home remodel Archives | Preferred Properties of Texas Home & Ranch Properties Stephenville

WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR HOME’S VALUE

November 21, 2020 by chorton Leave a Comment

Looking for some ways to increase the value of your home? Whether you are thinking about listing your home for sale, or you’re interested in putting a fresh face on your home you proudly own, consider these ways to increase your home’s value:

1) Repaint your front door. A fresh coat of paint can add personality, hide scuffs and dirt, and give your home an entirely NEW curb appeal. This weekend project is inexpensive and a great way to increase your home’s value!

2) Spread some fresh mulch in your front yard. It’s an inexpensive and high-impact way to improve the look of your landscaping. Cover up the gray, weathered mulch covering your shrubs now – it will do wonders.

3) Paint your kitchen cabinets. Are your cabinets needing a fresh stain or paint? This can do wonders for the overall color of your home – painting old cabinets a light cream color can have a brightening affect on your whole house.

4) Update (or paint) your hardware in bathrooms, kitchens, on door handles, light fixtures… think dark on white, modern paired with rustic.

5) Add crown molding… this gives a home a warmth and some character. Consider crown molding in your living room – the difference it makes can be shocking.

6) Turn any room into a bedroom by adding a closet. If you have an opportunity to create a true “closet” in an office or spare room, DO IT because adding a closet to a room means adding a bedroom to the total bedroom count of a home. This expands your reach on search engines and can draw in an entirely new group of buyers.

7) Add visible storage. Floating shelves in the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry rooms can be a simple weekend project that turns out to be “so worth it” and not just for re-sale purposes. Chances are, you have something on the floor in your laundry room which could be hung up.

8) Swap out your outdated light fixtures with fresh new ones adding personality and color to any room!

9) Go for neutral paint colors if you are planning on re-painting -light, airy colors that go with anything. Avoid anything evoking one certain season (rich reds of winter, dark browns of autumn) and remember to paint your trim something complimentary.

10) Update window frames. Consider adding crown molding to the tops of your window frames; this has a HUGE visual impact and costs less than adding crown molding across your entire ceiling.

11) Add mirrors to your wall decorations, this makes the space feel bigger, plus mirrors are neutral and sure to please anyone’s tastes.

12) Rather than removing an older bath tub, consider painting the one you currently have. This less expensive alternative LOOKS like a new bathtub (especially if you update hardware).

Hopefully these ways to increase your home’s value proved helpful! Call our Real Estate Team, Preferred Properties of Texas, for more information about listing your home for sale. 254-965-7775

4 Aspects of Your Roof That’ll Affect Your Home Resale Value

November 20, 2020 by chorton Leave a Comment

Although it’s easy to forget about while you own your home, you can be sure that your roof won’t be overlooked when it comes time to sell. After all, without a good roof in place, your home will be unprotected, which could lead to some nasty surprises for the future buyers. If you want to take steps to fix your roof before you selling, here are a few things that you should focus on:

Missing Shingles

If you have missing shingles, you can expect your home’s resale value to decrease. Even if the shingles haven’t been missing for long enough to cause any water damage, missing shingles still communicate to buyers that you don’t take much pride in your home. To prevent this misconception, it’s important to inspect your roof before you sell your home and make sure that any missing shingles are replaced.

Roof Material

Although people like their home to be unique, one home feature that this doesn’t always extend to is the roof. Unique roofing materials such as metal, clay tiles or wood tend to not be used as often because of the popularity of asphalt shingles. Therefore, if you have one of these unique materials on your home, your potential pool of buyers could be limited. The good news, though, is that for a buyer who’s looking for a unique roof, your home will be a must-have item.

Age

A simple factor that impacts your home’s resale value is the age of the roof. Since most shingle roofs have about a 20-year lifespan, if your roof is approaching that age, it could lower your home’s value. Since replacing a roof can be a big expense, a buyer may try to ask you for some concessions to help cover the cost of a new roof, which could lower your profit from the sale. If you can get a good deal on roof replacement, it may make sense to go ahead and replace the entire roof before you list your home for sale.

Roof Lines

The roof lines of a home can add a lot of drama to its exterior appearance. If your home has modern roof lines, then you’ll likely be able to fetch a higher selling price than if the roof lines appear dated. Of course, if you have a timeless roof line, such as a gable roof, then your home will likely sell well any time you place it on the market.

