Your home’s market value is determined by many factors, including size, layout, location, age, and more. Your home’s amenities – which includes things like a home security system – can have an impact on its market value, too. How much a home security system directly impacts the value of your home can vary greatly, and is influenced by (and influences) many of those other factors.

While a home security system may not directly affect the market value of your home, it certainly increases your home’s intrinsic value. It makes your house a safer place to live because it acts as a deterrent to home invasion. It protects your valuables from loss. Depending on your insurance company and the type of system you’ve got, it could even save you a few bucks on your home insurance each month.

Here are some of the particular factors about your home security system that might impact its value, the value of your home, and your overall safety and security:

Continue reading this post

HomeGain.com announced today that it has released the results of its nationwide home improvement and home staging  Home Sale Maximizer™ survey. Past findings from the survey have been a guide for thousands of home sellers in preparing their homes for sale.

HomeGain recently surveyed nearly 600 real estate agents nationwide to determine the top 10 low cost*, do-it-yourself  home improvements for people getting their home ready to sell.

The top five nationwide home improvements that Realtors recommend to home sellers, based on average cost and return on investment (ROI) to sellers, are:

1. Cleaning and de-cluttering ($290 cost / $1,990 price increase / 586% ROI / 99% recommended)
2. Lightening and brightening ($375 cost / $1,550 price increase / 313% ROI / 97% recommended)
3. Home staging ($550 cost / $2,194 price increase / 299% ROI / 80% recommended)
4. Landscaping ($540 cost / $1,932 price increase / 258% ROI / 93% recommended)
5. Repair Electrical or Plumbing ($535 cost / $1,505 price increase / 181% ROI / 92% recommended)

Costs are averages and rounded up.

Continue reading this post

Written by Marcy Tate

Learning about how to increase your home’s value on a budget isn’t rocket science. However, if you aren’t aware of some of the basic tips and insider tricks, then you can make costly home improvements that won’t add up to value-added improvements.

The expression, “don’t judge a book by its cover” definitely doesn’t apply to houses. First impressions are extremely important; driving up to a home with an old, broken-down car in the driveway or out-of-control shrubbery can easily turn potential buyers away.

The rule of thumb for increasing your home’s value is to spend money on things a buyer can see.

For example, unless you are planning on living in your home for more than a decade, don’t install a new tankless water heater. This type of upgrade will take several years to see a return on and cost several thousands of dollars to install. Instead, focus on items such as a new garage door, landscaping or a new stainless steel kitchen sink.

Avoid the common mistake of over-improving. Consider what is the norm in your neighborhood. Do you live in a high-end neighborhood? Are home seekers looking for high-end appliances in homes in your area? Don’t bother installing fancy features in your home if it’s not what’s going on in the house next door. It won’t help increase the value enough to make it worth it.

Fix up the Exterior First, Then the Interior

Curb appeal matters and fixing up the exterior will instantly increase your curb appeal and your home’s value.

1. Clear up Clutter – Unnecessary objects around your yard should be removed. A downed gutter or downspout, old bikes, recycling bins and trash cans should all be arranged nicely in your back yard.

2. Landscaping – Spend time pruning your hedges, trees and shrubs. Low-maintenance landscaping can add real value. Lay down some mulch, plant a few native plants or hang some flower baskets on your porch. These budgeted landscaping ideas will save you money now and add value when you sell. Continue reading this post

HomeGain recently announced the latest survey results which revealed the top 12 low cost*, do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvements for people getting their home ready to sell.

Not only can you get regionally-personalized home improvement recommendations online, you can also have an actual “sliding” brochure for use in your office, car or where ever you are!

The Home Sale Maximizer slider reflects the same information as you will find online –

1. Simply move the slide to look up your area
2. See how much each home improvement will cost you
3. Determine how much each improvement will increase your home’s value
4. Get a potential return on investment (% ROI)
5. View how many Realtors recommend it

Request your FREE 5 home improvement sliders now

By submitting your request, we will mail five (5) sliders to you at no cost. For questions or to request a larger quantity, please send us an email.

Try the online Home Sale Maximizer™ home improvement tool

Also DOWNLOAD the instant home values and home sale maximizer widgets for free. See examples…

Continue reading this post

A few months ago we announced the top 12 do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvements for people selling their home.

With the environment and sustainability in the hearts and minds of many Americans, HomeGain has also surveyed Realtors for the top 9 GREEN DIY home improvements.  Nearly 1,000 REALTORS® responded to the survey.

While the results show that green home improvement projects may not be as popular as traditional non-green improvements (percentage of Realtors who recommend them), the GREEN trend does seem to be catching on as people realize the benefits. (See Realtor comments below.)

According to a McGraw Hill study, 70% of homebuyers would rather buy a green home than a non-green home in a down economy. The Management Information Services/ICMA has said that “landscaping, especially with trees, can increase property values as much as 20 percent.” According to Move.com, to date, around 1,100 Realtors have earned the NAR Green Designation (out of 1.3 million registered Realtors in the U.S.).

Based on national average cost and return on investment (ROI) to sellers…

The top 5 GREEN home improvements that Realtors recommend to home sellers are:

1. Plant native trees and plants ($141 average cost / $399 average price increase / 284% average ROI / 65% of agents recommended)
2. Replace air filters ($76 cost / $201 price increase / 266% ROI / 63% recommended)
3. GREEN home staging ($223 cost / $445 price increase / 199% ROI / 47% recommended)
4. Weather strip and caulk doors and windows ($169 cost / $313 price increase / 185% ROI / 68% recommended)
5. Install programmable thermostats ($146 cost / $249 price increase / 170% ROI / 62% recommended)

The complete 9 GREEN home improvements are as follows:

Continue reading this post

This week we met with Realtor® survey respondents, home stagers, staging bloggers and members of the press to discuss the results of the HomeGain 2009 Top 12 Home Improvements Survey on HomeGain Radio.

If you didn’t have a chance to attend, listen to it here:

Participant Comments Included:

Stephanie Decker, Staged Homes Marin: “The timing of the results coming out was amazing because I had an office presentation that day and it was very useful information for me to include. It gave me more substance to what I was trying to say and what I am trying to do to help the Realtors. I really appreciate it.”

Lise Desormeaux, RMR Real Estate Marketing: “More people are becoming aware of what needs to be done to market a property these days. I agree with the survey findings that HomeGain has compiled. I’m appreciative as a home stager for this information.”

Gina Vierra, StagedHomes: “When was the data compiled? Where can I find the data?” (answers: October 2009; blog.homegain.com)

News coverage of the October Home Improvement  includes: Continue reading this post