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Cfje Cljarlotte ^osit
THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2004
REAL ESTATE
Roland Hawkins
Kids
work
during
break
If you have no vacation traveling plans
then this time of the year is a great oppor
tunity to add extra curb appeal to your
home. Give the kids something to do dur
ing the spring break.
I love this time of the year. Trees and
flowers are bloom. Lawns that were dor
mant during the winter months are now
green and growing again and with all this
rain grovring too fast. Everything looks
hveher and pretty this time of the year
Real estate traffic also has a tendency to
increase this time of the year. Prospective
buyers are more inclined to get out and
home search a little more with the kids out
of school.
Most sellers can take advantage of this
season to spruce up the exterior portions of
their homes. Understanding that a home’s
exterior crrrb appeal creates that first (last
ing) impression about one’s home.
With the right curb appeal, a home for
sale has a greater chance at attracting
more homebuyers. Therefore, with more
home showings you increase the possibili
ty of your home selling for the best price.
Adding new flowers and shrubbery to the
front landscape is one of the least expen
sive ways of enhancing curb appeal. Also,
make sure exterior lights and fixtures are
attached and in good working order. Of
coiuse you should keep your lawn well
manicured at aU times. You never know
when a potential buyer may arrive. Atten
tion to these details wfll show potential
buyers how much you care for your home
before entering it.
Painting or pressure washing the exteri
or of your home wfll definitely enhance its
curb appeal. Prior to painting make sure
any and all damage siding is repaired. AU
siding, trim and shutters shorfld be weU
maintained. Making minor cosmetic
repairs wfll eliminate some buyer’s objec
tions and negative opinions of your home.
Home repairs that are necessary to
maintain a property’s appearance and
potential value are always recommended.
A failure to make certain home repairs in a
timely fashion could easily result into addi
tional property damages and undesired
losses of a home’s potential selling value.
Ibo often homeowners make uimeces-
sary home improvements that price their
homes out of their neighborhood’s market
value. This may be monies loss since an
expensive enhancement to you may simply
be a ifice bonus to the average prospective
homebuyer.
Before making any unnecessary home
improvements, contact your local realtor to
find out if the contemplated improvements
will increase or decrease yoirr home’s prop
erty value. Most realtors wfll provide this
information free of charge.
Homebuyers are influenced by many fac
tors in their home purchasing process. It’s
the seUer’s responsibility to eliminate as
many buyers’ objections as possible. The
effective packaging of a home for sale could
make the world of a difference in a buyer’s
purchasing decision.
Buyers want a home to caU their ovm.
With the proper preparation, yours could
be the one they choose. It is always in a
seUer’s best interest to prepare their home
for a successful sale. That is why a home’s
initial curb appeal is absolutely critical in
a home’s marketability.
Crank up the lavm mowers and get out
there with the rest of your neighbors. The
hot days of summer are just around the
comer, so why not enjoy enhancing your
home’s curb appeal while our weather is
stfll mild. A little spmcing and enhancing
wfll more than likely pay off in the long
run in selling a home.
Homes that are priced right and shows
well has the best chance at selling for the
best price and in the least amount of time.
Spring break is a great time for the kids
and home enhancements.
ROLAND K. HAWKINS is a Real Estate Agent
with Caldwell Banker United Realtors. He can be
reached at (704) 840-5762 or via the internet:
WWW. rolandhawkins. com
PHOTO/ARA CONTENT
Enjoy the great outdoors all year
Get a convertible sunroom added to home
ARTICLE RESOURCE ASSOCIATION
Spring showers will soon give
way to May flowers and warmer
temperatures, but you don’t
have to wait until after the
spring thaw to comfortably enjoy
the great outdoors. You could be
in your sunroom right now
watching the flakes fall without
getting cold.
A sunroom, by definition, is an
enclosed space which receives
light and fresh air and makes a
transition from an indoor envi
ronment to the outdoors. Accord
ing to the National Sunroom
Association, they are one of the
most popular additions people
make to their homes. Between
100,000 and 200,000 of them are
added onto existing structures in
the United States every year
“Adding a sunroom to your
existing structure is a great way
to increase your property value
and resale appeal,” says Jerry
Ritten, an agent with Counselor
Realty m Mirmeapolis, Minn.
