Remodeling Projects That Give the Greatest ROI When Selling Your Home

Remodeling before selling your home has the potential to increase your home’s value or to break your bank account.  Homeowners need to know which projects are most likely to give the greatest return on investment (ROI) before putting a home on the market. Surprisingly, small projects reap the greatest ROI. 

According to Remodeling Magazine, below are the projects that provide a homeowner the greatest ROI.  So consider these projects before selling your home.

Attic Insulation

This project requires a professional to air-seal the attic and then add fiberglass loosefill insulation.  Even though it’s not a DIY project, the ROI can be up to 107% of the initial cost.  Not bad for a small project.

Entry Door Replacement

Replacing your entry door with a new 20 gauge steel door, including a clear, dual-paned half-glass panel, can provide up to a 90% ROI.  The project includes replacing the jambs and threshold; and replacing the existing lock with a new brass or antique brass finish lock. 

However, if you replace your door with a simulated wood grain fiberglass door with a half-glass panel, your ROI would be around 77%. So if you want the greatest ROI, opt for the steel door.

Manufactured Stone Veneer

This project involves removing the bottom third of siding on the front façade of your home and replacing it with manufactured stone veneer.  Just changing the appearance of the front of your home can provide up to a 89% ROI.

Other Small Projects to Improve Your Home’s Value

 

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), refinishing wood floors can pay back up to 100% in recouped costs.  Putting in new wood flooring can give you up to 91% of the initial costs.

NAR also states that replacing your roof could reap up to 105% of your costs when you sell your home.

The Most Important Project for Selling Your Home

Even more important than remodeling is decluttering and cleaning your home for resale.  Most buyers will make assumptions about a home before they even go through the front door. Having a clean and well kept looking front yard is probably the most important project and costs very little.

 

Buyers will continue to make assumptions about your home as they walk through the front door.  Decluttering and cleaning the interior of a home gives the impression of openness and provides the buyers with a vision of seeing themselves in the home. Buyers will overlook flaws, such as old appliances and furniture, if the space is clean and orderly looking.

Don’t spend a lot of money on major remodeling projects if you’re planning on selling your home soon.  Instead consider small projects that will reap the greatest return on investment for you. 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how to sell your home!

Creating an Emergency Binder

Do you or your loved ones know the location of your vital documents in case of a natural disaster or family emergency? You don't have time to sort through all that paperwork to find the documents you need during stressful situations. Instead, creating an Emergency Binder will streamline the process and  provide peace of mind to you and your family.

What to Include in Your Emergency Binder

You can include many documents in your binder but these are the must-haves:

• Vital records like birth certificates, driver licenses, social security cards, naturalization papers, passports and child custody papers.
• Insurance policies for home, car, rental, life, and health with policy numbers and agent contact information.
• Financial documents like will, trust, power of attorney and funeral instructions. 
• Health records such as immunization records, allergies, dietary restrictions, medications, medical/surgical treatments, and contact information for medical providers (doctors and hospitals).
• Pet information with a description of each pet, vet contact information and any important medical notes.
• Property information such as car information, home purchase papers/deeds, and home inventory items (include pictures or high end items).

Other Storage Options

You may want to store some of your vital documents in a safety deposit box or fire safe. You can also make copies of your documents for the binder and leave the originals in a safe location. Or you can scan them and store them electronically. However, make sure the file or location is encrypted.

You can also take pictures and fingerprints of everyone in the family and keep them in the binder or in another safe location. 

Share Your Information

Be sure to let other family members or trusted friends know where everything is located, in case you're incapacitated.

For more information, or pre-printed documents, for Emergency Binders, just search the internet.  There is plenty of information online.

There is no way to predict when a natural disaster or family emergency will strike, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be prepared. Set aside an afternoon to create a binder that can help protect your family when time is of the essence.

Things to do in San Diego

San Diego Beaches

San Diego beaches are consistently ranked top beaches in the nation and free to the public.  You can bask in the sun, body surf, paddle board, build a sand castle, watch a sunset or sunrise, or fly a kite.

List of and directions to San Diego Beaches

Balboa Park

Balboa Park is the nation’s largest urban cultural park which includes 15 major museums (select museums are free each Tuesday to San Diego residents), 9 renowned performing arts venues, 19 gardens, play areas, and dog areas. The park also hosts multiple events throughout the year such as December Nights and the Maker Faire. In addition, numerous weddings are performed on the beautiful grounds of the park each year.

