Thinking About Remodeling Your Home?

6 Reasons Why Now Is The Best Time For Dallas Home Remodels

Cash in your pocket and equity in your home? If you’ve been thinking about making changes to your house but thought you couldn’t afford a remodel, it’s time to rethink the possibilities. The payback on renovations in cost versus higher home value, should you decide to sell your house later, can be better than you thought.

Reason #1: Lower bids from the contractors. The home renovation business is falling with the current housing market, leading to lower bids for the homeowner’s remodeling project. In addition, most contractors are willing to negotiate with you for a better price, leaving you with a beautiful remodel for an excellent price.

Reason #2: Higher number of contractors to choose from. Although homeowners are still making repairs and working on their houses, the number of bigger additions and fancy remodels is going down. More contractors are competing against each other for your project.

Reason #3: Lower financing costs. If you have good credit and a steady economic foundation, you can get lower financing costs. This, in turn, makes the project that much more affordable.

Reason #4: Lower cost of materials. Because the number of major remodels is dropping, the demand for materials (and thus the cost) is also dropping.

Reason #5: Less waiting time for a top-rated remodeling contractor. With a lower number of people wanting to remodel their home, even top-rated professionals have a shorter waiting list.

Reason #6: Better service. With more competition, contractors are definitely giving “service with a smile.” Calls are being returned faster; jobs are starting on time (or before!).

If you looked into remodeling your home more than a year ago, now is definitely the time to do something about it. However, even in this sweet time for remodeling, be aware of shady companies and shoddy work. Do your research before accepting any contractor.

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Making My Dallas Home More Inviting

3 Cheap, Easy Ways to Make Your Home for Sale in Dallas More Inviting

Many putting up their home for sale in the Dallas market don’t have a lot of available cash to spruce it up. While staging houses is a definite plus, it costs, as does many of the other suggested “to-dos." Here are a few cheap, easy ways to make your home look more inviting to buyers:

1. Put up your personal stuff
Not every buyer looking at a home for sale in Dallas appreciates the fact that someone still lives there. Putting away the following things can help the buyers’ see themselves in the home:

· your pet’s things (toys, litter box, bowls)
· your medications, toothbrushes and toilet accessories
· any toys
· knick-knacks and personal pictures

2. Create more space
Small, closed in spaces are major turnoffs for buyers. Create the illusion of more space by:

· putting up out-of-season clothes or clothes you don’t wear very often to make your closets look bigger
· taking one piece of furniture out of your bedroom
· packing up the small appliances in your kitchen
· taking out all but four chairs in your dining room, as well as extra table leaves

3. Touch on the trends
Chances are that some of the buyers are paying attention to celebrity trends. Feng shui is a big one, and you can do your part with just a few touches:

· add a fresh bowl of fruit to the kitchen
· put a comfortable couch or chair on the east side of your living room or den
· put a green welcome mat on your porch to symbolize opportunity
· get rid of reds

Whether you see or feel a difference doesn’t matter. Keep in mind that you’re trying to appeal to potential buyers of your home for sale in Dallas, not make the home more livable for you. If it helps, pretend that you’re the buyer, seeing the house for the first time.

If you’re trying to get your Dallas home ready to sell, I can help! Call me at 214-699-1340 or email me at matt@hretexas.com for more information. And be sure to visit Highlands Real Estate today!

Matt Twomey

Highlands Real Estate