Gene's Bit of Blogging

Remodeling

Buyers Decide Within 8 Seconds Whether They Are Interested In A Home

Guest Blogger - LaNita Cates, Re/Max Realty of Joliet, IL: Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 10:52 AM

Buyers Decide Within 8 Seconds Whether They Are

Interested In a Home

I am a huge fan of Real Estate Agent and Mogul Barbara Corcoran. Barbara is a Real Estate Contributor on NBC's Today show and the wonderful addition to ABC's Shark Tank.

Contact LaNita Cates, Re/Max Realty of Joliet, IL for all your Real Estate Needs

Per Barbara:

"BUYERS DECIDE WITHIN 8 SECONDS WHETHER THEY ARE INTERESTED IN YOUR HOME."

I'm not surprised by this at all. It's the first impression when walking in and hearing, "Wow, this is cute" - or - "Ugh, what is that smell?" Pretty much sums of the next few minutes of the tour of that home.

I always tell my buyers that they will know when they walk in if this is their home or not. If they aren't feeling it within the first 10 seconds, let's move on. They never believe me... AT FIRST. But usually by the 4th house, they agree that they know pretty much immediately if they are interested or not when walking in the door.

So buyers pretty much know. Sellers - remember that! That first impression (or at least the first 8 seconds) can decide whether the buyer is interested in your home!

* LaNita Cates of REMAX Realty of Joliet has been serving the Joliet, Plainfield, Naperville, Crest Hill, Bolingbrook, Shorewood and surrounding areas, helping buyers and sellers with all their real estate needs.

Call or Contact:

LaNita Cates

REMAX Realty of Joliet today ...

Office: 221 Springfield Ave., Joliet, IL 60435

Office Phone: 815-609-0887
Office Fax: 815-364-1267

Cell: 630-341-1545

Website: www.lanitacates.com

Email: lanitacates@yahoo.com

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Kitchens .. The Heart of the Home! Part Two

Linda Kemp, Keller Williams Infinity - Naperville, IL: Posted on Wednesday, March 07, 2012 6:51 PM

Kitchens--The Heart of the Home! Part Two

Welcome to part two in my kitchen series. The kitchen is one of my favorite rooms in my home. I cook great meals there, we laugh through our family dinners, and we indulge the many desserts that come out of my oven. One thing is certain--it has to feel good.

If you have been struggling with different ideas on how to remodel your space with a shoestring budget take a read through the following article. Do your homework on all building materials and your options and you will be quite pleased with the results.

And then mangia!

Linda

Budget Kitchen Remodeling: 5 Money-Saving Steps

Can't afford an entire kitchen remodel in one fell swoop? You can complete the work in 5 budget-saving stages (and still cook dinner during the down time).

Stage one: Start with a complete design plan

Your plan should be comprehensive and detailed — everything from the location of the refrigerator to which direction the cabinet doors will open to whether you need a spice drawer.

To save time (and money) during tear-out and construction, plan on using your existing walls and kitchen configuration. That’ll keep plumbing and electrical systems mostly intact, and you won’t have the added expense — and mess — of tearing out walls.

Joseph Feinberg, vice president of Allied Kitchen and Bath in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., recommends hiring a professional designer, such as an architect or a certified kitchen designer, who can make sure the details of your plans are complete. You’ll pay about 10% of the total project for a pro designer, but you’ll save a whole bunch of headaches that would likely cost as much — or more — to fix. Plus, a pro is likely to offer smart solutions you hadn’t thought of.

For a nominal fee, you also can get design help from a major home improvement store. However, you’ll be expected to purchase some of your cabinets and appliances from that store.

Cost: professional designer: $5,800 (10% of total)

Key strategies: Once your plans are set, you can hold onto them until you’re ready to remodel.

Time frame: 3-6 months

Contact Linda Kemp, Keller Williams - Naperville, IL

Stage two: Order the cabinets, appliances,

and lighting fixtures

Cabinets and appliances are the biggest investments in your kitchen remodeling project. If you're remodeling in stages, you can order them any time after the plans are complete and store them in a garage (away from moisture) or in a spare room until you're ready to pull the trigger on the installation.

Remember that it may take 4-6 weeks from the day you order them for your cabinets to be delivered.

