10.5 Quick Tips for increasing your home's Value

Tip 1: Spend an hour with a pro. Ask a realtor or interior designer over to check out your home. You'll find that most Realtors will do this as a courtesy, but you will probably have to pay a consultation fee to a designer. Make appointments with interior designers or a Home Stager. http://takerhodeislandbydesign.blogspot.com/2014/02/get-that-property-sold-quicker-with.html  in your area; a standard hourly fee is $100, and in an hour they can give you lots of ideas for needed improvements. Even small suggested improvements, such as paint colors or furniture placement, can go a long way toward improving the look and feel of your home.
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Tip 2: Paint and more paint...Simple/Cost effective improvements of all is paint!  Painted rooms look clean and updated which spells value. On your mission of selecting paint colors, keep cognizant that neutrals appeal to the masses, therefore making your home more desirable. On average, a gallon of paint costs around $25 (BIG BOX STORES), leaving you EXTRA MONEY to do it right the first time to buy rollers, painter's tape, drop cloths and brushes. So buy a few gallons and get that home looking spiffy!


Tip 3: Visually Inspect it . All smart money improvements aren't always cosmetic. Deteriorating roofs, termite infestation or outdated electrical systems . Hire an inspector to check out the areas of your home that you don't normally see. They may discover hidden problems that could negatively impact your home's value. Small problems (such as a hidden water leak) (Asbestos) lack of insulation, can become big, expensive problems quickly; the longer you put off repairs, the more expensive those repairs will be in the long run!


Tip 4: Get Inspired.
Another suggestion, if you feel you don't need a  designer is to search for remodeling and decorating inspiration in design-oriented magazines, books, TV shows and websites. Simply snap a picture, print off the ideas you want to try and start your to-do list. You'll feel good as you can check off each item, even just the small projects. Simple approaches when remodeling on a tight budget, do-it-yourself projects are best.


 Tip 5:News Flash... Popcorn ceilings are out., What's on your ceiling? A Few structural elements date a house more than popcorn ceilings. So dedicate a weekend to ditching the dated look and adding dollar signs to the value of your home. This is a project you can tackle yourself. First, visit your local hardware store for a solution to soften the texture, then simply scrape the popcorn away. Removing a popcorn ceiling may not seem like a big change but one of the keys for adding value to your home is to repair, replace or remove anything that could turn buyers away.May I suggest wearing eye protection, drop cloths and a shop Vac and get to it!

Tip 6: Small bathroom updates equal a big return.
Bathroom updates are always a great ROI. Even if you can't afford a full remodel, small changes such as replacing dated wallpaper with a faux or textured finish and replacing dated lighting will update the room without breaking the bank.


 Tip 7:  Kitchen updates equals added value.. You don't have to start from scratch to create a winning recipe. For maximizing your home's value, kitchen updates add tremendous Value. Start by changing or restoring just one item, such as a cruddy sink or dated microwave for shiny new stainless models. Even small kitchen updates will add big value to your home.

Tip 8:Visually increase your home's square footage.
The size of your home dramatically affects the value, but square footage isn't the only space that counts. Visual space or how large a home feels also matters. The key is to make each room in your home feel larger. What's blocking that natural light ? Big dark window treatments?  A bright sunny room feels larger and more open. Suggestion: try adding a large mirror to a room to visually double the space.Finally, DE-CLUTTER! Get things up if there's not many options for the room. Add Floating shelves or cabinets to an underused space and store your clutter out of sight. 

Tip 9: Get help with getting organized.http://takerhodeislandbydesign.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html
Hire a professional organizer for a day. They will show you how to organize various rooms in your home and teach you tricks for keeping it organized. How does this increase your home's value? A clutter-free home appears cleaner and larger, which is more attractive to homebuyers and therefore more valuable.Most People have a hard time seeing past your Stuff! Though you find it enjoyable to look at, lets take a step back and wonder what most people would think about all your little nick knacks..sorry but it's the Truth!

 Tip 10: Spend some $$$ on landscape design and watch your home's value increase and stand out from the others.
Landscaping makes a huge impact on your homes curb appeal. For less than $2,000, hire a landscape designer to create a plan that will make your home's exterior really "POP" (Or DIY and save $$$ if you're great at that sort of thing.  For the best impact on your homes exterior, plant mature trees or fast growing shrubs; these can be a tad pricy but they will surely make your home feel more established. As your landscaping grows, so will your home's curb appeal and value.


 Tip 10.5: Go for the green.
 I think most Everyone loves a yard with thick, lush green grass. For less than $1000, in a weekend's time, you can replace your existing not so green mix of weeds and grass with fresh new sod. You'll be amazed at the difference this one change will make in your home's curb appeal and value.If you were home shopping and you pulled up and said wow what a great yard, let's take a look.

