Add Value to Your Home with Remodeling
If you’re interested in adding value to your home quickly, start with your kitchen and bathroom. These two rooms are important in every household, and the level of comfort and style in both kitchens and bathrooms is a very important consideration for any homeowner.
Kitchen Remodeling
If you’re interested in making money on the sale of your current home, think about updating two of the most important rooms in your home – kitchen and bathroom. An update here can make a world of difference in how prospective buyers view your home. Even if your primary motivation is not to sell your home, but to upgrade its value – start thinking kitchen remodeling and bathroom remodeling.
Finding the perfect new cabinets is a great place to start in remodeling your kitchen. Other important aspects that will improve the look and convenience in your kitchen are:
If your current furniture doesn’t complement your new design, take a look at what’s available like breakfast nook tables and chairs, island carts, or barstools. Nothing will complete your kitchen remodeling project like the addition of cool new furniture that gives just the right touch of style and comfort for you and your family to enjoy.
Bathroom Remodeling
Every Bathroom remodeling project should include taking a look at what is currently in place. To really make a difference and convey the style and design you want, decide if you need to replace any of the following:
IRS Gives Homeowners a Break for Remodeling
Should you decide to sell your home in the future, you are subject to be charged capital gains taxes. However, according to IRS Publication 523, Selling Your Home, any major improvements or remodeling you do to your home such as kitchen remodeling or bathroom remodeling can be exempt from these taxes. This can also include improvements such as:
- Additions including bedrooms, bathrooms, decks, garages, porches or patios
- New plumbing or wiring
- Any new heating and/or air conditioning units
- Interior upgrades such as built-in appliances and wall-to-wall carpeting
- Exterior upgrades such as paving the driveway
Any major improvements which the IRS approves as adding value to your home and prolonging your home’s useful life should be exempt from taxes. It’s always smart to check with your accountant about tax matters just to make sure what you’re doing will qualify, and be sure to keep all receipts on any purchases you make for remodeling purposes.
Remodel Your Bathroom and Kitchen with Remodeling Products and Services at Wholesale Prices
If you haven’t done any remodeling lately, you may not be aware that an average consumer just like yourself can have access to fine home improvement products without paying high retail prices. You can purchase top-quality products direct from today’s top manufacturers and their authorized suppliers which will allow you to do what you really want to do to improve your home. You won’t have to cut corners and settle for lower quality when you can save money to this extent.
Not only will you be proud of the added value to your home, if you’re able to complete your renovation project and save tons of money, who knows what project you might tackle next that will increase the pleasure of living in your home as well as increase its value for a future sale if you ever want to do so.
About DirectBuy:
Discover a feasible way to do bathroom remodeling and kitchen remodeling without paying retail prices through DirectBuy. DirectBuy has practically everything imaginable to make any home remodeling project more doable – the manufacturer direct prices result in savings that will amaze you. Remodeling, redecorating, or building the DirectBuy way will simplify your project tremendously!
[tags]bathroom remodeling, kitchen remodeling, directbuy[/tags]
September 5th, 2007 at 9:22 am
I live alone and would like to remodel my condo. However, I am doing this more for resale value than I am for my own enjoyment. I also have a limited budget and I am looking to get the most “bang for my buck.” What upgrades can I make to my home that are better for a more conservative budget?
September 10th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Hello, Tomas,
Remodeling your home is a great way to boost your resale value – and it doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming!
You’ve likely heard it before, but the most cost-efficient way to give your home a new look is with a fresh coat of paint on the walls and ceilings. It’s inexpensive, a manageable project for most do-it-yourselfers, and can make a huge impact when you sell your home. While it’s great to show your individuality through color, you should strive for timeless, inviting colors that will appeal to a wide cross-section of prospective buyers in the future. This means looking at the traditional beiges and whites, but light blue and grey are also being used by top designers as the “new neutrals.”
Another way to transform your home in a hurry is to add some new lighting. You’ll be surprised by what effect lighting can have on a room. The easiest way to start is by getting rid of dated lighting fixtures and replacing them with new fixtures that have a more classic look and tie the look of your home together. For a bigger change, enlist the help of an electrician to add track lighting or sconces.
If you’re ready to take on a bigger remodeling project, the kitchen is the best place to start. New cabinets and countertops can not only transform your kitchen, but can also make it more functional. Sound too big to tackle right now? Try giving your cabinets a fresh coat of paint and new hinges and knobs. It sounds small, but this improvement can bring your kitchen up to date quickly.
DirectBuy can help you stay on budget as you remodel your home. Our members purchase the products they need for their remodeling projects – including cabinets, lighting fixtures, windows and much more – direct from the manufacturer, so they don’t pay traditional retail markup. With these big savings, members can buy more of what they want to give their room a new look – or upgrade by purchasing products of a higher quality than they could have afforded to choose otherwise! Plus, DirectBuy’s interior designers and product specialists are trained to help you select from thousands of products to create the home of your dreams, so you won’t be overwhelmed.
