Photo: National Kitchen & Bath Association
Baked-in obsolescence is the last thing you want in your kitchen remodel. Classic layouts, finishes, and styles are much more likely to appeal to tomorrow’s buyers, even if that tomorrow is a decade away. Based on ongoing research by the National Kitchen and Bath Association, here’s what to include and what to avoid if you’re undertaking a kitchen renovation:
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Whether you are selling or buying a house, your plans are likely to be derailed by one of three factors that are tripping up thousands of real estate deals this year, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Realtors:
The smart way to buy today is with resale in mind.
Here are four long-term trends that will likely shape the marketability of your house if you, like most homeowners, sell in seven to ten years.
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Lots of home-buyers look for “short sales”, because on the surface, they can seem like a bargain.
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Listen to BOB VILA ON BUYING SHORT SALES, or read text below:
In the current real estate market, it’s not hard to find foreclosed properties to buy. But a home that looks like a great bargain on the auction block may not always be one.
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Listen to BOB VILA ON BUYING FORECLOSURES, or read text below:
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Basements are a common target for the supposedly easy and fast addition of livable space. After all, the space is there; it can’t be that hard to finish and heat, right? And if your goal is casual living space for a playroom, hobby room, bar or media center, basic improvements can probably deliver the functionality you want.
Maybe, maybe not. Here are three considerations to weigh before you dig into a basement remodel:
Home values continue to vacillate in most markets, which means that it’s difficult to estimate exactly how much equity you might be adding with a renovation or remodeling project. If you are aiming for maximum return, review your plans with an appraiser before the walls start coming down.
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Though they’ve seen their parents lose equity, today’s 20-somethings have home-buying on their minds.
A just-released study of millennials by Western Union found that nearly half expect to buy a home within the next five years—and 10% of them think they’ll be homeowners within the next 12 months.
Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and growing). You can get your daily dose here, by listening to—or reading—Bob’s 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day. Today, it’s all about Outdoor Living.
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Listen to BOB VILA ON OUTDOOR LIVING, or read text below: Read the rest of this entry »
It’s a realty agent’s dream: bidding wars are back! At least, that’s the hyperventilation du jour. From Boston to Los Angeles, the news from the front lines is that house-hungry buyers can’t wait to get their hands on the few move-in-ready properties popping onto the market. While obsolete, dingy properties linger on and on, houses that are well priced and in great shape supposedly are sparking frenzied price competition.
Is this true or just the result of fevered agent PR?
