Purchasing a home?

Consider the condition of the home's electrical system...

here are some things you should know

In today's highly competitive real estate market, the key to selling your home is being able to attract buyers to your listing. When you're selling your home, it's important to remember that you're in competition with every other similarly priced listing in your area. To win buyers, you need your home to stand out from all the rest.

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Here is an interesting article from HouseLogic.com on the value of maintaining your home:

If you think home maintenance is an unavoidable series of weekend-eating chores, remember the age-old advice of Benjamin Franklin: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." The fact is, proactive maintenance is essential to preserving the value of your home-without it, your home could lose 10% of its value. Regular, routine maintenance enhances curb appeal, ensures safety, and prevents neglected upkeep from turning into costly major repairs.

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Here's an article from shine.yahoo.com with 16 Budget-Friendly Home Upgrades for your home.

For the kitchen: the kitchen sink, a new countertop, new light fixtures or a "Splash of Color"

For the bathroom, their suggestions include: refinishing the cabinets, hooks, or a new tile floor

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Getting your home ready for sale can take anywhere from one to six months, depending on the condition, age of the house and how long you've lived there.

So before you list your house, go over the property to determine what needs to be repaired or possibly replaced. Make a list of both major and minor jobs. Tackle big projects first.

It's tempting to wait until the home inspection and offer to adjust the price in lieu of repairs, but doing so may put the entire sale in jeopardy and may ultimately cost more. Buyers generally tack on extra dollars to any estimate. Most importantly, a major repair left undone creates the impression that the house has not been maintained.

So here is a timeline to help you prepare your home for sale:

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Old House Web has information on many aspects of renovating and owning an old home (or a not so old home).

Some of the topics that are included on the site are: Product Reviews, How to Advice, a Green Guide, an "In the Garden" section and an Architecture and Design .

Featured articles include:

• Knob and Tube Wiring

• When to Turn to a Contractor

• Old Windows

Visit the Old House Web site.

Remodelling a home starts with a dream...

A gourmet kitchen! Skylights! A gigantic walk-in closet! But, the dream may turn into a nightmare if you don't plan ahead.

Buying a home will arguably become your most important financial investment, as well as a major emotional investment. And, remodelling that home can make it better suited to your lifestyle and increase the house value. However, the remodelling process can seem overwhelming at times. If you're buying a home that you plan to remodel, here are some issues to consider.

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Every seller wants her home to sell quickly and bring top dollar. While there are some factors you can't control, like neighbourhood popularity and market fluctuations, you can help your house put on its best face for showings and open houses. If you want to sell your home, here are some tips to prepare your house and turn it into an irresistible home.

Before any physical preparations, you first need to prepare yourself emotionally. Begin to dissociate yourself, and decide to let go of your attachments to the home. From now on, this is a house you really want to sell, not your own beloved home.

It's important that potential buyers can imagine calling your house "home," too. Make it easier for them by de-personalizing the space. Remove personal photos and family heirlooms. Buyers should be allowed to connect with the space, and to imagine displaying their own photos and artifacts. You want buyers to think, "I could see myself living here."

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When showing your home for sale, it's not just what buyers see inside that counts. We can tell you that sometimes it's all about the view. A good view is a strong selling point for any room in the house. A great view makes one property stand out from all the rest. And on the flip side, when the view is poor, even the most attractive décor may not be enough to counteract its negative effects. What's a homeowner to do?

Here are some easy and affordable tips that may help to improve your outlook:

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When you decide to renovate or upgrade we always suggest that you get at least three estimates from trusted professionals before you hire someone to complete work on your behalf. However, if you would like a "ball park" estimate of the cost to complete a project, this may be the tool you are looking for...

This tool, provided  by Pillar to Post Home Inspection, provides a list of the estimated costs to upgrade or replace the major systems and components in a typical home. It also provides a general guideline for the life-expectancies of those systems.

These estimates reflect the average basic costs for supplies and installation of building materials in United States and Canada. Costs may vary depending on regions, upgrades, complexity and disposal fees.

It is our strong recommendation that you obtain a minimum of three written quotes from reputable licensed local contractors for validation before starting any project.