Thanks for reading and I hope these suggestions help you into a better situation or a more stimulting enviorment. May you be rewarded handsomely for doing what most others are procrastinaing on!


http://takerhodeislandbydesign.blogspot.com

Asbestos

My House Contains Asbestos- What's the next step?

Designated a carcinogen in the 1970s and largely banned, asbestos can still be found in older homes. A little education can help you deal with its discovery and removal.

Many older houses incorporate construction materials that contain asbestos. Usually its presence is uncovered during closing, when the house undergoes numerous inspections. Asbestos removal then becomes part of purchase negotiations. For home buyers who skip inspection to keep upfront costs low, asbestos discovery can be quite scary. After all, they’ve just learned that their beautiful slice of American history is contaminated.

Asbestos, which occurs naturally, is a silicate-based mineral that has fire-resistant properties; there are six different types of asbestos. Until the 1970s, asbestos fibers were woven into or used in the manufacture of floor tiles, fire-retardant clothing, fire blankets, roof shingles, pipe insulation, and many car parts, just to name a few items. Federal regulation sharply curtailed domestic use of asbestos after it was designated a carcinogen. The material’s microscopic fibers enter the body through inhalation and cause the deadly disease mesothelioma.

Related: 8 Home Hazards—and How to Mitigate Them

Asbestos is typically uncovered in the basements and attics of older homes. You would probably not recognize it, however, by visual inspection alone. But if your house was built before the 1970s, the chances are likely that the vintage floor tile you want to replace or that weird-looking pink insulation around your furnace contains asbestos.

Just because you have asbestos in your home doesn’t mean you are being exposed to it. If the asbestos-containing material is intact, untouched, and unreachable, it is unlikely to cause harm to you or your family. Leave it alone and it will leave you alone. If the material is cracked or crumbling, but still untouched and unreachable, it can be sealed off—encapsulated—and left alone. If, however, you discover asbestos during renovation, it’s time to stop work and immediately seek professional help.

When you uncover asbestos that you can’t avoid or encapsulate—perhaps it’s in a wall you want to knock through or in those tiles you’d like to pull up—find a certified asbestos consultant in your area and request a home evaluation. The cost of removal, which is in the thousands, is determined by the amount of asbestos that has to be removed. Asbestos abatement is not cheap and may alter your renovation plans. Homeowner’s insurance policies typically do not cover removal. Always check with your state agencies to see if they provide any sort of funding—grants or loans—to assist with asbestos removal.

Professional asbestos removal involves sealing off the affected area, encapsulating the asbestos-contaminated material, and then safely removing it from the site. To ensure that there is no conflict of interest, be sure to use one asbestos professional to evaluate your home and a diffeabatement firm to do the actual work. Always ask for proof of certification and get copies of all the paperwork that documents that your asbestos was removed in accordance with state and federal procedures.  Photos of how materials were handled and removed should also be included in documentation.

Many people are convinced they can remove asbestos from their home safely without calling in the experts. This is not recommended and could endanger your health and your life. There’s more to removal than spray bottles and dust masks. If you want to become certified in asbestos removal, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a list of approved state contacts to get you started. Asbestos education is the best way for DIY fans to keep their renovation projects safe and their homes healthy.

10 Must-Do Repairs before listing your home.

Start with the basics.. Inexpensive improvements will help your home really stand out from the "other homes" in a difficult market.

Putting a home up for sale these days, you're facing lots of competition. In most parts of the country, buyers are faced with huge numbers of homes for sale. Before asking strangers to trade hundreds of thousands of their hard-earned dollars for your little palace, make all the little repairs you've always meant to do but never had the time for.

These 10 basic repairs will help prepare your house for a buyer's white-glove inspection:

1. Repair sagging screen doors and other entry red flags.

Make sure everything at the entrance is in working order. If the screen door is sagging, you'll probably have to install a new one, as aging aluminum parts often become too bent or broken to repair. first, try replacing any missing or corroded hinge screws and tightening the rest.

Patrol the perimeter of your home, inspecting it with the critical eye of a stranger, Clear dead plants from flower beds, clip dead blossoms and stems, rake and haul the yard waste far away or to local dump in town.

2. Clear and caulk gutters.

On a dry day, climb up on a ladder and clear all the debris out of the gutters so water can flow freely. While you're up there, re-caulk the gutter end caps. Seamless gutters are finished at the ends with a cap that's crimped and caulked. Aging caulk allows leaks to drain water down your home's siding.