If you can't afford all new appliances, keep your old ones for now -- but plan to buy either the same sizes, or choose larger sizes and design your cabinets around those larger measurements. You can replace appliances as budget permits later on.

The same goes for your lighting fixtures: If you can live with your old ones for now, you’ll save money by reusing them.

You’ll have to decide about flooring, too — one of the trickier decisions to make because it also affects how and when you install cabinets.

You’ll need to know if your old flooring runs underneath your cabinets, or if the flooring butts up against the cabinet sides and toe kicks. If the flooring runs underneath, you’ll have some leeway for new cabinet configurations — just be sure the old flooring will cover any newly exposed floor areas. Here are points to remember:

Keep old flooring for cost savings. This works if your new cabinets match your old layout, so that the new cabinets fit exactly into the old flooring configuration. If the existing flooring runs underneath your cabinets and covers all flooring area, then any new cabinet configuration will be fine.

Keep your old flooring for now and cover it or replace it later. Again, this works if your cabinet configuration is identical to the old layout.

However, if you plan to cover your old flooring or tear it out and replace it at some point in the future, remember that your new flooring might raise the height of your floor, effectively lowering your cabinet height.

For thin new floor coverings, such as vinyl and linoleum, the change is imperceptible. For thicker floorings, such as wood and tile, you might want to take into account the change in floor height by installing your new cabinets on shims.

Cost: cabinets: $16,000 (27% of total); appliances and lighting fixtures: $8,500 (15% of total); vinyl flooring: $1,000 (2% of total)

Key strategy: Keep old appliances, lighting fixtures, and flooring and use them until you can afford new ones.

Time frame: 2-3 weeks

Stage three: Gut the kitchen and do the electrical

and plumbing work

Here's where the remodel gets messy. Old cabinetry and appliances are removed, and walls may have to be opened up for new electrical circuits. Keep in close contact with your contractor during this stage so you can answer questions and clear up any problems quickly. A major kitchen remodel can take 6 to 10 weeks, depending on how extensive the project is.

During this stage, haul your refrigerator, microwave, and toaster oven to another room — near the laundry or the garage, for example — so you've got the means to cook meals. Feinberg suggests tackling this stage in the summer, when you can easily grill and eat outside. That’ll reduce the temptation to eat at restaurants, and will help keep your day-to-day costs under control.

Cost: $14,500 for tear-out and installation of new plumbing and electrical (25% of total)

Key strategies: Encourage your contractor to expedite the tear-out and installation of new systems. Plan a makeshift kitchen while the work is progressing. Schedule this work for summer when you can grill and eat outside.

Time frame: 6-10 weeks

Stage four: Install cabinets, countertop, appliances, flooring, and fixtures

If you’ve done your homework and bought key components in advance, you should roll through this phase. You've now got a (mostly) finished kitchen.

A high-end countertop and backsplash can be a sizable sum of money. If you can't quite swing it, put down a temporary top, such as painted marine plywood or inexpensive laminate. Later, you can upgrade to granite, tile, solid surface, or marble.

Cost: $12,000 (21% of total)

Key strategy: Install an inexpensive countertop; upgrade when you’re able.

Time frame: 1-2 weeks

Stage five—Final phases: Upgrade if necessary

Replace the inexpensive countertop, pull up the laminate flooring, and put in tile or hardwood, or buy that new refrigerator you wanted but couldn't afford during the remodel. (Just make sure it fits in the space!).

By: Gretchen Roberts

Published: January 19, 2012

Are you looking to get your home on the market in time for the Spring market? This is it! Don't know where to begin? Let me help you navigate through the process of getting your home ready for sale. Not interested in selling but just need some design help? No problem!

Call Linda Kemp at 630.688.5121 for help and advice. It's always my pleasure to assist you!

Buyers you can search for properties from the comfort of your living room right here! You will find the most up-to date listings direct from our multiple listing service. Have fun and happy house hunting!

www.SuccessGroupHomes.com

I urge you to read the remaining portions

of Linda Kemp's

"Kitchens .. The Heart of the Home!" Series

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Adding Value to Your Kitchen Economically. Valuable Painting and Re-Staining Tips for Cabinetry ..

