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Home Design Tips: How to Raise Your Home’s Value Quickly 

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(Photo : Joe Raedle | Getty Images News) 

Those looking to design their homes to raise the values of the property are advised by real estate professionals to start planting some colorful flowers, applying repairs, and de-cluttering. According to Home Gain, home improvement can be achieved at only under $1,500.

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Home Gain has a Home Sale Maximizer feature that identified some affordable home improvements recommended by real estate professionals across the United States, as per Realty Times.

1. Cleaning and De-cluttering - Costs $290 - $1,990 price increase - 586% ROI

All personal items must first be removed before putting the house up for sale. Apart from personal belongings, closets must be organized which means homeowners looking to sell need horizontal poles for hangers. All pieces of wooden furniture and mirrors must be completely polished as well.

All areas of the house, which includes both its interior and exterior, must also be thoroughly cleaned. The air inside the house must be freshened up, which will make an air freshener very handy.

2. Home Staging - Costs $550 - $2,194 price increase - 299% ROI

Fresh flowers will help increase the value of the house as it give the ambiance a more colorful look and an environment-friendly appeal. Adding new pieces of furniture to certain rooms that are relatively lacking also falls under Home Staging. Sellers who do not want to spend for new props can simply move some from one room to another.

Post Crescent also says that simply hiring a home stager can do the job right. This agent or friend can easily walk through the house and give objective comments on what must be added or removed. In this manner, the factors that can potentially sink a sale are removed.

3. Kitchen and Bathroom - Costs $1,265 - $3,435 price increase - 172% ROI

According to a recent survey conducted by Remodeling, kitchen and bathroom renovations are among the top ones that can successfully generate a quick return of investment. One tip revealed by a separate Realty Times report would be to incorporate crown molding to the wooden cabinets.

Crown molding is an "architectural wood millwork" that gives further detail to walls and upper cabinetry. Contrary to what many might initially think, it does not necessarily have to be in the shape of a crown. It comes in a multitude of designs, which can be used to add visual depth to the woodwork in the kitchen and the bathroom.

Houses for sale must be portrayed in the best light. Majority of today's would-be buyers search for homes that have already been prepared and move-in ready.

Dog City Life: The benefits of a professional dog walking service and what to ask when hiring someone.

Contributed by Tail-Waggers

Life in the city can get busy and the truth is,  your dog will spend long hours at home alone while he waits for you to come back from work or school. I heard you! Your dog can hold it. Of course he can if he has no other option. A break in the middle of the day where your dog can go out for a brisk walk will provide him a job. Yes a job! 

Dogs need daily mental and physical stimulation to be in a balanced state of mind. This will help avoid boredom and destructive behaviour such as excessive chewing,  separation anxiety, lack of socialization and overweight.  

After several years in the pet service industry,  I know of many clients who retained dog walking services, even if they work from home.  They know how beneficial and important those mid day walks are for the health and happiness of their dogs. If you are the type of pet parent that has a 9-5 job, knowing your pooch has been out for a break will give you the peace of mind in case you get  stuck in traffic or have a long day at work.  

Now, the question is who can you trust to visit your fur kid and your home?  Asking neighbours,  friends or kids is tempting, especially considering they may do it for free or at a very low cost.  Also, you know these people; you trust them and you would rather have them come into your home to care for your dog than a “stranger” right?

However,  what if they get sick or have an emergency and can’t come? What if they slip or fall or get injured on your property?  (No liability insurance so it has to go through YOUR insurance) What if there was an emergency with your dog?  Would they know how to handle it? Also, keep in mind if something does go wrong your relationship with this person will never be the same again.

Thus,  I strongly recommend to look out for a professional dog walker in your area. I suggest you ask yourself what type of service are you looking for. Are you okay with someone taking your dog to the dog park knowing  dog fights can happen? Do you rather someone taking your dog to a forest and let him run off leash? Is your dog good on recall? Or do you rather have someone doing on leash walks only? Is your dog friendly and would benefit of of a group walk? 

Also, know well what will suit you better. Hiring someone that works solo or hiring a company with employees. If the first option works better for you, make sure to ask about backup plans for emergencies and holidays.  For the second type of company,  inquire about employee training, who keeps the keys? Will you be assigned a primary dog walker or have someone different every visit?  Are the walkers employees or independent contractors? 

Finally, the key questions once you've decided what type of company suits you better are:

1) Are they insured? What company? 

2) Do they have criminal background check?

3) what is the backup plan for emergencies and holidays?

4) How do they take payment? How do they invoice clients?

5) Do they have a city license?

6) How do they introduce a new dog to the pack? 

