Why Remodeling Your Home Is Worth It

If you are considering selling your home at any point in time, please read through this post because it will be very beneficial to you. Two years in a row now, the cost compared to retained value of remodeling your home has gone up. What does this mean? Basically, it is becoming increasingly profitable to remodel your home in one way or another. Every 20 years or so there is a need for remodeling due to obvious reasons; trends change and styles go out of style. Now is that time! New buyers are putting stress on new types of features. As a real estate agent out in the trenches seeing multiple homes every day, I can testify to the fact that most homes out there need some type of remodeling. The homes that sell quickly and for the highest prices are the ones that have been recently remodeled and updated.

What do I mean by remodeling? Remodeling includes projects such as the following:

- Remodeling the attic for an extra bedroom (Average project cost: $49,438; cost-to-value ratio 84.3%, an increase of 15.6% compared to 2013.)

-Remodeling (finishing) your basement (Average project cost: $62,834; cost-to-value ratio 77.6%, an increase of 10.4% compared to 2013.)

Although these are very beneficial remodeling projects, you may not be willing to spend those amounts at this point in time. If you are considering selling your home very soon, you may want to look more into replacement projects with the best return on investment. Some of the best replacement projects you can do are replacing the windows, siding, roofing, and the garage door(s). However, the most important and cost efficient replacement project:

- Entry door replacement (steel) - this replacement will return approximately 96.6% of the cost into your pocket. There is a low initial cost to replace the entry door and it adds a tremendous amount of curb appeal (Also, the entry door is the first thing the buyer will notice before walking inside and the first impression is CRUCIAL.)

One more aspect to consider which will add a lot of value to your home, as well as having the largest increase in percentage of cost-to-value ratio: back-up generator. These past years have been a flurry of storms, whether it be rain, snow, wind, etc. power outages have been way to frequent for people's liking. A back-up generator, more than anything else, adds security and comfort to a home. It would be well worth the effort to have one installed on your home.

[chart and statistics research found on http://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2014/trends]

C21 Adds New Search Option For Buyers' Convenience

     Not surprisingly, one of the most important factors for buyers is the quality of the school system they will be entering their children into. As a real estate agent I know first hand that one of the most popular questions from buyers with children is, "How is the school system" or "Which area has the best schools?" Seeing the significance this factor holds to a large amount of the buyer audience, Century 21 has just added a "Search by Schools" option on their website (century21.com). This option offers buyers a much more convenient method to search for a home location within specific school boundaries. 

“Selecting the right school is an important part of the decision to buy a home,” says Bev Thorne, Century 21 Real Estate LLC chief marketing officer. “We have now made the search easier by delivering data to consumers precisely as they want it.”

     Once buyers are on Century 21's website, they have the options of searching schools by location in a specific state, county, city, or even near a street address. The search options for the buyer go very in depth, including options such as student-teacher ratios, grade levels, public/private, or charter school types. Once the buyer has set all their search criteria, they can simply set a new listing alert and as soon as a new home pops up in their search area they will be notified. If you are a relocation buyer or simply do not know enough about the school systems to make a decision, Century 21 also provides a list of all the top rated schools right there so you do not have to wander the web for information you cannot always trust.