Top 10 Best Valued Home Improvements

Since the real estate market is looking up you may be thinking about selling your home and buying a home you have been dreaming about for a while. If so than its time to focus on some home improvements or repairs you might have been putting off. Here are the top 10 home improvements that will bring you the most bang for your buck, according to the 2014 Cost vs Value report. This report is organized by region, unfortunately it is not specific to Savannah. So this list and estimated amount recouped is an average in the South Atlantic and I added their estimates for Charleston SC as a comparison since it is a coastal city.

Project	South Atlantic	Charleston SC
1.      Entry Door Replacement (steel)	101%.	148%
2.      Garage Door Replacement	89%	110%
3.      Deck Addition (wood)	89%	112.2%
4.      Attic Bedroom	88%	94.2%
5.      Window Replacement (wood)	84%	92%
6.      Minor Kitchen Remodel	83%	107.2%
7.      Basement Remodel	83%	97%
8.      Window Replacement (vinyl)	81%	92.8%
9.      Siding Replacement (vinyl)	80%	109.5%
10.  Bathroom Remodel	77%	100%

You may not even notice your front door anymore, but a new door makes a great impression on buyers and yields the highest return on your investment. If your front door doesn't need replacing or you'd rather spend less money, you can paint it and replace the hardware for a similar impact. The same goes for your garage door, there is nothing like a fresh coat of paint to improve the unique features of your home.

Buyers are looking to expand their living space, and going out back where there is a new deck is a great solution, especially here in Savannah. If you already have a deck, you might consider enhancing the outdoor living space with a water feature, an outdoor fireplace, or a built in grill. That are lots of sites on the internet that can offer some economical ideas to create affordable outdoor living space. House logic is a website we like that offers some great home improvement ideas. Here are some ideas for decks http://www.houselogic.com/outdoors/decks/. Another way to add living space is going up and turning your attic into a bonus room.

Improving the living space you already have is another upgrade you might consider. A minor remodeling of your kitchen such as, new lighting, new cabinet doors with new hardware and adding a tiled backsplash will bring a fresh look to the area. Also new lighting can really transform a room. A little bigger investment is to replace windows, but as you can see the return here is really pretty good. Check out This Old House website that has loads of low cost kitchen/bath upgrades: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20210747,00.html

If you are considering doing most of your improvements or repairs yourself here are a few websites we have come across that we like. Many of them have videos that show you how to.

The Family Handyman - http://www.familyhandyman.com/

This Old House - http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh

Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford - http://www.todayshomeowner.com/

BrightNest - https://brightnest.com/

End of the Year Closet Organizing

Clutter – that’s what I have more of as the year draws to a close. I realize I have collected more stuff this year, and it looks like our house is busting at the seams with it. With a few days off during the holidays it’s time to once again organize. In case any of you out there are in the same boat I am going to share some of my tips, and organizational tools.

The best, and often the hardest tip in getting organized is that a purge is required. No matter how many shelves, boxes and clever little nooks I create, the best technique is to simply get rid of some things!  If I have received some great new sweaters for Christmas then I take out the ones at the bottom of the shelf that I haven’t worn in a long while, and donate tehm to my favorite charity. Some people have hard and fast rules for this – not worn in a year? Out it goes. For me, I know what I am really not going to wear again and what I probably will, even if I didn’t this past year.

Ok so once I have purged I organize. I think about what organizational techniques I incorporated last year that worked, and what hasn’t. Some people like to put their belts on a hanger, I prefer a few hooks inside the closet wall. Different things work for different people, incorporate what is easiest for you. Here are a few ideas:

• Use shelf dividers to maximize the space and keep sweaters neat.
• Shoes belong on a shoe rack.
• Hang belts, umbrellas and purses on attractive belt racks and stagger them on the wall.
•  Move off season items to under-the-bed storage boxes or the highest closet shelves.
•  Keep infrequently worn items towards the back of your closet, with frequently worn items near the front.
•  Place smaller items that float around on your dresser in a decorative box.
•  Create storage space under the bed.
•   An ottoman with storage is a great place for seasonal blankets.
•   Use boxes with labels or baskets to store similar items.

Best tip of all: tackle only one closet at a time! 

Keep the Holiday Season Fun and Safe

 Its the holidays, and everyone is having a great time! Such a great time in fact that what is often forgotten are safety issues. There are more home hazards during the holidays than usual that need attending so that a family remains safe. Unfortunately accidents do happen, but there are things that can be done to lower the risks. Awareness is the first step towards holiday safety. Here are a few hazards to be a ware of in the coming weeks.

• One of every three Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems. Make sure to unplug the tree when you leave the house and go to bed. Keep the plug free of debris, such as discarded wrapping paper.
• Inspect lights for frayed wire or other defects before use.
• Make sure to keep the tree watered. A dried out tree becomes a fire hazard sitting in your living room. When it does become dried out, promptly discard it.
• Keep the tree away from a heat source.
• We love candles during the holidays! Keep them clear of anything flammable. Like gift paper, and tree branches that might be used as a part of a decoration for the table. In December, 11% of home candle fires began with decorations compared to 4% the rest of the year.* Consider flame-less candles for use in table decorations.
• Check your smoke alarms, make sure all the batteries are good.

Get the whole family involved in being safety conscious. Introduce the children to Sparky the fire safety dog. Sparky.org is an interactive website with everything from animated shorts, to activities and down-loadable coloring pages. Sparky also has a fire safety checklist.

These are a few suggestions to keep a home safe. As you get to thinking about safety you will surely come upon your own safety practices. Enjoy the holidays, and be safe!

* Source: National Fire Protection Association