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THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2006
4D REAL ESTATE
Do second
mortgage
homework
Prior to taking out a second
mortgage for home improve
ments, it is advisable to ask
several quality questions.
If you are a homeowner you
are probably being inundated
with home
improve-
ment solici-
t a t i 0 n s .
Beware of
home
improve
ment offers
that may not
improve
your home’s
value.
Before con
sidering any home enhance
ments on your property it
may first be a beneficial idea
to consider the recovery value
of the contemplated invest
ment. Thke this into advise
ment before pouring un-nec-
essary monies into a home.
Not all home upgrades have
good recovery value. Luxury
enhancements (i.e. pools, ten
nis courts, lighting systems
etc) do not add additional real
estate value to a home. It’s
important to understand that
certain perceived improve
ment expenditures may not
be recovered in the event of a
sale.
Some home additions (bath
rooms, bedrooms, heated
rooms) may add additional
value to your home if the
neighborhood's comparative
market prices can substanti
ate such home improve
ments.
'Ibo often homeowners
make home improvements
that price their homes out of
their community's market
value. Before making any
unnecessary home improve
ments, contact your local
realtor to find out if the con
templated improvements will
increase or decrease your
home’s property value. Most
realtors will provide this
information free of charge.
Never confuse home
improvements with home
repairs. Required home
repairs, which are considered
necessary to maintain a prop
erty’s appearance and value,
are always recommended. A
failure to make certain home
repairs in a timely fashion
could easily result into addi
tional property damages and
losses of a home’s appraisal
value.
You don’t want to be sur
prised that the fence you just
installed did not add any
more monetary value, as you
may have expected. Vinyl sid
ing also does not add a
tremendous monetary value
to a home. The luxury and
enjo3Tnent of a pool, does not
have any appraisal value at
the sale of a home, despite
popular belief
If you desire additional
space, it may be advisable to
purchase a larger home
instead of making any home
additions or renovations.
Remember to take into con
sideration your area’s market
value prior to making any
home enhancements.
Most home improvement
companies will make it sound
very reasonable to get a home
improvement loan. When
contemplating any home
improvements always consid
er the recovery value. Then
ask the question, do these
enhancements make finan
cial sense?
Most home improvement
loans (second mortgages) are
approved at a significantly
higher market interest rate,
even in this market of low
interest rates.
You may not be aware that
most home improvement
loans could result into anoth
er lien on your property. This
lien has the potential to tie up
Please see DO SEC0ND/5D
PHOTO/ARA CONTENT
High-end upgrades to appliances and fixtures are among the options available to new homeowners.
OPTIONS ABOUND
Check hottest trend in new homes
ARTICLE RESOURCE ASSOCIATION
If you’re in the market for a new
home and planning to build, youll be
pleasantly surprised by all the options
available to you.
These days, builders are offering aU
kinds of incentives to get customers
through the door. Among them: free
upgrades to higher-end appliances;
decorative lighting fixtures; and the
option of getting wood, tile, carpet, or
a combination of the three installed at
no extra cost.
But perhaps the most popular
incentive is the offer to pre-wire the
home for convenience and entertain
ment. 'Ibday’s new home construction
incorporates three levels of AW built-
ins: whole house audio; home automa
tion; and home theater.
Whole house audio includes wiring
for a speaker or speakers in every
room for music and intercom; home
automation involves connecting all
systems in the house to a central com
puter that can do everything from
turning lights on and off to preheating
the oven when you’re on your way
home from work; but perhaps the
most popular addition to new home
construction these days is putting in a
home theater.
The options in this arena are endless
so it will require careful planning to
make sure you get exactly what you
want. The most important thing to
decide before the wiring begins would
be all the plades you want a TV to go.
In the kitchen, that may be under a
cabinet to save counter space. In the
bedroom, family room or even the
bathroom, it may be the wall to save
floor space.
“If youll be hanging a flat panel TV
in your home it’s important to let your
contractor know ahead of time. They
are thin, sleek and classy looking but
they are also quite heavy and need to
be securely fastened to the wall, “ says
Keith Pribyl of Sanus Systems, a St.
Paul, Minnesota-based company that
designs and builds a broad variety of
audio/video furnishings, mounts and
accessories.