September 21st, 2007 at 3:06 pm
My wife and I want to make improvements to our kitchen, but we’re not sure where to start on a limited budget. What is the most important part of the kitchen to upgrade?
September 24th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Hi John,
Good question – especially with kitchen remodeling being so popular.
There’s no question that remodeling your kitchen will boost the resale value more than any other type of home-improvement project. But you shouldn’t think about kitchen upgrades purely in terms of investments. More and more people are realizing that, with the housing market in a slump, enjoying their home takes precedence over making it ready for resale.
That being said, consider how you can make your kitchen best fit the needs of your family, especially if you’re like many of today’s homeowners, who use their kitchens in much the same way they would traditionally use a dining room, family room or home office.
Here are some tips to make your kitchen better work with your lifestyle:
• Not enough time in the day? Try a TV that retracts into a kitchen cabinet to catch a few minutes of the weather report as you eat your bagel in the morning. This spot will make viewing easy, plus your TV and cords will be out of the way.
• Because of all the cabinets, your kitchen is an ideal place to hide speakers for a stereo system, or you can think smaller and try a radio or CD player on your island or one of your shelves.
• If you have the extra space, setting up a computer in your kitchen will make it easy to bounce between meal prep and Internet research, plus it’s a great idea for keeping an eye on children when they’re on the computer.
• Because many of us enter our kitchen immediately after arriving home, it may be beneficial to add some organizational elements here instead of letting bills, school papers or other items pile up on the counter. Add dividers and files to drawers and cabinets, or look for a mobile cart with compartments that can be pushed out of the way when you need some extra space. Keep must-haves like pens, your checkbook, your planner, stamps and envelopes handy in these designated spaces, too.
Another great idea for updating your kitchen is to invest in an island to create a natural center of activity for the entire family, not to mention a hub for company when you entertain.
Here are some thought-starters for making an island work in your kitchen:
• Look for an island that offers extra storage space to hide away odd-sized fixtures that would otherwise take up valuable counter and cabinet space.
• Don’t forget, electrical outlets are important on your island. Place them in a spot where cords won’t get in your way.
• Adding a sink and an under-the-counter icemaker helps with preparing beverages.
• Of course, barstools are important. Opting for the swiveling, backless versions will make for easy visiting when you’re entertaining, and you can simply store them beneath the counter when you need some extra space for serving.
As you can see, upgrading your kitchen doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch. It can be as simple as sitting down with your family to think about the way you use it – and how to make it better!
October 8th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
We want to add a Jacuzzi tub in our master bathroom and guest bathroom (most people would consider our house to have two master suites). Is it better for resale to put the same caliber Jacuzzi in both bathrooms or should the main master bathroom have a better Jacuzzi tub? Any other recommendations about Jacuzzi tubs?
October 10th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Hi Phillip,
Traditionally, the master bedroom and master bathroom have been the biggest and most luxurious spaces in the house. Today, however, more homeowners are creating second master suites, as equally spacious as the original master suites, in their homes. They may add a second suite to provide teenage children or other family members with their own space, or to give overnight guests the special treatment.
This trend doesn’t have as much to do with resale value as it does with creating functional spaces that your family will enjoy. That said, the quality of your second Jacuzzi likely won’t have much of an effect when you sell your home. Think more about which types of tubs work with your budget and will best fit the needs of your guests.
If you need help selecting the right Jacuzzi for your guest bathroom, ask for an expert’s opinion. DirectBuy has interior designers and product specialists specially trained to assist you in figuring out which products are right for you.
Good luck with your project, and enjoy your new Jacuzzi tubs!
November 8th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
We are looking at a long-term project to renovate our home that is over 20 years old. Do you recommend starting with the bathrooms or the kitchen first?
November 12th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Hi Jim,
Congratulations on your new adventure! Renovating is an exciting project that can boost your investment in your home.
One easy way to figure out whether you should start remodeling your bathrooms or your kitchen is to look at the condition of each and how they fit the needs of your family.
Do you have an avocado fridge or an outdated bathroom light fixture? You may want to start by working on the room that seems the most outdated to you. This will be a big step toward increasing your resale value later.
If there’s something that prevents your family from using one of the rooms as much as you’d like, such as a lack of counter space in the kitchen or no storage in your bathroom, you may want to tackle that project first. You’ll love your space’s newfound functionality!
It’s also important to create a plan of what costs will be involved with each room, then figure out a realistic timeline for completing all of your renovations without spending more than you can handle.
It can be overwhelming trying to find all the products you need while staying on budget. Your local DirectBuy showroom offers thousands of products from top manufacturers, with no traditional retail markup. The savings are so substantial that you can buy products of a higher quality for the same price you would have spent at a retail store!
In addition, DirectBuy has interior designers and product specialists specially trained to assist you in select the right products for your projects, plus an installer network to help you put everything together.
June 10th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I totally agree with the value of a good kitchen. I recently redid all my counter tops, new appliances (stove, dishwasher, fridge,), new sink, and new cupboards. I also put in hardward floors in place of the linoleum. It looks absolutely awesome.