In some homes, garages are used only for car storage. They may appear to be bare and without real functional use for homeowners. However, other garages may be an envy of the neighborhood - they may have floor to ceiling shelving systems, and they may be the picture-perfect image of organization. With a bit of planning and creativity, you can turn your garage into a much more functional space. Here's how you can make your garage the most useful space in the house. Determine What You Need To Store One of the most important steps to take when improving the functionality of your garage is to determine which items you need to store. The last thing you want is to invest in a shelving system or … [Read more...]
How To Handle Common Homeowner Challenges
It takes hard work to achieve the American Dream of homeownership. Everyday people work to save for a down payment and build a good credit score. When you turn the key to your first home or dream home, the sweat equity feels well worth it. But the hard work of buying a home continues long after hanging family photos and hooking up a big-screen TV. There are challenges that property owners are unprepared to handle. These are three of the more common ones you may want to be ready to manage. Leaking Pipes Plumbing does not last forever and at some point, it will begin to leak. For people who have wells on their property, copper pipes can wear thin faster. That's because the pH of well water can … [Read more...]
Tech Jobs Driving House Flipping Projects
Reality TV shows about house flipping make it look easy. But behind every lucrative renovation project, there are factors that impact profitability such as buying price, labor costs, unforeseen setbacks and perhaps most importantly, location. There is no escaping the old real estate adage of "location, location, location." Home-flipping entrepreneurs must take into account whether polishing up a blighted building is in a viable resale neighborhood. One of the location factors some house flippers are following is the trend in tech jobs. Because the tech industry does not necessarily rely on interstate highways, commercial hubs or seaports, computer-oriented businesses are taking advantage of … [Read more...]
True Facts About 4 Real Estate Reality TV Myths
Many of us are guilty of plopping on the sofa and binge-watching reality TV home flipping shows. The allure of buying and selling homes for big profits with no boss looking over our shoulders has major lifestyle appeal. Shows like "Love it or List it," "House Hunters," "Flip or Flop" and others make it look incredibly simple. Even when they face adversity such as rotted wood or bad pipes, the way the reality TV stars overcome adversity is more of an inspiration than a deterrent. And plenty of everyday people do manage to succeed in the house-flipping industry. But many of the myths these ratings-driven shows perpetuate could use a little busting. Consider these four common house-flipping … [Read more...]