Deciding the location and size of
your flat panel TV prior to building
allows the contractor to place wall
studs where they are needed, assuring
the walls are strengthened for their
Please see CHECK/5D
Designer tips for creating curb appeal on budget
ARTICLE RESOURCE ASSOCIATION
If improving your home’s
curb appeal tops your list of
projects to do around the
house, take note: creating
curb appeal doesn’t have to
be extensive or expensive.
For instance, replacing old,
worn-out garage doors with
something dressier like a
carriage-house style door can
change the look of a home,
almost more than any other
improvement to the exterior
— especially one with a
front-facing garage. And the
project takes less than a day
to complete.
Celebrity designer Chayse
Dacoda from the hit TLC
home improvement series,
“While You Were Out” has
built her reputation on help
ing homeowners refresh
worn-out spaces. Here are
her suggestions for minor
cosmetic changes that yield
big impact on a home’s exte
rior appearance on a not-so-
extreme budget.
'Ibp 10 things you can do to
add curb appeal:
1. Paint your house. This
may be an obvious one, so I
have to get it out of the way
first. Even so, not enough
people do it. Most houses
need it an3Tvay. Go crazy, do
what you have always want
ed. Many tones of the same
hue can really add dimension
to the house. And remember,
decorative moldings on older
houses give license to use
more than one color. Good
prep work, like sanding off
worn and chipping areas and
priming, can make an exteri
or paint job last a lot longer
and look better.
2. Change out-dated light
fixtures — or add lights if
you don’t have some already.
Light up your doorways and
walkways. Better to have
more lights at lower
wattages than one, very
bright one.
3. Add landscaping. Con
sult your local nursery for
plants and shrubs that work
best in your area. If you’re
an urban dweller, don’t let
cement stop you — add pot
ted planters. The right land
scaping aroimd a property
will make all the difference
in the world.
4. Replace a worn-out
garage door with a new, dec
orative model. This will have
a big impact especially if you
have a front-facing garage.
Manufacturers offer many
designs and decorative acces
sories so it’s easy to find a
door that will complement
the architecture of your
home.
5. Illuminate your land
scape. This will completely
PHOTO/ARA CONTENT
Replacing plain garage doors with wooden carriage house
doors like these from Clopay adds instant warmth and char
acter to this new home. The doors look like they swing open,
but they move up and down with an automatic opener.
change the look of your prop
erty at night. Angle low
lights to point up at trees and
bushes and point down along
a pathway for safety. Keep it
Please see DESIGNER/5D
Add charm, style to yard
PHOTO/ARA CONTENT
The Newport Arbor from New England Arbors provides a charm
ing entry point into this yard.
ARTICLE RESOURCE ASSOCIATION
This is the time of year that gardeners
love. Seed and plant catalogs have arrived,
and chilly winter nights can be spent plan
ning what the yard and garden will look
like this spring and summer. Don’t forget
to include plans for hardscaping, the non
plant accents that give your yard its back
bone.
“The latest trend in landscaping is to cre
ate ‘outdoor rooms,’ areas set off by various
design elements that provide a place to
entertain, or just a place to sit and enjoy
the garden,” says Ken Machan, co-founder
and president of New England Arbors, a
company that specializes in beautiful
arbors. “Landscaping not only increases
your enjoyment of your outdoor spaces, but
it can add as much as 15 percent to the
resale value of your property.”
The easiest way to achieve the effect of
strolling from one outdoor room to another
is with additions like arbors, benches and
trellises. They not only help define the
space, but also add a distinct design ele
ment to the yard. Some arbors can even be
wired for lighting and sound to add even
more personality to the landscape.
“Arbors help create traffic patterns by
leading people to features like a footpath
or a comfortable bench. They’re also per
fect for establishing a grand entryway to
your yard, with or without a surrounding
fence,” says Machan. A well-placed arbor is
also the perfect anchor for climbing plants
of aU kinds, from flowering vines to roses.
Creating outdoor rooms allows you to
use more of your yard, expanding your out
door space beyond your deck or patio and
into the surrounding area. When creating
your outdoor rooms, be sure to consider the
architecture of your home, especially when
choosing hardscape elements. For exam-
Please see ADD/5D