Face it home improvements are fun and make you feel good when they are done! Have you ever wanted to improve your home, but not had the funds to do it? Consider taking out a home equity loan. This is where you borrow money based on the amount of mortgage you’ve paid or the amount of increase that your home has received. If you then put this money into your house, you will increase its worth. You’ll also be enjoying the benefits of an improved home. Here are some ideas of things you can do to improve your home. Home Improvements: Room AdditionsIf you’ve always wanted a guest room or you plan to grow your family, now is a great time to add a bedroom. You can do this by splitting a room or adding an addition to the side of your home. If you choose the latter option, make sure that you have the work done by professionals. Doing the work yourself could result in violating city building codes. It also might not look as nice. By adding a room to your home, you will increase the total room count which is an important factor in the evaluation of a home’s worth. Backyard AmenitiesYou can also use your home equity loan to improve your backyard. If you’re looking to make the place more fun, you could put in a pool or basketball/tennis court. Pools are fun to have but can also require a lot of maintenance. Make sure you know what is required of you before you invest in this option. If you don’t have the room for a tennis court, you could try a pickleball court. If you’re looking for more functionality, you could put in a deck, clubhouse, or outdoor kitchen. These can be great gathering places for parties when you want to spend a little more time outdoors. These types of amenities are really attractive to buyers and increase the worth of your home. Home Improvements: Home TheaterSometimes it is nice to just stay inside and relax after a long day. What better place to do that then in your very own home theater? Considering recent events, a home theater may soon become the only way to get the theater experience. Many movies are starting to skip the theater and go straight to streaming services. It’s fairly likely that the traditional movie theater industry is going to disappear entirely. With your own home theater, you will bring movies to life in your own home. If you’re worried about going deeper in debt, talk with a financial advisor. If you reinvest your money into your home, then you will be offsetting a lot of your debt by an increase in equity. Do your research and you will find that your financials will be better off than you think. Looking for more home improvement ideas? Check out these tips: What You Should Know Before Hiring Professionals to Work on Your Home Steelbridge Realty LLC is a Licensed Real Estate Brokerage that utilizes cutting-edge marketing techniques and data-driven Real Estate solutions in today’s ever-changing environment. Our group of professionals have decades of experience and have navigated through many business cycles. Our diverse background gives us the tools to guide people towards successful decisions.
RE: Home Improvements You Should Use Your Home Equity for This Summer The post Home Improvements You Should Use Your Home Equity for This Summer appeared first on Steelbridge Realty LLC. from https://northfortmyersonline.com/2020/06/17/home-improvements-you-should-use-your-home-equity-for-this-summer/
0 Comments
Few things pay more dividends like making your home more energy efficient. Are you starting to feel like your energy bills are just a bit too high? Do you wish that you could shrink your carbon footprint? Here are three changes you can make in your home to improve your energy efficiency. Make Your Home More Energy Efficient: Change Your Heating and Cooling SystemMost of your energy bill is probably spent on keeping your home at a comfortable temperature. As the sun beats down on your home during the summer, it warms up. It takes a lot of energy to remove this heat from your home. The same goes for winter, it takes a lot of energy to keep your home warm. To make sure that your heating and cooling is as energy efficient as possible, you may want to change a few things. First, check to see that it is the correct size. Generally, you want the smallest system that is adequate for your needs. Second, add insulation to your home. This will help keep your home at a constant temperature. Third, consider changing your system for a more energy efficient one. If you have electric heating, this is very inefficient. Geothermal systems, however, can cut energy costs up to 70% Add More InsulationUnless your home was specially constructed for energy efficiency, you can probably reduce your energy bills by adding more insulation. Many older homes have less insulation than homes built today. Install Energy Efficient AppliancesAfter looking at your heater and AC, you should look at the rest of the appliances in your house. How old are they? If you have appliances that are over twenty years old, you may wish to consider changing them. Energy efficiency has been a major focus in the appliance industry over the past two decades. By exchanging your appliances for newer ones, you could earn your money back in energy savings in just a couple of years. Make Your Home More Energy Efficient: Consider Renewable EnergyIf you really want to reduce your carbon footprint, consider using renewable energy. Renewable energy is electricity generation that does not involve burning fuel. Examples include wind energy, water energy, and solar energy. By installing solar panels on your roof, you could drastically reduce the amount that you must pay in your energy bills. Solar panels can have high up-front costs, but they don’t generally require a lot of maintenance. After installation, you are basically getting free energy. You won’t be able to go completely off-grid because solar panels don’t work at night. Every step that you take towards being more energy efficient is a step towards protecting the environment. Regardless of your opinions on climate change, the fact is that we need to cut down on pollution. By doing these things, you’ll be doing just that. Looking for a new home to move into? Check out our listings! Steelbridge Realty LLC is a Licensed Real Estate Brokerage that utilizes cutting-edge marketing techniques and data-driven Real Estate solutions in today’s ever-changing environment. Our group of professionals have decades of experience and have navigated through many business cycles. Our diverse background gives us the tools to guide people towards successful decisions.