Balboa Park Information

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

In 1769 California’s first settlement was established with a mission and a fort and is now Old Town San Diego. Walk back in time and experience San Diego in 1821 to 1872 as you browse through historic buildings, quaint shops, and authentic Mexican restaurants. 

Old Town San Diego Information

Hiking and Biking in San Diego

With its mild climate and a wide array of landscapes and terrain, San Diego County has a multitude of hiking and biking experiences. You can hike along coastal sandstone cliffs, rugged mountain trails, or desert sand dunes.  Or you can ride beach cruisers along the coast, performance bikes on the road or mountain bikes in the hills around San Diego.  No matter your experience level, there are trails for families, dog lovers, or experienced hikers or bicyclists.

Hiking in San Diego

Biking in San Diego

The Gaslamp Quarter

The Gaslamp Quarter is a walkable urban playground located in Downtown San Diego.  You can explore Victorian architecture and history, dine with renowned chefs, or dance the night away at nationally recognized nightlife venues.

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Gaslamp Quarter Information

Is Now A Good Time to Sell?

Many sellers are still hesitant about putting their house up for sale. Where are prices headed? Where are interest rates headed? These are all valid questions. However, there are several reasons to sell your home sooner rather than later. Here are three of those reasons.

1. Demand is about to skyrocket
Most people realize that the housing market is hottest from April through June. The most serious buyers are well aware of this and, for that reason, come out in early spring in order to beat the heavy competition. We also have a pent-up demand as many buyers pushed off their home search this winter because of extreme weather. Sellers in markets where seasonal weather is never an issue must realize that buyers relocating to their region will increase dramatically this spring as these purchasers finally decide to escape the freezing temperatures of the winters in the north.
These buyers are ready, willing and able to buy…and are in the market right now!

2. There Is Less Competition - For Now
Housing supply always grows from the spring through the early summer. Also, there has been a growing desire for many homeowners to move as they were unable to sell over the last few years because of a negative equity situation. Homeowners have seen a return to positive equity as prices increased over the last eighteen months. Many of these homes will be coming to the market in the near future.

The choices buyers have will continue to increase over the next few months. Don’t wait until all the other potential sellers in your market put their homes up for sale.

3. There Will Never Be a Better Time to Move-Up
If you are moving up to a larger, more expensive home, consider doing it now. Prices are projected to appreciate by approximately 4% this year and 8% by the end of 2015. If you are moving to a higher priced home, it will wind-up costing you more in raw dollars (both in down payment and mortgage payment) if you wait. You can also lock-in your 30 year housing expense with an interest rate at about 4.5% right now. Freddie Mac projects rates to be 5.1% by this time next year and 5.7% by the fourth quarter of 2015.

Moving up to a new home will be less expensive this spring than later this year or next year. We have never hid our belief in homeownership. That does not mean we think EVERYONE should run out and buy a house. However, if a person or family is ready, willing, and able to purchase a home, we believe that owning is much better than renting. And we believe that now is a great time to buy.

We are not the only ones that think owning has massive benefits or that now is a sensational time to plunge into owning your own home. Here are a few others:

Benefits of Owning

Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard University

“Homeowners pay debt service to pay down their own principal while households that rent pay down the principal of a landlord…Having to make a housing payment one way or the other, owning a home can overcome people’s tendency to defer savings.”

The Federal Reserve

“Renters have much lower median and mean net worth than homeowners in any survey year.”

Benefits of Buying Now

Trulia

“Buying costs less than renting in all 100 large U.S. metros… Now, at a 30-year fixed rate of 4.5%, buying is 38% cheaper than renting nationally.”

Freddie Mac

"One thing seems certain: we are not likely to see average 30-year fixed mortgage rates return to the historic lows experienced in 2012…Yes, rates are higher than they were a year ago – and certainly higher than two years ago. But if you look at the averages over the last four decades, today's rates remain historically low."

-Information Courtesy of the KCM Blog @ http://www.keepingcurrentmatters.com

Happy Holidays!!

   

Is now a good time to put your home on the market?

