Tag Archives: Prcing your home right

How to Plan a DIY Bedroom Remodel

Image via Unsplash

 

A dated bedroom can age your home in an instant. Remodeling is a great way to upgrade the aesthetics of your bedroom, but that’s not the only reason to give your bedroom a facelift.

In fact, an updated master bedroom can also make it easier to sell your home and you’ll see a 40 to 80 percent return on investment when you do. While that’s less than the ROI on kitchen and bathroom remodels, bedroom remodels are also much less expensive.

On average, bedroom remodels cost about $10,000 to $30,000, with additional expenses for high-end upgrades. Completing the remodel yourself brings the cost down significantly. However, DIY remodeling comes with challenges of its own. Without pros to handle the planning, purchasing, and renovating for you, it’s up to you to manage and execute the project.

Use this guide to plan your DIY bedroom remodel so it’s a smooth process from start to finish.

Choose a Style

Before planning projects and shopping for materials, you need a vision of how you want your bedroom to look. If you intend to sell your home in the future, choose a style with resale value in mind. The style should be both soothing and cohesive with the rest of your home’s interior design. It should also include the features that buyers want in bedrooms, such as built-in storage and plenty of natural and ambient lighting. For inspiration, check out these bedroom before-and-after pictures from Architectural Digest.

Plan Projects

With a vision in mind, list the projects that will get you there. Remember that for a DIY remodel, you need to stick to projects you’re confident you can complete.

These projects are ideal for a DIY remodel:

● Repainting
● Installing trim and molding
● Updating lighting fixtures and ceiling fans
● Replacing carpeting or flooring
● Adding built-in storage
● Installing a new closet door
● Replacing furniture, linens, and window treatments

Things you shouldn’t do yourself include installing new electrical fixtures, moving walls, adding or moving windows, and installing gas fireplaces.

Set a Budget

Next, decide what you’re able to spend on a remodel. Your budget should reflect the value of your home and your personal financial situation. Zillow recommends basing your budget on the value of the room as a percentage of your overall house. It’s not necessary to pay cash for home renovations, but if you choose to finance, ensure the payments fit within your budget.

Price Out Projects

Now that you have a plan and a budget, it’s time to determine how much each project will cost. Research costs for construction materials as well as new furniture and décor, keeping your budget in mind as you select options. Don’t forget taxes and shipping costs in your calculations.

With a list of projects and prices in front of you, revisit your budget. Do your plans fit within the constraints of your budget, including a buffer for unexpected costs (Curbed suggests 5 percent, but if it’s your first DIY remodel you might want a bigger cushion)? If not, you’ll either need to cut low-priority projects or find ways to reduce costs, such as choosing less expensive materials. However, be mindful of cutting too much: It’s better to do a few projects to a high quality, saving the rest for later, then to end up with sub-par results.

Get to Work!

With your project planned down to the penny, you’re ready to get started. Stay flexible as you remodel — you never know what kind of unexpected surprises could pop up — but avoid deviating from the original plan too much. By planning carefully and following through on that plan, you can achieve a DIY bedroom remodel that fits your vision and your budget.

Article written by guest writer Erin Reynolds with www.diymama.net.

For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!

Pricing Your Home Right for Top $$$ in our 2017 market – Dos and Don’ts!

Buying and selling a home are both emotional events, but selling a house in our Sacramento real estate market and any other market is even more emotional, as sellers put their heart and soul into their homes, remodeling, improving, and leaving behind indelible memories. With our low housing supply inventory that will continue in 2017 sellers rejoice in their opportunity to sell their homes for top dollars with little hassle and even with multiple offers. Yet, pricing your home right in a hot market is still key and Realtor.com offers some great advice and six rules on pricing your home right. http://www.realtor.com/advice/6-rules-follow-pricing-home/

Pricing Your Home Right

DO PRICE YOUR HOME RIGHT! When it comes to pricing a home, the majority of the sellers feel that their house is worth so much more than the rest of the homes that have sold recently. https://www.houselogic.com/sell/how-much-is-my-home-worth/?cid=pm_ps_bing_cac

DON’T  FOLLOW YOUR FEELINGS; FOLLOW THE DATA! My duty as a real estate broker and professional is to present all the data, such as recent comps of other similar homes that sold in the neighborhood, statistics, and market analysis, which will help my sellers decide upon my suggested listing price. Thus pricing their home will be done based on carefully researched data and not emotions, feelings. By relying on the most current market data, sellers will avoid pricing their home too high. Also according to local appraiser Ryan Lundquist, it is important to http://sacramentoappraisalblog.com/2017/01/03/trends-to-watch-in-real-estate-in-2017/ choose similar homes to the one the seller has to sell, instead of focusing on the highest sold in the neighborhood and have appraisal issues later on during the escrow. Lundquist also points out that just because our housing inventory is low does not mean that sellers should command unreasonably high prices, which is also my position as a real estate broker. I like to be honest and upfront with my sellers during the listing appointment and not create false expectations.

Not all buyers will appreciate the older flushing system, so changing the toilet might be a great idea, giving buyers fewer things to nitpick.

Reasons Your Home is Not Selling:

  1. Home is overpriced.
  2. Home is outdated.
  3. Home is over-improved for the neighborhood.
  4. Home has been nicely updated and remodeled, but price is too high and buyers are not willing to pay for it.
  5. Few, or no showings at all is a clear indication of the house being overpriced.
  6. Plenty of showings, but no offers is also a sign that the house is overpriced.
  7. Price is king!

Top Cures for not Selling:

  1. Be proactive, not reactive, which simply means not waiting months and months before dropping the price and selling your home at what the market will bear.
  2. Do not wait till you receive a bunch of low ball offers; instead, adjust the price accordingly to attract those highly motivated and well-qualified buyers.
  3. Do not let too much time elapse in between price adjustments, or buyers will think there is something wrong with your house.
  4. Enhance the curb appeal on a budget and make things inviting, so buyers can feel at home.
  5. Work with highly reputable, honest, and experienced agents who can aggressively market your home and get it sold.
    Besides having a three-page marketing plan for my sellers, I also market their homes on the radio show Real Life Lending on 105.5 FM

     

    And least, but not last, remember that buyers today have so much more information at their fingertips and they are not willing to overpay for a house, so evaluate the recent sales and price your home to sell and you might even get more than asking price with the right marketing strategy.

    For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!