You’ve decided. It’s a great time to sell, and you’re going to list your Brooklyn home. You know your home could use a few upgrades, but which home improvement projects will add value to your Brooklyn home? Which home improvement projects will make your home appealing to buyers? Be a smart seller. Use one or all 10 of these home improvement projects to add value and appeal to your home. Best Home Improvements

Home Improvement Projects #1 – Create Open Space In Your Home

Create spaciousness and a sense of flow in your home. Homebuyers respond well to open floor plans. So go ahead. Take down that non-structural wall between the kitchen and the living room. Create a big space that allows people to be together.

Links to help you get it done

• Open Up a Wall
• Three Rooms Become One
• Before You Tear Down That Wall

Home Improvement Projects #2 – Landscape Your Yard

Landscaping could make a significant difference in the price of your home. It is one of the top three smart home improvements that bring the biggest return on investment. It could very well be the most important home improvement investment a seller can make. According to a survey conducted by HomeGain, an investment in landscaping can bring a return of four times what you investment in it originally.

Links to help you get it done

• Working With A Tree Removal Pro
• Prune Small Trees and Shrubs
• Make Hedge Trimming Easier

Home Improvement Projects #3 – Let The Sun Shine Into Your Home

Enhance your home’s appeal to buyers with light and lots of it.

• Create moods with dimmer switches
• Add warmth to empty spaces with soft lighting
• Make small spaces appear larger with high wattage bulbs
• Fix broken panes
• Make certain each window opens and closes
• Add motion-sensor lights that turn themselves off

Links to help you get it done

• Solar Tubes Beat Skylights
• Unsticking A Double-Hung Window
• Converting To LED Lighting

Home Improvement Projects #4 – Address Home Repairs and Maintenance Now

• How’s the insulation in the attic?
• Does your home need plumbing leaks repaired?
• Are the rain gutters rusty and bent?
• Have you had the furnace and septic system inspected lately?
• Do your windows need to be replaced or repaired for leaks?
• What kind of shape are your storm doors in? Do you even have storm doors?
• Has the flower garden been weeded?

Investing in home repairs and maintenance is smart, because it could be crucial to the sale of your home. Homes that get buyer attention are in tip top shape. Address basic home repairs and maintenance now before investing in that kitchen upgrade. These simple home improvement projects don’t cost much, but they add a lot of value. Two or three hundred dollars invested here could add a few thousand dollars’ worth of value to your home.

Links to help you get it done

• Insulate Your Attic
• Repair A Corrosive Copper Pipe
• Maintain A Furnace

Home Improvement Projects #5 – Go Green To Save Green

Buyers ask about the cost of utilities. If you’ve invested in and taken care of the home repairs and maintenance in #4, it’s time to think about investing in green efficiency. It’s been reported that energy savings add twenty times their yearly savings to the value of your home. For example, investing in new heating or air conditioning systems can save up to 30 and 40% of what your old systems are costing each month. You could invest around $7,000 in a solar-powered water heater, get back $2,100 in green tax credits and save as much as 80% on your water-heating bills!

Links to help you get it done

• Solar Water Heaters
• Pellet and Woodstoves
• 10 Ways To Shrink Your Energy Bills

Home Improvement Projects #6 – Welcome People To Your Home With Impressive Curb Appeal

There’s power in your front door, and you have eight seconds to use it. You’ve got eight seconds to impress potential buyers with the curb appeal of your front door or porch. Make sure your porch has an awning or overhang to protect you from the weather while you’re fumbling for the key to your front door. Then, step back onto the sidewalk in front of your house and look at your front door through a buyer’s eyes. Or take a picture of the front of your house. See anything that needs to be repaired or enhanced? What would it look like with a flower box or two?

But don’t forget about the curb appeal of your back yard. A deck, even a small one, will add value to your home in the buyer’s eyes. You’ll get back dollar for dollar with the deck you put in as long as the right material is used.

