My Articles | About Us | Contact Us | Advertise With Us | Search   
 
News, Tips & Offers delivered to your inbox

ABOUT US | VIEW ALL FEATURED ARTICLES | VIEW ALL TOPICS | VIEW ALL REGIONS | DM MOBILE | DM BLOG

Tips to add value to your home Pennsylvania

Hint: Start with the kitchen, master bath and the siding, and forget about the satellite dish

Local Companies

Campers Paradise Campground & Cabins
814-752-2393
37 Steele Drive
Sigel, PA
Lisa Sanderson/BOBHAY.COM, REALTORS
570.476.2420
9 South Seventh Street
Stroudsburg, PA
Stage Two Sell LLC
607-857-5194
741 South Main St
Athens, PA
Keller Williams Real Estate Pittsburgh
724-413-6983
Keller Williams Real Estate
Eighty Four, PA
Century 21 Select Group (Brian Mccardle)
(570) 643-4823
Rt. 115, Po Box 200
Blakeslee, PA
Kerry Clean
(570) 722-0885
Po Box 1527
Albrightsville, PA
Anthony Schimmel, Associate Broker/Owner - Keller Williams Real Estate
(610) 395-9123
2901 Emerick Boulevard, Suite 100
Bethlehem, PA
Long & Foster Real Estate - Mary Lynn Bonsall
(877) 247-8080
3101 Emrick Boulevard
Bethlehem, PA
The Wagner Group - Keller Williams Real Estate
(212) 380-7448
2901 Emerick Boulevard, Suite 100
Bethlehem, PA
Grace Realty Co, Inc.
(610) 837-4131
LVIP IV, Suite B
Bethlehem, PA

 

provided by: 

Granite countertops will add value to your home. So will a deck. Brushed-nickel fixtures won’t. Neither will wiring the den for Surround Sound.

Confused? You have plenty of company – namely a few million other homeowners.

“It’s extremely difficult for sellers to put a certain value on their house,” says Shirley Smith, broker-in-charge of the RealEstate.com brokerage in Charlotte, N.C. Real estate professionals, on the other hand, generally base the value on square footage and comparable sales of nearby homes with similar features, she says.

That’s not to say that nickel fixtures, Surround Sound wiring or a security system won’t attract some buyers, she says: “People might like that better, but that doesn’t mean it adds value.” In other words, you’re making your home more appealing, which is good, but you’re not adding features that allow you to increase the asking price.

Take a swimming pool – please. Although some buyers won’t even look at homes without pools, many more see themselves being drowned in upkeep costs. Swimming pools can even reduce the value of a home, especially if they’re in poor good condition. And Smith says satellite dishes are only attractive to buyers who specifically want a home with a dish.

Projects that add square footage generally add value. So do kitchen renovations; a major renovation adds the most value, but Smith says shiny new, upgraded appliances alone can add value. Bathroom upgrades and extras, especially in the master bath, also add value, Smith says. And guess what? Regular preventive maintenance also adds value to a home, she says.

But don’t overestimate the value added by home improvements. The bible on this topic is Remodeling magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report, which looks at the average cost of popular renovations and upgrades in 60 cities across the country and the return for the dollar on each.

The magazine notes that the return on investment varies from market to market, but it does break out national averages. In its 2006 report, Remodeling says that the cost of renovations has steadily increased nationwide, while the value added fell to 2002 levels. Basically, you’ll pay more for remodeling but get less back on resale these days.

It’s rare that a remodeling project returns 100 percent or more of the cost at resale, the magazine says – although it can happen in certain markets. In today’s more steady market, a typical project normally returns 75 percent to 80 percent on the dollar at resale, the report says.

Nationwide, on average, putting up vinyl siding is the most cost-effective renovation, returning 87 percent of the investment at resale. Major kitchen renovations, bathroom remodeling projects and replacement of wood windows are close behind, at 85 percent, according to the report.

The least cost-effective renovations at resale? Remodeling a home office, with a 63 percent return, and sunroom additions, at 66 percent.

Smith says it also makes a difference how long ago the renovation was completed. In general, you shouldn’t expect to get full value at resale three years later, she says.

 

Published on January 19, 2007

Read full article at realestate.com

Featured Local Company

Campers Paradise Campground & Cabins

814-752-2393
37 Steele Drive
Sigel, PA
Read more about Tips to add value to your home