Gene Mundt, Sr. Vice President - Chicago Bancorp: Posted on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 3:51 PM

A short while back, Maureen Bray, from Room Solutions Home Staging, Portland, OR, was kind enough to share a blog of hers with my readers regarding inexpensive suggestions for updating and remodeling the kitchen within your home. Maureen's helpful blog still receives many viewers each and every day on my website.

Perhaps a new home or expensive remodeling is out of the question for you right now financially, but with some elbow grease, small monetary expenditure, and effort ... you can still achieve big things and add value to your home by following these bits of advice.

The continued popularity of Maureen's post proves to me that there is definitely an eager audience hoping to learn about this topic. So below, I've added some tips I've gathered from some top remodeling experts regarding the prepping, painting, and/or re-staining of your home's present kitchen cabinetry.

Most families will say that their kitchen often serves as the "hub" of their home. Function, lay-out, quality of materials, appearance, trends, colors, and how to achieve the latest "hot" look ... everything about the kitchen is important, so it's also where sizeable expenditures are often made in remodeling and updating.

Painting or re-staining kitchen cabinets is an inexpensive way for homeowners to improve, refresh, and update the appearance, appeal, and value of their home without breaking the bank financially. But this cabinet work must be performed correctly, or the appearance and desired upgrade in "value" will not be realized.

Surface preparation is key when painting or re-staining cabinetry. Stripping cabinets to bare wood eliminates issues with adhesion of the new paint or stain, but depending on the construction of yours cabinets, good results may also be achieved by thoroughly cleaning, and then lightly sanding the old cabinets as well. Most household cleaners will take care of the ordinary dirt and grease build-up on kitchen cabinets. But if you smoke or cook alot, especially with cooking oils or grease, something stronger will be needed. Consider using a cleaner with trisodium phosphate (TSP) which can be found at most hardware or paint stores, in these instances.

To help you better understand the preparation and steps needing to be taken for painting or re-staining your cabinets, watch the video below ...

You need Flash Player in order to view this.

Painting Kitchen Cabinets

Painting kitchen cabinets is an inexpensive way to make your kitchen cabinets look like new. Tim Carter from AsktheBuilder.com shares some tips for kitchen cabinet refinishing to save you frustration ...

Remember, the finishing touches made to your cabinets are very important. They can mean the difference between only a "so-so" appearance and having that "wow" factor you desire. Consider making an investment in new hardware for your newly painted and upgraded cabinetry. Everything will look new and fresh that way ... and also be sure to be in working order.

There's a huge range of hardware styles to consider. A suggestion is to coordinate your new hardware with the kitchen sink faucet. This small attention to detail pulls the whole kitchen together and unifies the overall design.

Hardware for your newly-painted or stained cabinets can be trendy or personalized to the homeowners tastes, but if thinking of selling soon ... keep their installation to a minimum as an "accent". New owners will consider making the investment in a small change for a few hardware pieces or knobs, but possibly balk at a larger expenditure of money and time to install something new of their own taste.

Painting or re-staining your kitchen cabinets can be achieved for as little as "hundreds" of dollars versus the thousands of a complete replacement or re-facing. Take the time to prepare and then apply the new paint or stain. Make the expenditure for excellent quality brushes, wood fillers, caulk, hardware, paint or stain. If the correct tools of the trade are used and the time is taken to do the job well, the end result can be spectacular. It can transform your home.

And, if not acquainted with Maureen Bray, her home staging talents, or how home staging can help you sell or improve the appearance of your home ... check-out Maureen's businesswebsite or her blog on ActiveRain: http://activerain.com/blogs/roomsolutions.

* If seeking mortgage advice or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. I also can provide referrals for other trusted, experienced real estate professionals in our area. Contact me in any of the following ways:

Direct: 815.277.4036 Cell/Text: 708.921.6331

Email: gene@chicagobancorp.com Website: www.genemundt.com/Contact-Info.html

Skype: 630.219.1316

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Remodeling

Buyers Decide Within 8 Seconds Whether They Are Interested In A Home

Kitchens .. The Heart of the Home! Part Two

Adding Value to Your Kitchen Economically. Valuable Painting and Re-Staining Tips for Cabinetry ..