Links to help you get it done

• Upgrade Your Front Door On A Budget
• Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal
• Build An Inexpensive Wood Deck

Home Improvement Projects #7 – Spend Some Money On Your Floors

It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, but 94% of real estate pros recommend spending some money on flooring. To give you an idea, investing an average of $600 to $900 on flooring could bring an estimated $2,000 in value to your home.

Fix those creaking boards, too. Well-placed nails, repairing broken tile, patching damaged floor boards and getting rid of wall-to-wall carpeting doesn’t cost much for the huge impact it can make on potential buyers.

FYI, homes with a mixture of flooring – carpet, tile and hardwood, are appealing to today’s home buyer. Waterproof flooring at each entrance is smart flooring upgrade.

Links to help you get it done

• Fix Squeaky Floors
• Replace A Broken Floor Tile
• Install Floor Tile

Home Improvement Projects #8 – Spiffy Up The Kitchen And The Bathroom

Adding value to your home is a sure bet when you spiffy up the kitchen and bath. Ask any broker. They’ll tell you the condition of the kitchen is tops with buyers. The condition of the bathroom is a close second.

Most kitchen and bath upgrades are costly. You may not want to invest as much as an upgrade could take since you want to list your home right away. However, some bathroom upgrades may only cost about $500 to take a bathroom from “ugh” to “AWESOME!” Consider these spiffy upgrades:

• Replace clear glass with frosted glass
• Clean the grout
• Remove rust stains
• Apply fresh caulk
• Update doorknobs and cabinet pulls
• Replace faucets
• Install a low-flush toilet
• Buy a new toilet seat

Links to help you get it done

• Caulk Around A Tub
• Replace A Bathroom Faucet
• Install A Low-Flush Toilet

Home Improvement Projects #9 – Paint Neutral Colors On Your Walls

Since you’re listing your home, walk through your home and look for chipped paint. If you find any chips, pull out the plaster and paint and take care of it now. If more than touch ups are needed, go with neutral paint colors on your walls. Potential buyers want to see themselves in your home. Neutral paint on those walls will help them be able to do this a little easier.

Links to help you get it done

• 6 Simple Steps To Painting A Room
• Paint Doors, Windows And Walls
• Pro Painting Tips

Home Improvement Projects #10 – Fix It Or Remove It From Your Home

If anything causes a potential buyer to ask, “What’s that,” fix it or remove it, and do so before they ask. Things like 1980’s wallpaper, a broken front step, a cracked threshold, pink and grey vinyl flooring are huge deterrents to potential home buyers. If you need help, ask a friend for their impartial advice on what needs to be fixed or removed. Then, get it fixed or removed pronto.

Links to help you get it done

• Replace A Rotten Entry Door Sill
• Remove Wallpaper
• Remove Vinyl Flooring

Bonus – Get The Help Of A Trusted Professional

Get the help of real estate agent Charles D’Alessandro. It’s a sellers’ market, but you need his experience to get your home sold quickly. He is active in the Brooklyn real estate market and has handled many transactions. He is familiar with terms and conditions of individual home sales beyond the prices published for those home sales. He knows how to market Brooklyn homes, negotiate and close transactions. He can provide all the assistance you need in listing your home and for the best price. Call him today.

Links to help you get your home sold

• Contact Charles Through His Website
• Call Him At The Office: (718) 253-9700 ext. 206
• Email Him At: [email protected]

Source:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20247552,00.html

Reverse mortgages are a popular option for homeowners who are 62 years of age and older and need additional income.  Credit scores and income are not part of the qualification process for a reverse mortgage, so they’re fairly easy to get.

But is a reverse mortgage right for you, your parents or grandparents?  Here are some pros and cons to consider before making your decision:

Pros of getting a reverse mortgage on your Brooklyn New York real estate

When you get a reverse mortgage, you can:

• Use the money to supplement social security, pay for home improvements or meet unexpected medical bills.
• Choose the payment method you prefer:  monthly payment, line of credit or lump sum.
• Make no payments on the loan (monthly or otherwise) unless you die, move or sell the home.  If any of those events occur, the loan is due in full, plus interest and fees.