Get started by drying the clean gutter; the drier the aluminum, the better caulk will bond to its surface. The pros recommend using flexible butyl caulk made for outdoor conditions. Its color doesn't matter, since you're caulking inside the gutter. Squeeze out a generous amount and use your finger to smear the stuff around inside the gutter cap seams. Don't worry about appearances, since no one will see your work.

3. Spiff up the roof.

Missing shingles and hanging gutters broadcast a loud, scary signal to potential buyers.  "There's a great deal of fear when people go out to look at property. You want them to be able to focus on 'Where does my bed go?' and 'Can we live here?' rather than, 'Oh my God, there's a problem with the roof.'"

Get a roofer to replace any missing or broken shingles or roofing tiles. Moss growing on the roof signals neglect, so it's important to get it cleaned off. Ask a roofing expert to remove moss or to recommend someone who can. Roofing professionals may suggest treating the surface of your roof with a chemical to kill moss or they may recommend installing zinc strips on the roof ridge. Water running over the zinc washes minute amounts of zinc carbonate over the roof, killing algae and moss, according to Z-Stop, which manufactures the strips. When hiring someone to work on your roof, it's crucial to check their recommendations. Amateurs can damage your roof with the careless use of a high-pressure power washer.

4. Patch nail holes and repaint.

Moving inside the house, you'll want to patch up nail holes in the walls. Ask at a hardware store for lightweight putty. Apply it with a putty knife and fill in each hole, scraping the excess off the wall. Following directions on the package, wait for it to dry. Then sand the putty until it's smooth and flush with the wall. Paint the repaired spots with primer. Call a handyman for anything bigger than a nail hole, as it's not easy to blend bigger repairs into the wall and obvious patches telegraph the message. Repaint the entire wall -- you're unlikely to be able to hide a touched-up patch, otherwise -- from one corner to the next.

5. Divorce your smoker and ship kitty to Siberia.

ll right, just kidding. Sort of. The thing is, smells are a serious deal killer. When strangers enter a home, the first thing they notice is the smell. Don't even try hiding behind scented candles, potpourri and plug-in room fragrances. Buyers, ever suspicious to problems, catch a whiff of those and conclude that you're hiding something.

In the kitchen and bathrooms, deep clean with bleach, then re-grout tiles and re-caulk cracks between sinks, tubs, toilets, counters and floors to seal out the moisture that encourages the growth of smelly mold, mildew and bacteria.

If you've had smokers in the house, you've got extra work to do. To rid walls of smoke and nicotine film, some experts suggest washing the walls with cleaners using an alkaline builder, such as ammonia, and a glycol solvent (found at paint stores). Brake recommends painting an undercoat of Kilz primer onto clean, dry walls to seal in nicotine smells. Finish the job with a fresh coat of paint and change the furnace filter to further freshen the air in the house.

Then, "send smokers down the street," says Brake. She's not kidding: Ban smoking, even in the garden, because the smell clings to porches, decks and clothing. Gardens lose their appeal when littered with cigarette butts. If possible, board your cat off-premises while you're showing your home; at minimum, clean the litter box daily.

6. Replace damaged vinyl flooring.

Inspect the vinyl flooring in your bathrooms. If it has discolored spots or is loose, moisture may be damaging the floor. You'll probably want a professional to lay the actual flooring, which could cost $400 or more. But you can save as much as half of the cost by preparing the floor yourself.

Remove the baseboards by pulling them away from the walls with a small pry bar. Next, pull up the flooring using a larger pry bar -- it will be glued and nailed or stapled. Also remove the next layer, called the underlayment, made of particleboard or layered plywood.

While your new floor is being installed, you can sand and repaint the baseboards so the whole job will look terrific when it's finished. Another good choice for flooring material is linoleum, a green product made from linseed oil, pine resin, sawdust and other natural binders. It can add 30% or 40% to the cost of a $400 job.

7. Reseal the toilet.

Not all flooring installers will remove and reinstall the toilet, something that must be done to replace the floor. Pulling the toilet yourself can save you money. With plumbers' fees running about $85 an hour (with a minimum hour and a half charge for a house call), you could save yourself $200 or more (for two trips) by pulling the toilet yourself.

Even if you aren't replacing flooring, the seals may need replacing. How to tell? If the toilet rocks when someone sits down, or if the floor at the base is moist or discolored, the seal could be broken. Corroded nuts that hold the toilet to the floor are another sign that the toilet needs to be reinstalled. Before you begin, shut off the water supply at the faucet behind the toilet. Flush the toilet, holding down the handle to drain as much water as possible. Use a wrench to unscrew the bolts holding the toilet to the floor.