“It’s also a great thing to have
while you live in a house,” says
Clark Peterson, 50, of Decatur,
Ill. After years of talking about
getting one, he and his wife,
Tail, finally decided to do it this
past September. “We had 4 or 5
different dealers come out and
give us estimates, and they came
in very high,” says Peterson.
“Then while doing a little
research online, I came across
the Web site for a company
called SunPorch Structures.
They were thousands of dollars
less expensive, with many
unique features for greater
value, and there was no sales
pressure.
Peterson ordered a sample kit
from the company and says he
was so impressed with the parts
and videotape that he received,
he put in his order the same day.
‘When my SunPorch arrived,
it included everything I needed.
All the materials were labeled,
the frame pieces were pre-cut
and holes were pre-drilled, and
the instructions made perfect
sense,” he says.
Peterson and his wife only
worked on installation of their
SunPorch a few hours a day, but
from start to finish, it took less
Please see ADD/6C
NO CRAMPED QUARTERS
Home
decorating
eliminates
clutter
ARTICLE RESOURCE ASSOCIATION
No matter how big your house is, you’ve
probably desired more space at one time or
another. We all accumulate clutter and some
times there just doesn’t seem to be anywhere
to put it.
But before you call the contractor for bids,
consider this: maybe it’s not a shortage of
space but a lack of organization that’s the
problem. Using your space effectively goes a
long way toward keeping your home both
functional and beautiful at the same time.
By thinking and constructing creatively, you
can gain more storage while enhancing the
beauty of your home. Here are some ideas for
creating more space that has style:
• Add a drawer or sliding shelf Hardware
and houseware stores stock drawers that can
be installed underneath a cabinet. If you have.
a home with limited drawer space, this is a
great way to add more storage discreetly.
Then you can get all that clutter off the
kitchen counter or the dining room table.
You can also install shelves under cabinets
that slide out when you need them.
• Don’t forget wall space. Look around your
house and you v^dll probably find there is a lot
of jvall space that you could put to good use.
Pots and pans can be taken out of cabinets
and hung on walls; tools can be hung on peg-
boards; books, CDs and small treasures can
be stored on shelves.
• Utilize “lost space” by creating additional
storage.
“A new cabinet or bookcase provides a nice
focal point for a room as well as additional
storage,” says Glen Kaszubski, of Liquid
Nails, a national construction adhesive
brand.
He suggests that homeowners think about
those areas that are “lost space” such as the
PHOTO/ARA CONTENT
alcoves on either side of a fireplace or the cor
ners of a dining room.
Using a construction adhesive like Liquid
Nails and various types of building supplies
(MDF or bead board are two inexpensive
options), you can build your own durable
bookcase without using a lot of nails and
screws.
To obtain a finished look and add an ele
ment of beauty, apply facings and crown
molding along the edges with construction
adhesive. Ready-to-install cabinets (fabricate
ed cabinets) are also an easy option for addi
tional storage.
You can add your own decorative touch by
applying ornamental tiles that match your
decor on the countertop using Liquid Nails.
• Clear your desk. A clean desk will not only
look better it will increase your productivity.
Invest in a sturdy full-suspension filing cabi
net or portable file boxes that hold hanging
file folders so you can get everything orga
nized and out of sight.
Stow away your desk supplies in an on-desk
caddy or in a drawer.
• Think multi-function. Add some furniture
that can also be used for storage.
A cedar chest makes a great coffee table and
can also be used to store blankets or clothing.
An antique chest of drawers will look great in
your living room, and is useful for storing
office supplies, linens or CDs.
For more information about Liquid Nails
construction adhesives call (800) 634-0015 or
log on to www.liquidnails.com. Click on the
Hands-on Home Guide to receive a free 46-
page how-to instructional and inspirational
booklet featuring additional home projects.