Posts with tag HomeImprovement

What will the New Year hold for the U.S. housing market? It depends on who you ask. That's why AOL Real Estate has assembled an all-star panel of real estate mavens and moguls to discuss the questions that matter most to consumers. Should you buy, rent, sell or renovate in 2011? Will home values improve? Which way will... Continue Reading »

We may not be able to predict whether home prices are going to rise or fall in 2011 (though our expert panel ventures some guesses), but one thing we know for sure: Smart home improvements will enhance the value of your house. It's more important than ever to invest your home improvement dollars wisely: According to the... Continue Reading »

What will the New Year hold for the U.S. housing market? It depends on who you ask. That's why AOL Real Estate has assembled an all-star panel of real estate mavens and moguls to discuss the questions that matter most to consumers. Should you buy, rent, sell or renovate in 2011? Will home values improve? Which way will... Continue Reading »

Curb appeal counts: If you're looking to invest some money in your house, look no further than the front door. For the second year in a row, curb appeal projects remain at the top of the list of high-value home improvements, according to just-released data from Remodeling's 2010-2011 Cost vs. Value Report. In fact, an... Continue Reading »

Mold can appear in any home, even those of the rich and famous. Take former CNN anchor Campbell Brown, for example. She had to flee her home and live in a hotel for months last year after finding mold on the wall of her New York apartment. The mold was so toxic that it woke her 14-month-old son at night with nasty coughing... Continue Reading »

With winter on the way, we're all about to spend more time indoors, so the timing couldn't be better for making home improvements for healthy indoor air quality. Today's homes are more tightly sealed than ever, and while that can mean better insulation and energy efficiency, it also has a definite down side: airborne... Continue Reading »

Everyone knows that a home's features can make or break a home sale, and that's truer now than ever. But when it comes time to sell your home, not all home-improvement projects are created equal. While some home improvements are worth the time and money that you put into them, just as many are not, and it's important to... Continue Reading »

Of all the home improvement projects Hyedi Cribben and her boyfriend had on their to-do list, building a patio was one project they were looking forward to completing so that they could it enjoy it during the summer months. So why then did they get started in the fall? "No one likes to do that kind of work in hot... Continue Reading »

Green living is more popular than ever, and playing up a home's green features can make all the difference when it comes to making a sale. To be competitive and to ensure you get the best price possible for your home, it makes sense to assess its sustainable, energy-saving features right along with traditional highlights... Continue Reading »

Susan Goldfarb of Albany, N.Y. spent last summer avoiding her backyard. "Our mosquito problems were just above and beyond," she says. "No matter what we did, from sprays to candles to bug zappers, we just couldn't get them to stop breeding in our yard all summer long." Goldfarb spent the winter reading up on ways to keep... Continue Reading »

When it comes to green home improvements, a lot of people are stuck in black-and-white thinking. Either you install solar panels or you might as well continue to gobble fossil fuel. Either you use sustainable materials or you destroy old-growth forests. The reality, of course, lies someplace in between. That's why it's... Continue Reading »

A price tag of $2,500 is in the sweet spot for many home improvement projects. It represents a little more than two weeks' salary for the average U.S. household. It's also about the amount of the average federal tax refund. Projects paid with Uncle Sam's givebacks may not be game-changers, but they can still have a... Continue Reading »

Knowing whether or not tackle a home improvement yourself can seem simple: Match the project's degree of difficulty to your own skill level and make a decision, right? Although that line of thinking is a solid jumping-off point, you need to consider other factors before deciding whether you're better off picking up a... Continue Reading »

The home improvements that add the most value, like updated kitchens and baths, also cost the biggest bucks. But you don't have to shell out for a full-scale renovation to get payback for your remodeling dollar. Sometimes all it takes is one strategic upgrade to transform an entire room. If your home-improvement budget is... Continue Reading »

Warning! If you search the Web for "home improvement grants," you're likely to get some shady sites promising you "exclusive" access to grant information--for a fee. What they don't tell you is that most home improvement grants are distributed at the state or local level, not directly to individuals. The other detail... Continue Reading »