RE: What You Can Do to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient The post What You Can Do to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient appeared first on Steelbridge Realty LLC. from https://northfortmyersonline.com/2020/06/17/what-you-can-do-to-make-your-home-more-energy-efficient/ Are you tired of living with a tiny kitchen? Use these tips to transform your kitchen, Is it starting to feel a little rundown? Does the space simply not meet your needs? If so, it may be time for an upgrade. You might be hesitant about the expense, but considering how much time you spend in the kitchen, it’s probably worth it. A well-designed kitchen is much easier to clean and keep organized. Not only will this make cooking easier, but it will improve the ambience of your home. Transform the Kitchen: Change Your CabinetsAccording to Ramsey Creek, cabinets can range from simple and stylish to elegant and sophisticated. But the most important thing about cabinets is that they give you enough storage space. If your current cabinets don’t do the job, or are always hanging open, you may want to replace them. If your current cabinets have adequate storage, then you may not have to replace them entirely in order to get the desired aesthetic change. You can partially replace your cabinets by just changing the cabinet doors for a more pleasing design. You could also consider changing the knobs and handles. Repainting or staining the wood is another excellent way to bring about a change. For a beautiful, elegant feel, consider using a dark wood stain coated with a satin finish. Install New CountertopsNot only are your countertops an important work surface, but they also have a major impact on the aesthetics of your home. You want to have something that contrasts nicely with the cabinets and stands out. If you have wooden or vinyl countertops, think about switching to stone countertops. According to Silver Marble & Granite, you will find that there are a lot of benefits to switching to marble, stone, or granite countertops. Wooden and vinyl countertops can be easily scratched by sharp objects or burned by hot ones. Marble, stone, and granite don’t have these problems. Transform the Kitchen: Upgrade Your AppliancesYou may like the look of old appliances. They give the home a bit of a rustic feel. However, they don’t function as well, and they use a lot of power. According to Imperial Wholesale, by upgrading your appliances, you’ll give your kitchen a more modern feel. You will also be saving a lot of money on your power bill due to the increased energy efficiency of modern appliances. If you’re worried about your new appliances not matching, don’t. There are hundreds of options out there and many companies offer customizable aesthetics for their appliances. Human life tends to revolve around food. That means that the home life tends to revolve around the kitchen. It’s a gathering place for families and as such, it should be a beautiful and comfortable place. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to achieving that. If you do not want to take the time to transform the kitchen take a look at our listings! Steelbridge Realty LLC is a Licensed Real Estate Brokerage that utilizes cutting-edge marketing techniques and data-driven Real Estate solutions in today’s ever-changing environment. Our group of professionals have decades of experience and have navigated through many business cycles. Our diverse background gives us the tools to guide people towards successful decisions.
RE: Simple Fixes to Transform the Kitchen in Your Home The post Simple Fixes to Transform the Kitchen in Your Home appeared first on Steelbridge Realty LLC. from https://northfortmyersonline.com/2020/06/17/simple-fixes-to-transform-the-kitchen-in-your-home/ Are you thinking about remodeling your home? Use the tips in this blog to hire professionals to work on your home. If so, you may be wondering if you should hire a professional. Here are some things to know before hiring a professional to work on your home. Find Reputable ContractorsOne of the first things you should be aware of is that you need to make sure the professionals are reputable. One way to do this is to simply ask around, especially people in your area who have also had their houses recently worked on. Then, conduct your own research. Most businesses will have a website that advertises what they do, and this includes contractors. Make sure that the contractor’s website is up-to-date and looks professional, which can greatly inform you about the company. The image a business website presents is incredibly important because it gives them credibility. You can also get a feel for the contracting company themselves by reaching out to them through their contact information listed on their website. What You Should Know Before Hiring Professionals: Know What You WantAnother step you need to take before hiring the professionals is to know exactly what it is that you want done. Do you want your bathroom completely redone? Know what kind of plumbing you will need. It also helps to know the terminology of the profession, so that you can be even more clear and you will understand what they have to say. For example, before calling a roofer, you should familiarize yourself with terms roofers often use so you can understand them. That way, conversation between you and the professionals who are working on your house will be less frustrating and they will understand exactly what it is that you are looking for. What You Should Know Before Hiring Professionals: Set a Payment ScheduleBecause you are hiring professionals to work for you, you need to make sure that you understand exactly what you will be expected to pay them, and when you will pay them. As part of your research and planning phases, you should finalize a budget for the project, and then create your plan for when you will pay your contractor. This is important because it clearly establishes responsibilities for yourself and the contractor you’re hiring. Professional contractors can help make building on to your home much simpler than taking everything on by yourself. However, it is important to be informed before going ahead with your plans so that the project goes as smoothly as possible. If you’re looking for a new home to fix up, check out our listings! Steelbridge Realty LLC is a Licensed Real Estate Brokerage that utilizes cutting-edge marketing techniques and data-driven Real Estate solutions in today’s ever-changing environment. Our group of professionals have decades of experience and have navigated through many business cycles. Our diverse background gives us the tools to guide people towards successful decisions.