7) How do they pair dogs for groups walks?

8) Do the dogs get driven?  For how long? 

9) Make note if they ask for vet records and emergency contact information.  

10) Do they offer a free meet & greet?

I hope you find this post helpful and don't forget to give your dog a JOB!

Real Advice.
Real Inspiration.
Real Experts.

Real Advice. Real Inspiration. Real Experts. The BC Home + Garden Show is the most trusted resource for every home improvement project, inside and out. With Canada’s favourite home, horticulture and landscaping specialists including HGTV’s Bryan Baeumler and design darling Janette Ewen, seminars and live demos from Vancouver’s culinary masters, and more than 425 exhibitors and features designed to whip any home or garden into shape, there’s innovation, inspiration and expert advice at every turn. 

Show Information

Consumers are always looking for ways to save money, and paying real estate commissions can amount to tens of thousands these days. Not an insignificant sum to most people. Is it worth it to hire a full-service real estate brokerage over a discount service? Reasonable question. It's one I hear often. And the answer is it depends. 

Type of Marketplace

• If you're in a seller's market right now, homes are probably selling the minute they hit the multiple listing service. A one-eyed sheep with two paws tied behind her back could plop a home into MLS and get an offer. Will it be the highest price you could get?
• Buyer's markets exist when inventory exceeds the supply of buyers. In these markets, some homes aren't selling at all. This is where expertise and extra work pays off. Listings that sell at top price are typically those exposed to the most buyers, which are priced well, marketed well and show well.

MLS and the Internet

I cringe when I see new listings hit MLS without a photograph because I know that agents and buyers are passing them over without a second thought. themultiple listing services accept 20 photographs nowadays. For that reason, many full-service agents hire professional photographers and shoot double the photos required. 

• The pros spend considerable time sorting through photos to select those with the most light, the best angles, sharpest contrast & color. 
• Photos are cropped and resized to accentuate positive attributes. 
• Each photograph is entered into MLS with a full-length enticing description.

When I see a photograph taken by the multiple listing service instead of a pro or the agent, I also see a lazy real estate agent who doesn't care enough or isn't getting paid enough to properly market her client's property.

Signage

Lots of mom 'n' pop operations and discount brokerages don't spend money on professional signs because they don't believe in it or they can't afford it. Good signage is free advertising. Many full-service firms will advertise: 

• Main office phone number 
• Agent's personal cell phone or voice mail number 
• Web site for more information 
• Virtual tour links 
• Specific information that makes this home different from others in the area

Marketing Materials

Full-service companies tend to project quality, and that means four-color flyers and four-color direct mail pieces. The days of hiring neighborhood kids to toss photocopies on neighbors' front steps are gone. Full-service marketing is first class.

Open Houses 

Not all homes are right for an open house, but those that are require finesse. This means working the buyers who come through by pointing out impressive features of the home without making the buyer feel oppressed or hounded, and that in itself is an art. It requires the service of an experienced sales person. Many discount brokers refuse to hold homes open.

Full-service agents counsel sellers. They find out what made the seller decide to buy the home and how that moment happened. Then, they employ that knowledge at open houses. For example, suppose a seller said that moment came when she first stood gazing out at the pool. When she turned to her husband and gasped, "I can't believe we can afford to buy this home." Good sales people at an Open would ask buyers to stand in that same spot by the pool. Then, they'd share the seller's first experience verbatim. 

Negotiation

Real estate is an extremely competitive business, and there are many agents fighting for the same listings. A full-service agent who wins the listing is probably a good negotiator, a person you want on your side during offer negotiations. Think about it. Agents who can persuade you to pay what they feel is reasonable, will probably persuade a buyer to pay your price. Ultimately, that means more money for you.

Final Sales Price

Sometimes full-service agents lose listings because the seller was promised a higher price based on hot air and a lower commission. It's these listings that often show up in MLS a month later with reduced prices. The amount of the price reductions, not surprisingly, tend to exceed the difference in commissions between the dualing agencies! In these scenarios, sellers received fewer services and ended up losing money on the sale as well.

If you can't decide between an agent who charges 1 or 2 percent less than another, think about how you would feel if you had to reduce your sales price, say five percent, to get the house sold. Ask the agents to show you their last 24 months of price reductions and compare them.

How Much Do Agents Make?

Agents are paid by brokers. Brokers retain a portion, sometimes 50%, and pay the balance to the agent. From that, the agent pays her overhead and taxes, which can easily amount to 50% of the net. A listing agent's true salary ranges from 20% to 30% of one-half the commission. Full-service agents typically spend more on overhead than their competitors; by refusing to compromise service, they tend to charge more.