10 Remodeling Projects To Bring Value To Your Home

Top 10 projects

Here are Remodeling's top 10 projects. You'll notice that these are not ambitious, vanity jobs. All are projects that replace worn or aged home components, bring parts of the home up-to-date or add living space without expanding the home's footprint:

1. Replacing exterior siding with upscale fiber cement. Siding pays back a whopping 78%, on average, of the $13,461 average cost. The most cost-effective thing you can do to your home this year is to replace old siding with new, higher-end fiber cement.
2. Replacing an entry door with a midlevel 20-gauge steel door is an inexpensive upgrade at $1,238 on average, but it pays back 73% and greatly improves curb appeal.
3. A midrange attic bedroom remodel involves popping out a dormer for a 5-by-7-foot bathroom with shower, insulating and finishing the walls and ceiling, adding four windows, extending the heating and air conditioning and improving wiring and lighting. The payback is 72.5% on the $50,148 expenditure. More living space is being sought as adult children are driven back to their parents' homes by the shaky economy and as older parents join the households of their adult children. An attic remodel is the cheapest way to add space and a bathroom within the house. A basement remodel is the next most cost-efficient way to add living space, although code requirements for headroom and exterior doors make that project more complicated and more expensive
4. A midrange minor kitchen remodel paid back 72.1% of the $19,588 investment. Included are new laminate countertops and new sink, faucets and appliances. The floor is untouched and cabinets are kept in place but refaced with new hardware added. In today's tough times, kitchen and bath remodels are pale imitations of the lavish vanity projects from the housing boom. Most consumers are shunning the expensive spa baths and chef's kitchens that involve moving electrical services, plumbing and walls.
5. A midrange garage door replacement may not be high on many wish lists; it's one of those jobs that you do because it's needed. But it adds curb appeal and function, and it pays back 71.9%, on average, of the $1,512 average cost.
6. A high-end garage door replacement recoups almost as much: 71.1% of the $2,994 average cost.
7. A new wood deck earns back 70.1%, on average, of its $10,350 cost at resale this year.
8. New foam-backed vinyl siding replacement keeps the house warm and pays back 69.6% of its $14,274 average cost. The average project involves 1,250 square feet of siding, including trim.
9. New midrange replacement vinyl siding upgrades the look of the home and pays back 69.5% of the $11,729 average price.
10. Upscale vinyl replacement windows have a 69.1% payback on the $14,328 cost. The project involves replacing 10 double-hung 3-by-5 windows. The new windows are low-emissivity glass and are insulated with simulated wood-grain trim.

Life of a new agent

Well here it is my first blog and I'm ready to share my life with the world!!! Switching careers at 37 is probably the scariest and most exciting thing I've done in my life.  There comes a time in your life when you have to ask yourself what is most important to me family or career. Being a chef is one of the toughest jobs out there, not only do you work grueling hours but the pay isn't that great either. Don't get me wrong i loved what i did and was very good at it but did i want to sacrifice family life for a job? The answer quickly became NO, but now what?  After many family discussions we had to figure out my strengths (yes cooking was a very strong one) I am a great talker and negotiator, i also love houses, Real estate!!!!!! That's what I'll do, but i soon realize it was the beginning of an uphill battle that i was willing to take on. I soon enrolled in real estate school at armbrust real estate institute where i took the 6 week course which was so helpful to prepare for the exam.  I passed the exam with flying colors on the first try and i highly recommend Armbrust to anyone looking to pass the exam. Next it was off to interview various real estate companies with the final decision going to Keller Williams Executives.  Through classes offered and great introduction material I soon realized not only what a genius Jim Slinkard is but what a close knit family the brokerage was. Befriending people like Robert Tait, Bret Shugrue, Pius Schenker, and Krisitn Schmidt have been nothing short of amazing. Not only are they great colleagues but I know I will be calling them friend for years to come.  We have a great team here at Keller Williams Executives and what a great place to be a new agent especially with my mentor Debbie Vandre.  I've already had a few clients and even though the deals fell through because of financing the experience was priceless.  It's great to know if I'm ever stumped on any real estate issues i can ask any team member here at KWE and get a response in no time flat. I am so excited about my real estate career and if you or anyone needs a hard working agent on you side to find a home click on this link and I will get you in your dream home very soon. Check back to this blog for more Real Estate information that i guarantee you will find useful in house hunting, repairs, and general home questions. You can also watch the budding career of a soon to be successful agent