RE: What You Should Know Before Hiring Professionals The post What You Should Know Before Hiring Professionals to Work on Your Home appeared first on Steelbridge Realty LLC. from https://northfortmyersonline.com/2020/06/09/what-you-should-know-before-hiring-professionals-to-work-on-your-home/ Adding an addition to your home can be thrilling, but exhausting. Use these tips to not make mistakes in your next home addition. It may be more of an adventure than you originally signed up for it to be. The contractors might take longer, it might not look like how you imagined it, and it could be more of a hassle than you were originally planning on. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are some mistakes to avoid when adding on a home addition. Don’t Make These Mistakes with Your Next Home Addition: Going Over BudgetOne of the biggest concerns when adding on to your home is the money going into the project. Everything you’re changing will cost money, and if there are problems with the addition, you’ll end up paying more money. The best thing you can do to avoid going over your budget is to set a plan for the money that you will spend on this project and account for things going wrong. If you realize that perhaps you don’t have enough funds, consider waiting on your home addition. You want the process to be as stress-free as possible. Staying on track with your budget will help the process go smoother. Overestimating Your DIY SkillsAnother mistake to avoid when adding on a home addition is to overestimate what you can do yourself. You might think that you can knock down that wall with no problems, but you may discover that you’re out of your league. Doing your own home improvements can come with some health and safety risks. If you have never had any experience with remodeling, consider hiring a professional who is much better equipped and prepared at handling any unexpected or unforeseen difficulties. Don’t Make These Mistakes with Your Next Home Addition: Designing ErrorsAnother common mistake to avoid is flawed designing. For example, if you don’t consider your family’s living habits, then an addition could mess up your family’s routine. If you have furniture that you want to use in your addition, but you don’t account for wall space to put that furniture, you might end up having to redo some parts of your design or purchase new furniture. Either way, it will increase the money you spend on the project and increase the stress. Home additions can be quite exciting because they can add value to your home and give you added space, but they can also be problematic. Avoiding these mistakes will help you have a less stressful experience next time you add on to your home. If you’re looking for a new house to fix up and flip, check out our listings! Steelbridge Realty LLC is a Licensed Real Estate Brokerage that utilizes cutting-edge marketing techniques and data-driven Real Estate solutions in today’s ever-changing environment. Our group of professionals have decades of experience and have navigated through many business cycles. Our diverse background gives us the tools to guide people towards successful decisions.