A great way to avoid surprises with your roof when you sell your home is to properly maintain it while you own your home. By having it inspected every few years, you’ll be able to stay on top of any potential problems so that they don’t become deterrents to future buyers. This will help make your selling process easier and help you to receive a higher selling price.

Tips for Managing Water Heater Installation

November 19, 2020 by chorton Leave a Comment

Getting a new water heater installed at your house isn’t something that you have to do very often. With that in mind, it’s important to ensure that any installation is done properly to keep it from causing damage to your home or wasting energy.

Ideally, a new water heater should last around ten years with proper maintenance. Whether your old one is breaking down or you just built a new house, you can use these tips to manage the installation process:

When to Install a New Water Heater

When a water heater breaks, all kinds of things can happen. A faulty unit can leak water all over the floor and ruin the building materials. You could be caught by surprise by a cold shower when you least expect it. Many people choose to install a new water heater once theirs reaches a certain age or fails an inspection. You may also need to arrange for a replacement if yours makes strange noises or springs a small leak.

Figure Out Your Preferences

There’s more that goes into purchasing a water heater than you may think. For instance, newer tankless models provide an endless supply of hot water. This upgrade might be your best option if you have a large family and are constantly running out of hot water. There are also electric and gas styles along with different sizes. A water heater contractor can help you determine the one that’ll best fit your household’s needs.

Choose a Professional Installer

At first glance, replacing a hot water heater might seem simple. However, there’s far more that goes into a proper installation than meets the eye. Hot water heaters have the potential to be dangerous. Faulty installations can lead to explosions that can cause scalding water and debris to go flying. A professional installer also knows how to make sure that all of the connections and hoses are sealed tight. This prevents potentially damaging gas and water leaks.

Schedule the Installation at a Convenient Time

Unless there’s an unusual situation, it only takes a few hours to install a water heater. However, a typical installation does require the water that leads to the unit to be turned off. This means that the best time to have the heater installed is when you don’t need to bathe or wash dishes. Most people find that the later morning to midday hours work best for convenient installations.

There’s nothing like enjoying a hot bath or shower. And hot water is also essential for keeping your house sanitary. If you suspect that your home’s current water heater is having issues, then start arranging for a new one to be installed today. Acting now can prevent serious damage from a faulty unit, and you’ll love having a steady stream of hot water for bathing and cleaning!

From Formal Dining Room to…a Home Office?

November 18, 2020 by chorton Leave a Comment

A formal dining room can feel like a step back into a bygone era. Many homes have this formal space but not every modern family hosts large sit-down dinners or holiday gatherings. There is no rule that your dining room has to be used for that singular purpose. If you’re considering turning your dining room space into a useful space for you and your family, following are some ideas to get you started.

Playroom

If you have small children, this could be the perfect room to convert into a playroom. Creating an indoor play area that keeps the toys and childhood clutter away from other rooms in the house is a smart move for many families. You can let your imagination run wild to design a fun space where children can play and create.

Media Room

Perhaps your dining room is the perfect place to set up a media center. This could be a room where you can watch movies, play video games, or listen to music. You can even use it as a studio space to play live music, if that’s what you love to do.

Game Room

Games are a popular activity for family and friends. Whether you host a regular game night for role-playing games or poker or just play board games with your family, a dining room is a great space to set up a gaming table.

Home Office

If you need a home office, your dining room could fill that role perfectly. You can convert the space to include a desk as well as your organizational furniture. Depending on the dining room’s position within the home, it can provide a distraction-free environment without cutting you off from other home activities.

Schoolwork Station

Just like you work better with a dedicated home office, many children work better with a dedicated space for schoolwork. Although they could sit at the kitchen table or a desk in their bedroom, having a space that is solely used for schoolwork can get them in the right mind-set for learning and help them be more productive.

Is Carpet In or Out?

November 17, 2020 by chorton Leave a Comment

The choice between hard surfaces and carpeting in the home has always shifted back and forth. In the 1940s, hardwood reigned supreme. In the 1970s, carpets took over with trendy options like sculptured or shag carpets. When considering what’s in style now, particularly if you are buying or remodeling a home, you can weigh several options. Let’s take a closer look at popular choices.

