature trees. The value of trees is hard to determine. In some markets, they add up to 10% of a $100, 0000 property. They save energy and hence costs. They give plenty of shade and keep your home cool. Children enjoy playing around and climbing trees. Grandparents experience a sense of satisfaction when they witness trees. They are an excellent addition for property value and curb appeal.
Housing becomes more affordable: – Dc Fawcett Reviews
Those who come out with flying colors in the real estate are just not landlords. They are keen executives in the field of business. They function like managers of the portfolio, and also they are business managers who are keen on hiking the profits as they hold their clients with esteem. This article discusses housing investment that is affordable. It is considered as a good business and investment strategy. We begin with defining the housing that is affordable, and brose through groups that depict the suitable target market. Following that, we discuss the affordability that is the prominent characteristic of the market that one aims for.
Options in investment for people of different categories
Senior citizens and differently abled people
People who are above the age of 65 and with disabilities are a major portion of the US population. Studies have revealed that the amount is on the rise. People who are in the age group require housing that is near to public residences and modifications are done to help them in day to day life. Modifications embrace ramps instead of stairs, bathrooms that enable wheelchair accommodation, handrails and modified cabinets and closets.
Off campus Housing for Students
The increasing number of adult and non-traditional education centers has boosted the requirement for off-campus housing. Grownup students with families require houses that are near to the college campus. Students from abroad require housing that is accessible round the year. This is due to the fact that it is less costly and more easy than frequent international trips during holidays and summer breaks.
Off the base Housing for the military
Those who serve in the military have options in housing, both on and off the base. On base residences requires raising constructions, management of property and grounds maintenance. Off-base housing needs added assistance with respect to location, custom construction and purchase financing. Off the base housing requires to be near the base and it should be easy to move into and out of the residence. Investors in military housing should have sound knowledge with federal contracting and also the specific guidelines for each branch of the service.
Programs with respect to rehabilitation and Reentry:
Those residences for the destitute, midway residences for recovering addicts and the freshly released from home for delinquents, require neighborhood based housing. Boarding houses and housing complexes should be huge enough to offer necessary facilities and privacy for the students who have rented it. It must also enable required accessibility and security levels that are relevant to each age group.
Beyond being just landlords
One should know that he or she should not be just a landlord. One should be multifaceted as a landlord, an investor and a business executive. When you are a landlord embrace the human aspect. As a landlord, one could make a market by assisting families and the community. When you are an investor, one has to create the blue-chip portfolio of the real estate. Retain the best properties, at the best amount, that yield a huge amount of profit.
Need to earn money even as the market plummets down?
When the market is going down, one would not be able to mint money when everybody suffers financial constraint. One needs to be knowledgeable about short selling by taking up a course through email. Make out what a short selling is, the impending risk in it, and how you can draw favor from declining stocks. So, start it right away and begin considering every move as a chance to earn money.
Dc Fawcett Tips – Which Is Best to buy your home – Urban or suburban:
Every one of you will definitely want to buy a home, if not now, at least on the long run. So how do you decide where to buy the home Urban or suburban most coveted asset of your life? While there are lots of misconceptions about the suburbs, it is mandatory that you first determine what kind of environment you need, learn about the advantages of buying a home in the urban as well as the suburbs and then buy the home accordingly. Buying a home based on misconceptions will not do you any good. DC Fawcett, who shares ideas on his blog known as the virtual real estate investing club, gives important tips on the advantages of buying homes, both in the cities and the suburbs.
Advantages of buying homes in the suburbs
Environment :
There are plenty of parks, open spaces and neighborhoods in the suburbs. There are shops, groceries and other facilities around for which you don’t have to travel into the city. There is also plenty of entertainment in the form of yoga studios, dance clubs, sports fields, private clubs, golf, community centers, public swimming pools and so on. Your children can enjoy life. They can play freely on the streets with their friends. Even at schools, they experience cultural diversity which is good for their wholesome development. Parents are more involved in the activities of the district schools which help them to make more friends in the neighborhoods. Aged and old have plenty of scope for exercise and friends in the vast expanses and the localities of the suburbs. Overall, a great and congenial environment is what you get if you buy a home in the suburbs real estate.
More square footage:
You will get more square footage space for lesser rates. You may even be able to afford a 3 bedroom independent house with a garden for the same price for which you can afford only a 2 bedroom condo in the city. Families often need a lot of space for themselves. So it’s good to have a big home than a cramped one.
Crime rates are lower:
Suburbs typically have lower crime rates than the urban.
Convenient shopping:
You don’t have to wait to find a parking spot with many shopping choices like big box shopping, boutiques and everything else.
Advantages of buying homes in the cities
Convenience: Although suburbs do have comforts, nothing can beat the cities in matters of convenience. Everything is available at your doorstep.
Conveyance: Conveyance is easier. Cities have better conveyance facilities in terms of public transport and service route operations
Medical facilities: Medical facilities are definitely better in the cities.
Better amenities: There is no dearth for better resources of shopping, specialty stores, well planned streets and architectural buildings in the cities.
Conclusion
Kitchens are the highlight of your homes. It is central to everything in the home. Kitchen remodeling is most suited for older homes. Dc Fawcett has given some good suggestions for kitchen remodeling in this article. Directions given by this expert will be beneficial to those who follow them. Dc Fawcett VREIC shares his knowledge on real estate in his blog which is also known as the Dc Fawcett Virtual Real Estate Investing club.There are a lot more tips given by Dc Fawcett to increase the curb appeal of your home.
Nice post. I learnt something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbled every day. It will always be exciting to read articles from other authors and practice something from their web sites
Loved the article, great for people selling their home. I’m not selling, but it had great ideas for increasing the value of my home.
Barnet Says:
Great tips. thank you soo much for sharing!!
Excellent post.
Its very important post for all real estate agents. Thanks for sharing it.