Potential sellers may be hesitant to put their home on the market in the winter because of the misconception that it’s not an optimal time for selling. However, regardless of the time of year there are always buyers in the market for a new home. An advantage of selling in the winter is that you can stage your home to take advantage of the indoor warmth of the season.

This month’s information (Click Here to Download) offers several ideas to help you stage your home for a winter sale, such as placing a warm throw over the corner of the sofa to encourage a cozy feel and turning up the thermostat. Page two outlines a few of the benefits of selling your home in the winter.

If you’re interested in selling your home, please contact me to learn more about its value and our local market, and check out this link (Click Here) for some additional House Hunting tips if you're looking to buy. 

Be sure to share this information with family or friends who may be thinking about putting their homes on the market.

From my family to yours: Have a happy and safe holiday season with your loved ones. 

Gobble, Gobble, Thank you!

“Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns.”

Altruism is infectious: A single good deed done by one person—no matter how small—can improve the mood of the recipient and may inspire more kind acts as well.

This month’s Item of Value (Click Here to Download) is full of ideas for random acts of kindness guaranteed to brighten someone’s day and even improve your own. In addition to offering twenty suggestions for acts of kindness, the information also outlines the benefits that altruistic behavior has on the giver’s mind, body and longevity.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to let you know how grateful I am for your business. It’s a pleasure to serve as your trusted real estate professional. Click here to download my 10/10 List.

This link illustrates a few reasons why I appreciate you as clients: Thanks!

I look forward to continuing to serve you in the future, and remember I’m never too busy for your referrals.

Gobble Gobble Thank you!

“Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns.”

Altruism is infectious: A single good deed done by one person—no matter how small—can improve the mood of the recipient and may inspire more kind acts as well.

This month’s Item of Value (Click Here to Download) is full of ideas for random acts of kindness guaranteed to brighten someone’s day and even improve your own. In addition to offering twenty suggestions for acts of kindness, the information also outlines the benefits that altruistic behavior has on the giver’s mind, body and longevity.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to let you know how grateful I am for your business. It’s a pleasure to serve as your trusted real estate professional. Click here to download my 10/10 List.

This link illustrates a few reasons why I appreciate you as clients: Thanks!

I look forward to continuing to serve you in the future, and remember I’m never too busy for your referrals.

Happy Fathers Day!!!!

Happy Holidays!!!

The Holidays are a time to reflect and express gratitude to those who have impacted our lives. Your support as an advocate for my business has been vital to my success as a real estate professional. I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to serve you. Being your trusted real estate professional is an honor and a privilege and I hope to strengthen our relationship and take care of your home and community related needs in the future.

What are you grateful for in your life? Take time this Holiday break to cultivate an attitude of gratitude and express thanks to those who are important to you and your success.

Wishing you all the best this Holiday Season and a Happy, Healthy New Year!

Sincerely,

The Michels Group

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The information I’m sending this month (Click Here to Download) includes good habits to prevent you from catching a cold or the flu, or at least shortening the duration of your illness. Page one outlines several tips to build your immunity and keep germs and viruses at bay. Since you and your loved ones will be spending more time indoors this winter, page two provides tips to improve your indoor air quality.

Bolster your immune system and stay healthy this cold and flu season. Keep your family and friends healthy, too, and share this information with them.

Sincerely,

Brad Michels

Strategies to Create Financial Wealth

“If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting.”

-Benjamin Franklin

Although money is easy to spend, it’s often difficult to save. However, it’s never too late to develop the habits necessary to begin building a strong financial foundation for a more secure future.

The information I’m sending this month (Click Here to Download the PDF) is intended to encourage you or a loved one to begin building wealth. Page one provides seven essential strategies to help you improve your financial habits and take charge of your finances. Page two outlines the five common situations where having an emergency fund to draw from is necessary to prevent debt and financial ruin.

Even if you’re an expert saver, this information will provide the added incentive to save. Please, share it with family and friends who may need extra help or guidance with this important topic. Colleen and I are doing this ourselves so always feel free to contact me with questions or for help.

If you're serious about trying to earn a little extra money to help with your financial plan, here's some bonus information that can help!!! (Click Here to Download the PDF) 

Sincerely,

Brad

Oh, by the way … if you know of someone who would appreciate the level of service I provide, please call me with their name and business number.  I’ll be happy to follow up and take great care of them.