Regional Articles
- Tips to add value to your home Aliquippa PA
- Tips to add value to your home Allentown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Allison Park PA
- Tips to add value to your home Altoona PA
- Tips to add value to your home Ambler PA
- Tips to add value to your home Apollo PA
- Tips to add value to your home Aston PA
- Tips to add value to your home Beaver Falls PA
- Tips to add value to your home Beaver PA
- Tips to add value to your home Belle Vernon PA
- Tips to add value to your home Bellefonte PA
- Tips to add value to your home Bensalem PA
- Tips to add value to your home Berwick PA
- Tips to add value to your home Bethel Park PA
- Tips to add value to your home Bethlehem PA
- Tips to add value to your home Birdsboro PA
- Tips to add value to your home Bloomsburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home Blue Bell PA
- Tips to add value to your home Boyertown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Bridgeville PA
- Tips to add value to your home Broomall PA
- Tips to add value to your home Bryn Mawr PA
- Tips to add value to your home Butler PA
- Tips to add value to your home Camp Hill PA
- Tips to add value to your home Canonsburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home Carlisle PA
- Tips to add value to your home Carnegie PA
- Tips to add value to your home Chalfont PA
- Tips to add value to your home Chambersburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home Chester PA
- Tips to add value to your home Clairton PA
- Tips to add value to your home Clarks Summit PA
- Tips to add value to your home Clifton Heights PA
- Tips to add value to your home Coatesville PA
- Tips to add value to your home Collegeville PA
- Tips to add value to your home Connellsville PA
- Tips to add value to your home Conshohocken PA
- Tips to add value to your home Coraopolis PA
- Tips to add value to your home Cranberry Twp PA
- Tips to add value to your home Darby PA
- Tips to add value to your home Dillsburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home Downingtown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Doylestown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Drexel Hill PA
- Tips to add value to your home DuBois PA
- Tips to add value to your home East Stroudsburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home Easton PA
- Tips to add value to your home Elizabethtown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Elkins Park PA
- Tips to add value to your home Ellwood City PA
- Tips to add value to your home Emmaus PA
- Tips to add value to your home Ephrata PA
- Tips to add value to your home Erie PA
- Tips to add value to your home Exton PA
- Tips to add value to your home Feasterville Trevose PA
- Tips to add value to your home Gettysburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home Gibsonia PA
- Tips to add value to your home Glenshaw PA
- Tips to add value to your home Glenside PA
- Tips to add value to your home Greensburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home Hanover PA
- Tips to add value to your home Harleysville PA
- Tips to add value to your home Harrisburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home Hatboro PA
- Tips to add value to your home Hatfield PA
- Tips to add value to your home Havertown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Hazleton PA
- Tips to add value to your home Hershey PA
- Tips to add value to your home Hollidaysburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home Hummelstown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Huntingdon PA
- Tips to add value to your home Huntingdon Valley PA
- Tips to add value to your home Indiana PA
- Tips to add value to your home Irwin PA
- Tips to add value to your home Jeannette PA
- Tips to add value to your home Jenkintown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Johnstown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Kennett Square PA
- Tips to add value to your home King Of Prussia PA
- Tips to add value to your home Kingston PA
- Tips to add value to your home Kittanning PA
- Tips to add value to your home Kutztown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Lancaster PA
- Tips to add value to your home Langhorne PA
- Tips to add value to your home Lansdale PA
- Tips to add value to your home Lansdowne PA
- Tips to add value to your home Latrobe PA
- Tips to add value to your home Lebanon PA
- Tips to add value to your home Lehighton PA
- Tips to add value to your home Levittown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Lewistown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Lititz PA
- Tips to add value to your home Lock Haven PA
- Tips to add value to your home Manheim PA
- Tips to add value to your home Marcus Hook PA
- Tips to add value to your home Mc Kees Rocks PA
- Tips to add value to your home Mckeesport PA
- Tips to add value to your home Meadville PA
- Tips to add value to your home Mechanicsburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home Media PA
- Tips to add value to your home Monroeville PA
- Tips to add value to your home Morrisville PA
- Tips to add value to your home Nazareth PA
- Tips to add value to your home New Castle PA
- Tips to add value to your home New Cumberland PA
- Tips to add value to your home New Kensington PA
- Tips to add value to your home Newtown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Newtown Square PA
- Tips to add value to your home Norristown PA
- Tips to add value to your home North Wales PA
- Tips to add value to your home Oil City PA
- Tips to add value to your home Palmyra PA
- Tips to add value to your home Perkasie PA
- Tips to add value to your home Philadelphia PA
- Tips to add value to your home Phoenixville PA
- Tips to add value to your home Pittsburgh PA
- Tips to add value to your home Pittston PA
- Tips to add value to your home Pottstown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Pottsville PA
- Tips to add value to your home Punxsutawney PA
- Tips to add value to your home Quakertown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Reading PA
- Tips to add value to your home Red Lion PA
- Tips to add value to your home Royersford PA
- Tips to add value to your home Scranton PA
- Tips to add value to your home Selinsgrove PA
- Tips to add value to your home Sewickley PA
- Tips to add value to your home Shippensburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home Southampton PA
- Tips to add value to your home State College PA
- Tips to add value to your home Stroudsburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home Telford PA
- Tips to add value to your home Uniontown PA
- Tips to add value to your home Upper Darby PA
- Tips to add value to your home Verona PA
- Tips to add value to your home Warminster PA
- Tips to add value to your home Washington PA
- Tips to add value to your home Wayne PA
- Tips to add value to your home Waynesboro PA
- Tips to add value to your home Waynesburg PA
- Tips to add value to your home West Chester PA
- Tips to add value to your home West Mifflin PA
- Tips to add value to your home Wexford PA
- Tips to add value to your home Whitehall PA
- Tips to add value to your home Wilkes Barre PA
- Tips to add value to your home Williamsport PA
- Tips to add value to your home Willow Grove PA
- Tips to add value to your home York PA
Related Local Events
Notice of Judicial Sale -Real Estate Tax Sales
Dates: 10/30/2009 - 10/30/2009
Location: Greene County Fairgrounds,4H Building
Waynesburg, PA
View Details
New Member Orientation
Dates: 9/10/2009 - 9/10/2009
Location: ABC Chapter Office
Norristown, PA
View Details
The BOMA International North American Commercial Real Estate Congress and The Office Building Show
Dates: 6/27/2009 - 6/28/2009
Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia, PA
View Details
Rss   Delicious   Digg   Add To My Yahoo   Add To My Google   Bookmark   Search Plugin
Topics:
Advertising Family Home Services Real Estate Resources
Business Services Fashion Industrial Goods & Services Retail & Consumer Services
Career Financial Services Insurance Software
Cars Food & Beverage Internet Technology
Computer Hardware Franchise Legal Telecommunications
Construction Health Miscellaneous Trade Shows
Education Holidays Nightlife Travel
Entertainment Home Appliances Online Database Weddings
Environmental Home Electronics Pets World History
Articles.DirectoryM.com | Search | About Us | Contact Us | Mobile | Blog | En Español
Copyright © BET Information Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.