Any home owners out there?

TheRake · #1 02-03-2005, 11:05 AM

Some of you younger guys out there may not appreciate this thread, but it might be good for future reference none the less.

I purchased my first home about 2 years ago and haven't really made any improvements since I moved in (I did have new carpet put in last year). I am now in a position, thanks to poker, that I have some expendable cash to spend on improvements. So really I have 2 questions.

1) What are the best improvements (aside from adding square footage) that I can make to increase the value of my home?

2) I am in the process of having 3 of my windows replaced. They are all standard size 3'x5' windows. I paid $1500 for the job (through Home Depot) for the windows and labor. Did I pay to much? They are nice windows, but not top of the line. they are single hung double pane(sp?) windows. I may decide to have the rest of the windows replaced and wonder if I should get some other estimates next time.

TheRake

Patrick del Poker Grande · #2 02-03-2005, 11:09 AM

1) The money is in the kitchen, bathrooms, and nice wood floors, assuming some other room is not sorely lacking.

2) I have no idea, but I hope to hell you overpaid because I've got about 396749679346793467 windows that I want to replace in my house.

Nottom · #3 02-03-2005, 11:39 AM

[ QUOTE ]
1) The money is in the kitchen, bathrooms, and nice wood floors, assuming some other room is not sorely lacking.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't forget landscaping. Something as simple as adding a few trees or some flowers can do wonders.

Patrick del Poker Grande · #4 02-03-2005, 11:44 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
1) The money is in the kitchen, bathrooms, and nice wood floors, assuming some other room is not sorely lacking.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't forget landscaping. Something as simple as adding a few trees or some flowers can do wonders.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes. Trees = awesome. Get them in there asap so they have time to mature. Also, finishing a basement might not return 100% of the investment, but a nice/big basement is one of those things that'll help you sell, assuming you're in an area that even has basements and not California or something.

elwoodblues · #5 02-03-2005, 11:44 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Don't forget landscaping. Something as simple as adding a few trees or some flowers can do wonders.

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Good point. Some of the real estate listings in my area will say "wooded lot." You go look at it and it has 2 trees.

TheRake · #6 02-03-2005, 11:51 AM

yeah, I was a little shocked at the price tag on the windows myself. Unfortunately I needed to have it done right away. The window in my office is falling out of the frame and I just decided to get the ones in the bedrooms done while I was at it. The ones I got are definitely an upgrade and should help some with energy costs, but they seemed expensive.

peachy · #7 02-03-2005, 01:32 PM

Cabinets...and nice stoves and ovens - sometimes those r the selling points of a house since the woman controls the man!! Nice master bed and bath too! Also storage plays a role, basements r key...if u dont have one...have a storage shed put in outside if possible...which also leads to having a nice yard/exterior...rememeber its the 1st thing people see!!

And yes ALWAYS ALWAYS get estimates on just about everything u do...sometimes it can be a pain but unless its a friend doing the job and u know thier work shop around and also get references of work they have done etc etc. Ask friends who they have used and liked...sometimes its best to go with the mid-price vs the lowest cause then u just get crap work done

Im in the 1st stages of getting together blue prints to have a house built YEY!

elwoodblues · #8 02-03-2005, 01:48 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Im in the 1st stages of getting together blue prints to have a house built YEY!

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Good luck. We just did it last year...what a pain in the ass building a house is. Now that we're in I love it, but man it sucks. You think it will be fun to be able to pick everything. You forget that you have to pick EVERYTHING.

Good luck [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

daveymck · #9 02-03-2005, 01:59 PM

This is form a UK perspective but see no reason why is shouldnt apply in the US.

Big improvements are anything that adds a room or extra floor space, so Loft conversions and conservatorty/any extension will add most value.

After that the Kitchen and bathroom anre the next most important as they are the main fixed fixtures, people dont want to move in and refit a kitchen or bathroom, but will if house is cheaper.

The trend in the UK is for more open plan living with a Kitchen with a breakfast room either in it or next to it with room for tv seats etc where the family hang out with a more formal living room for more serious chilling.

After all that a decent well kept basic tidy garden, and nuetral colour scheme on the inside. Supposedly a buyer makes the decison on if they like the house in the first 30 seconds, so you might have the dream kitchen but have a muddy mess of a lawn with dog crap, an old sofa etc in it then the chances of a sale or getting premium price is severly reduced.

peachy · #10 02-03-2005, 02:05 PM

hahaha o i know...but mah dad is an architect and my mom is a huge garden and styles of homes freak...she collects magizines from the 70s onward and marks pages in every one on things she wants to do to one of her houses...its INSANE she has about 300 magazines no lie!! So some of thier tastes and the diversity of choices has rubbed off on me, plus ive been workin on these for about a yr and pretty much knew what i wanted before then b/c mah granddad was a builder, so it hasnt been TOO hard and loads of fun!! Now i just have to finalize blue prints and pick out the land i want!!