The post Don’t Make These Mistakes with Your Next Home Addition appeared first on Steelbridge Realty LLC. from https://northfortmyersonline.com/2020/06/09/dont-make-these-mistakes-with-your-next-home-addition/ Nice rentals attract nice tenants. So ask yourself, which type of flooring should I install in my rental property? If you want to run a successful rental property, you need more than just an apartment. The apartment needs to look nice. A nicer looking apartment will justify a higher monthly rent. Not only will this help increase your profits, but it can help attract the right kind of renters. When it comes to flooring, your decision is very important. You need to walk the line in between durable and presentable. So what kind of flooring is best? Which Type of Flooring Should I Install: CarpetCarpet is wonderful for renters. It’s comfortable and looks nice. But getting the right kind of carpet is very important. If you are renting to a family, then you might be able to use nicer carpets and rely on the parents to keep shoes off it. However, if you are renting to multiple single individuals, then you are probably going to have lots of people traipsing in and out. It’s better to go with a less comfortable and more durable carpet in this case. If you want to add something extra special, you can decorate with carpet tiles. Carpet tiles are very easy to install. You just have to clean the floor, seal it, and then put down a pressure adhesive glue. Once the glue dries, you’re ready to lay down the tiles and cut them into place. Hardwood FlooringHardwood flooring looks amazing. You can use this to justify a much higher rental price than with other flooring options. Hardwood floors are also very easy to clean. If a renter spills liquid on your hardwood floor it won’t stain like carpet will. The biggest downside to hardwood floors is that it can get scratched. To prevent this, you need to put down a protective coating. This coating needs to be redone every few years. You should also require that all furniture have protective padding on their legs so that they don’t score the floor when people sit down hard. Which Type of Flooring Should I Install: TilingIf you want a surface that is easy to clean, but not as expensive as hardwood floors, consider tiling. Tiling is a very durable surface that is less prone to scratching than hardwood. The most important maintenance for tiling is the grout. Grout is the substance that fills the gaps in between tiles. This can wear away over time, but it’s a cheap and easy fix. Maintaining the grout will help keep your floor waterproof. At the end of the day, your choice of flooring depends on three things: your budget, the price you want to rent for, and the type of renters you rent too. While you want to have a beautiful property, remember that this is a business and that you need to make a profit. You can always upgrade with time. We can help you find your next rental property! Contact us today to get started. Steelbridge Realty LLC is a Licensed Real Estate Brokerage that utilizes cutting-edge marketing techniques and data-driven Real Estate solutions in today’s ever-changing environment. Our group of professionals have decades of experience and have navigated through many business cycles. Our diverse background gives us the tools to guide people towards successful decisions.
The post Which Type of Flooring Should I Install in My Rental Property? appeared first on Steelbridge Realty LLC. from https://northfortmyersonline.com/2020/06/09/which-type-of-flooring-should-i-install-in-my-rental-property/ If you want your property to look well-maintained here are some landscape maintenance tips. There are several things you should be careful not to neglect. Read on for three landscape maintenance tips for keeping your property looking pristine and pleasant. Landscape Maintenance Tips: Keep Vegetation and Greenery TrimmedKeep vegetation and greenery trimmed so that nothing gets too unruly and so that your property stays looking nice and well-maintained. Trimming your trees, shrubs, and other greenery is helpful for maintaining a positive aesthetic and also promotes safety. There are several dangers of overhanging tree limbs that can cause problems if not taken care of. Tree trimming diminishes the potential dangers of fire spreading from one tree to others, and it also keeps dead branches from attracting insects—who could weaken the tree and lead it to fall. Neglecting these overhanging branches can lead to damage to your home, and, in addition, dead or decaying branches can threaten your personal safety, were they to fall. Upgrade Your Irrigation SystemUpgrading your irrigation system can help you have a reliable watering system for keeping your landscape green and watered so it stays looking nice. Proper watering is essential as not enough moisture, and your lawn and plants will die. Keeping your irrigation system in top shape is very important for maintaining your landscape. Technological advances make irrigation more efficient. For example, smart controllers and soil moisture sensors allow an irrigation system to better serve the greenery in question and get the grass the water it needs. When advances are made, it is in your interest to consider upgrading your system. In the long run, making your watering process more efficient will save you money. Landscape Maintenance Tips: Dethatch Your LawnThatch is dead grass which accumulates over time atop your lawn. When thatch builds up to ½ inch or more, it can damage your lawn because too much thatch forms a barrier between your lawn and both water and air, keeping moisture from being absorbed and preventing the grass from getting the air it needs. Dethatching will prevent these problems. When it comes time to dethatch, you can do it yourself with a dethatching rake or a special dethatcher. Make sure to mow your lawn before beginning the dethatching process. When finished, dispose of the loosened thatch and fertilize your fresh, newly cleaned lawn. Keeping your property a source of pride need not be hard, if you remember to include these three tips on your list of regular maintenance. Keep an eye on your lawn, irrigation system, and greenery in order to keep your landscaping neat, pleasing, and well-maintained. Here’s another article you may find interesting: 3 Exterior Areas of Your Home to Fix Up Before Selling Steelbridge Realty LLC is a Licensed Real Estate Brokerage that utilizes cutting-edge marketing techniques and data-driven Real Estate solutions in today’s ever-changing environment. Our group of professionals have decades of experience and have navigated through many business cycles. Our diverse background gives us the tools to guide people towards successful decisions.
The post Landscape Maintenance Tips for Keeping Your Property Looking Well-Maintained appeared first on Steelbridge Realty LLC. from https://northfortmyersonline.com/2020/06/09/landscape-maintenance-tips-for-keeping-your-property-looking-well-maintained/ |
About usSteelbridge Realty LLC is a Licensed Real Estate Brokerage that utilizes cutting edge marketing techniques and data driven Real Estate solutions in today’s ever changing environment. Archives
August 2021
Categories |