Do you absolutely love your home and everything about it? I hope so, but at some point in time, most homeowners ponder the question, ‘Should I remodel, or sell?’
Fortunately, there are some really good resources out there to help you decide that question based on the likely return on your investment. Not all improvements yield an increase in re-sale value. On the other hand, re-sale considerations might not necessarily be your reason for upgrading your home. Increasing your own enjoyment of your home can be every bit as important, if not more so.
My point is this. When you contemplate spending money on a home improvement project, be clear about your reasons and goals. Are you planning on staying in your home? If so, for how long? If you intend to sell soon, then do your research to find out what improvements will give you the biggest bang for your buck.
As a Realtor, I recommend that you begin by calling your favorite broker (me, hopefully!) to schedule a free consultation at your home. (Don’t worry, this doesn’t commit you to anything.) After a walk-through of your home, a skilled, experienced agent will be able to recommend changes and improvements that will give you the best chance of getting top dollar for your home if/when you sell. The agent can also give you information about the current real estate market to help you assess whether or not this is a good time for you to sell.
Assuming you decide you want to go forward with making some improvements to your home, following are some online sites you will likely find invaluable.
Remodeling Magazine conducts an extensive, well-researched, annual survey they call “Cost vs. Value.” They collect information from numerous parts of the country to ensure that they are comparing apples to apples. I.e. the cost and value of a bathroom remodel in New York is likely to be vastly different that the same project in Arizona. Seattle, my home base, is one of the major Metropolitan cities featured, and they cover the wider base of the Pacific coast as well.
I will be providing and reviewing a summary of this Cost vs. Value information during Savvy Seattle Women’s next free workshop on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. See our Workshops & Events page for details about time and location.
You can also find similar Cost vs. Value information in a story on HouseLogic.com titled 7 Best Remodeling Projects for the Money. HouseLogic.com is sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and is a free resource with an incredible amount of information for homeowners and homeowner wannabes.
Here are links to some other articles available at HouseLogic.com:
Fit a Small Office in your Small Home
12 Tips for Saving Energy in Your Home Office
7 Storage Solutions You Didn’t Know You Had
Do you have specific questions about remodeling or selling your home? Savvy Seattle Women Board member, Anne’ Burke, is a licensed general contractor and owner of TREND Development and Design, professional builders remodelers since 1986. She would be happy to talk with you.
Amy Ecklund, another Board member, is a licensed contractor and Professional Handy(wo)man, AmyWorks, Inc. She would be glad to hear from you as well. Just click on their names for contact info or go to the “Board Members” tab on our home page.
Savvy Seattle Women also host a Q&A/discussion group on Google Groups where you can ask questions of the professionals on our Board. To join the discussion, go to http://groups.google.com/group/savvyseattlewomen or just compose an e-mail and address it to SavvySeattleWomen@GoogleGroups.com
{A colleague referred me to this resource.
Excellent post! Keep up the awesome work!