Don't move the toilet alone. Get a friend to help, because toilets are heavy and cumbersome, and the tanks are easily cracked. Prepare a bed of old cushions or towels in the bathtub and set the toilet there gently so any drips drain into the tub. At a hardware store, find two wax toilet seals (also called gaskets, about $3 apiece). One seal is conformed to fit into the sewer pipe; the second is a plain wax circle that you'll stack directly on top of the first. (Also at the store, purchase two new bolts -- about $1.50 each.) Back home, remove the old gaskets. Fit the new shaped gasket into the mouth of the sewer pipe first; put the second seal directly over it so the toilet fits into the space with no gaps. Lower the toilet over the seals. Screw in the new bolts, tighten them, reconnect the water supply and caulk the base of the toilet.

8. Stop faucet drips.

A dripping faucet calls attention to itself, and it's not hard to fix. Shut off the water supply to the faucets by turning the valves under the sink to the right. Then, test the faucet to make sure you've shut the water off completely. While you're looking under the sink, check for moisture on the wall around the valves and on the floor of the sink cabinet. Also check the supply lines leading to the dishwasher and disposal. If those areas are wet, get a plumber.

If you've got a newer, rotating, single-arm faucet (through which both hot and cold water run), note the brand and purchase a faucet rebuild kit (roughly $50) at the hardware store. Inside the faucet arm is a metal ball on a stem that lets the handle swivel while allowing water to flow in any direction. The kit contains the six to 12 parts most likely to fail, including that metal ball, O rings, springs and gaskets. The idea is to replace them all rather than trying to diagnose the exact source of the problem. Dismantle the faucet, laying the parts out in order on a paper towel. Snap a photo or draw a sketch to help you with reassembly. Replace the old parts, put the faucet back together and turn the water back on.

If this seems like more trouble than you're willing to tackle, call a plumber. With no complications, a plumber can install the new parts in an hour, though most will bill you for an hour and a half minimum.For older faucets with independent hot and cold water faucets, shut off the water under the sink as before then dismantle each of the sink's faucets separately. Remove the washers (rings made of rubber, plastic or brass), put them in a plastic sandwich bag and bring them to the hardware store to find replacements. Reassemble the faucets and turn the water back on.

9. Renew dinged baseboards.

Beat-up baseboards detract greatly from the appearance of your home, and they're easy to spiff up.  "All those little things tend to stand out," says Carroll. First, clean them to remove scrapes and smudges left by clawing pets and toddlers on wheels. Brake says a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser sponge works great on painted surfaces. Fill in dents with spackle, sand the baseboards smooth and repaint them. If you've lost the name of the original paint color, chip off a coin-sized bit, slip it into an envelope and bring it to the paint store where you can have the color computer matched.

Use primer before painting. Don't just retouch small areas; paint the entire piece of baseboard, from one end to the other. Choose a washable eggshell finish. White is a great choice for making baseboards and trim look crisp and clean.

10. Repair cabinet scratches.

You can quickly improve the look of unpainted woodwork and worn cabinets with an application of products that even out the surface color. Brake covers scratches on woodwork and cabinets with Old English Scratch Cover or a Tibet Almond Stick, a tight roll of cotton saturated in chemicals that the manufacturer, Zenith Chemical Works, says is a 100-year-old family formula. (You can find these at hardware and home-improvement stores.)

Old English makes separate formulations for light or dark wood. These are oily stains, so use them carefully. Try out any products first in a corner where results will not be noticed. Do not use the dark stain on light wood. Finally, polish wood cabinets to a glow with lemon oil.

15.5 Staging Tips to sell your home fast. It's a must! Buyers have more options in todays market!

 Planning to put your house on the market this summer?  It goes without saying that you are hoping to sell your home as quickly as possible and get your asking price. Set the stage for success with these tips for styling and upgrading your home and see results FAST.

1. Boost Homes curb appeal. This is something you always hear, and with very good reason. Many people thinking of viewing your home will do a quick drive-by first, often deciding on the spot if it is even worth a look inside. Make sure your home is ready to lure in onlookers with these suggestions:

• Power wash siding and walkways
• Hang easy-to-read house numbers
• Plant blooming flowers and fresh greenery
• Mow lawn, and reseed or add fresh sod as needed
• Wash front windows
• Repaint or stain the porch floor as needed

2. Get your house clean & eliminate odors. From shining floors and gleaming windows to clean counters and scrubbed grout, every surface should shine. This is the smartest way to help your home to make a great impression. You may want to hire professionals to do some of the really difficult tasks, especially if you have a large house. Don't skimp -- this step is 

key!