Refinishing Hardwood Floors

If your home has hardwood floors, especially the original floor, it would be a worthwhile investment to refinish them. When buying a new house, look at what’s under the carpet to see whether the hardwood is worth keeping. Then create a strategy to refinish them. If the floors require a lot of work, it’s best to hire a professional. Otherwise, you may be able to give them a light sand and seal.

Installing Engineered Floors

Carpet isn’t an option for a lot of people, in some cases, because of pets or allergies. Some people simply don’t like the look or feel of carpeting. In any case, several alternatives to hardwood floors can work well. Engineered floors come in a variety of styles, including a wood-look. The price of engineered floors can vary depending on what you want.

Selecting Natural or Eco-Friendly Carpet

A big carpet trend right now is natural or eco-friendly carpeting. The manufacturing process as well as the materials used can create a sustainable and durable product for the home. If this is the direction you want to go, look for natural fibers or recycled materials.

Opting for Bold Color and Patterns

You may recall a time when carpeting made a statement. The shag and sculpture carpets of the 1960s and 1970s eventually gave way to the bland, neutral carpeting that dominated the market in the 1990s and 2000s. Today, people are returning to more colors and patterns in their carpeting choices.

Call us today to talk more about current home flooring trends.

Demand for Home Design and Remodeling Soars Amid Pandemic

August 13, 2020 by chorton Leave a Comment

Homeowner fascination with outdoor projects has skyrocketed, and experts saw a 58% increase in prospects that this June versus a year ago.
Layout and remodeling professionals around Houzz are seeing a rise in demand for their services. With homeowners spending more time at home, pros received 58% more job leads in June of the past year than they did in June 2019. The growth is due in part to homeowners reevaluating their spaces and in part to changes Houzz has made into the stage to help homeowners find and connect with the right professionals for their own projects.

Outdoor spaces are very popular nowadays, and searches for pool and spa professionals in June were three times greater than in precisely the same month a year earlier. Demand for kitchen and bathroom remodelers jumped 40% in June compared with the year before. Read on for more details concerning the professional kinds homeowners are searching for on Houzz, as well as the projects they are most interested in.

Demand for Outdoor Projects Was High in June 2020

Inquiries for swimming pool design and building experts more than quadrupled (up 334 percent ) on Houzz at June compared with the previous June, while inquiries for pros to aid with deck, patio and patio projects almost tripled (up 178 percent ). Homeowners also sought out more privacy and safety, with curiosity about fence setup and fixes up 166%. And landscape architects and contractors saw demand for their services double in June compared with June 2019.

“We are the busiest we have ever been,” says landscape professional Holly Stickley of The White Pear in Portland, Oregon. “Three-quarters of the design company came from Houzz last year, and we have seen a considerable increase in job requests this summer, particularly for large-scale properties. Our customers are forgoing vacations on account of the coronavirus outbreak and investing in making their houses more pleasurable to shelter in place”

“There is an incredible rise in consumer attention for home improvement jobs throughout the nation, and people are coming to Houzz to locate professionals for major projects like fresh swimming pools and decks, in addition to for more modest outdoor improvements such as tree planting and fencing,” says Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing at Houzz.

“Over the last year we have made many major additions and improvements to how our platform helps homeowners find and connect with the ideal professional for their job — allowing people to immediately program Video Meetings with experts through Houzz Pro is simply 1 example — and we are really seeing the effect of those investments in the quantity and caliber of connections we are making.”

While outside spaces were of big interest in June, homeowners showed a desire to better their indoor spaces. For instance, demand for house additions and extensions grew by 52% in June compared with the exact same period in 2019.

Homeowner interest in hiring a general contractor was up 61% in June compared with a year before, although interest in hiring a kitchen or bath remodeler was up 40%. Homeowner searches for interior designers were up 19% in June and up 24% for architects.

Requirement for Home Remodeling Pros Rose Around Many Parts of the U.S.

Many metro areas experienced considerable growth in demand for dwelling practitioners in June. Regions having high year-over-year growth in job leads for experts include Boston (80%), Atlanta (73 percent ), Chicago (72%), Houston (71%) and Miami (54 percent ).

QUESTION:

How is demand for your services during the pandemic? Please tell us how business is going in the comments.