Cons of getting a reverse mortgage on your Brooklyn New York real estate

Unfortunately, there are several disadvantages to taking out a reverse mortgage:

• You pay origination fees that are almost twice as much as origination fees on conventional mortgages.
• There are a wide variety of reverse mortgages available from a lot of different sources.  This makes an already complex loan even more confusing.   Shop around, compare and attend an information session with an approved HUD counselor before deciding on a reverse mortgage.
• It may impact your eligibility for Medicaid and other state or federal programs.  For example, if you currently receive any “need based” benefits such as Medicaid or Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI), reverse mortgage payments will have to be structured so that monthly payments will be spent within the month they are received. If not, such payments will be considered income, and may make you ineligible for public benefits. Contact your benefits provider to ask about how a reverse mortgage may affect your eligibility.

If getting a reverse mortgage on your Brooklyn New York real estate, or the home of your parents or grandparents, is the right thing to do, you might want to consider FHA’s reverse mortgage program called The Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM). According to HUD, the HECM is a safe plan that can give older Americans greater financial security.

You can receive additional free information about reverse mortgages by contacting the National Council on Aging at (800) 510-0301.  I’m also available to help you with this difficult decision.  Give me a call today Charles D’Alessandro your Brooklyn Realtor with Fillmore Real Estate at (718) 253-9600 ext.206 or email [email protected].

For some frustrated sellers, the answer to “Why isn’t my Brooklyn home selling?” is “It’s the agent’s fault!”  If your immediate instinct is to drop your Brooklyn NY real estate agent for a new one, you might want to take a deep breath and consider the following:

1.      Do you think agents are like lottery tickets? Going through Brooklyn real estate agents as fast as scratch-off lottery tickets isn’t going to get your home sold faster.  In fact, it usually slows down the process.

2.      Is your Brooklyn home priced correctly? That’s probably the number one difference between homes that sell fast and homes that sit on the market.  A poorly priced home could be your real estate  agent’s fault.  Then again, you could be partially to blame.  Did you insist on a specific price even though your agent strongly recommended a lower price?  Did you refuse to lower the price when your agent suggested lowering it?  If you’re inflexible about price, switching agents will not help.

3. Did you make the home improvements recommended by your Realtor©? If your agent suggested you paint, clean carpets, reduce clutter or complete any other inexpensive, easy-to-accomplish task, and you didn’t do it, you’re greatly reducing your opportunity to get your home sold.  You chose to work with your agent because he is a knowledgeable professional.  Take his advice and get those home improvement tasks done now.

4.      Has your listing agreement expired? If your listing contract has expired, this is the perfect time to consider switching agents.  Go back to the start, identify 3 new agents and interview the agents.  If you find one that fits your needs better than your current agent, let your agent know you won’t be renewing your contract.

5.      Did your agent market your home? If your agent has not done all the marketing he promised, point this out and ask him when he’ll get the marketing in place.  Follow up to be sure it’s done on time and professionally.  If he still doesn’t market your home like he said he would, it may be time to switch agents.

6.      Are you being impatient? If you made all the home improvements recommended by your agent, your home is properly priced, and all marketing tasks are completed, you may just need to have a little patience.  This is a slow real estate market.  That means your home isn’t going to sell overnight.  Ask your agent the average number of days it takes a home to sell in your area, then wait that length of time before thinking about changing agents.

Don’t replace your agent just because you don’t know what else to do.  You’ll be wasting time and effort.  Instead, work with your agent to determine what else can be done to get your home sold.

If you decide to search for a new Brooklyn real estate agent, I’d be honored if you’d allow me to interview for the job.  Call Charles D’Alessandro of Fillmore Real Estate at (718)253-9600 ext 206 or email me at [email protected] to schedule an interview.