3. Beware pet odors. Really, this can be a big one! If you have pets, get all rugs steam cleaned and be extra vigilant about vacuuming and washing surfaces. Also be sure to keep any extra-loved pet toys and doggie bones hidden when tours are scheduled.

4. Clear away all clutter. If you are serious about staging your home, all clutter must go, end of story. It's not easy, and it may even require utilizing offsite storage (or a nice relative's garage) temporarily, but it is well worth the trouble. Clean and clear surfaces, floors, cupboards and closets equal more space in the eyes of potential buyers, so purge anything unnecessary or unsightly.

I love this style! Guess what? It may not be the style of those seeking to buy a house in your neighborhood. So even if you have a super modern design look going on, rein it in for the sake of appealing to the most number of people. You can bring your personal style back into play in your new home.

6. Create a balance between clean and lived-in (its just temporary). Yes, I know I just said to get rid of all your clutter (and you deserve a big pat on the back if you did it), but now it's time to judiciously bring back a few elements that will really make your home appealing. Think vases of cut flowers, a basket of fresh farmer's market produce on the kitchen counter or a bowl of lemons beside the sink.

7. Make your dining room table a showpiece. The dining room is often a blind spot in decorating the home. Between dinners, a large dining table can look bare and uninviting, so styling it up with visitors in mind can increase the appeal. An oversize arrangement can look too stiff and formal, so try lining up a series of smaller vessels down the center of the table instead.

8. Choose sophisticated neutral colors. Now is not the time to experiment with that "fun"-looking lime green. But that doesn't mean you need to go all white, either. Rich midtone neutrals like mocha and "greige" create a sophisticated backdrop that makes everything look more pulled together.

9. Create a gender-neutral master bedroom. Appeal to everyone with a clean, tailored master bedroom, free of personal items and clutter. You can't go wrong with clean, crisp linens, tasteful artwork and a blanket folded at the foot of the bed.

10. Clean up toys. Of course there will be families with children looking at your home, but just because they have kids too doesn't mean seeing toys strewn everywhere will sell them on the place. When people are house hunting, they are imagining a fresh start. Show them that in this house, it is possible to have a beautifully organized kids' room, and they might be swayed.

11. Use "extra" rooms wisely. If you have been using a spare bedroom as a dumping ground for odd pieces of furniture and boxes of junk, it's time to clean up your act. Each room should have a clearly defined purpose, so think about what potential buyers might like to see here. An office? A guest room? Another kids' room? Whether you buy inexpensive furnishings, rent them, or borrow some from friends, making a real room out of a junk room will have a big payoff.

12. Use only perfect personal accents. Especially in the bathroom, it is important that anything left out for visitors to see is pristine. If you have a gorgeous fluffy white bathrobe, hanging it on a decorative hook on the door can be an attractive accent -- but if your robe is more of the nubby blue floral variety, you might want to hide it away. Look at every detail with a visitor's eye -- bars of soap should be fresh and clean, towels spotless, the garbage always emptied (you get the idea).

13. Show how you can use awkward areas. If you have any room beneath the stairs, or a nook or alcove anywhere in your home, try to find a unique way to show it off. By setting up a small work station, a home command center with a bulletin board, or built-in shelving, your awkward spot becomes another selling point.

14. Create a lifestyle people are looking for. Generally speaking, you want to play up what your neighborhood or area is known for. Have a house in a quiet, grassy suburb? Hanging a hammock in your backyard and a bench swing on your porch could be the perfect touch.

15. Stage the outdoors too. Even if your condo has only a teensy postage stamp–size balcony, play it up with a cute cafe table and chairs, a cheerful tablecloth and even a little tray of dishes or a vase of flowers. When people look at this scene, they won't be thinking "small," they will be thinking, "What a charming spot to have breakfast!"

15.5. Think seasonally. Make sure your garden is in beautiful shape in the summer, and that any extra features you have, like a pool or a fire pit, are cleaned and ready to go. Take advantage of the cozy vibe of the season in autumn and winter, by building a fire in the fireplace and simmering hot apple cider on the stove.

Simple design tips for Small kitchen space

Proper Lighting is key
Small kitchens are often filled with the improper lighting, making the space feel dim and enclosed. Using pendant lights on the ceiling and fluorescent lighting below the cabinets will showcase the countertops and backsplash, visually expanding the space and uplifting the overall tone and mood.






Downsized Appliances
Light wood cabinetry and a large, open window prevent this small, apartment-style kitchen from feeling cramped. In an extra-tiny kitchen like this, downsizing is the best way to go. Pint sized dishwasher, range hood, microwave and furniture pieces are in proportion to the space and take up less space than their large predecessors