Chitownproperty

We can’t quite shake that snow around Chicago, but March is coming and that makes it feel closer to spring. Spring is also the time when lots of people shake off the winter blahs and start thinking about buying or selling a home. Here is a roundup of a few things to think about for the spring market:

• Why Hire a Real Estate Agent or Realtor? – Ok, we’re biased, but getting help from someone with intimate knowledge of the market is the smartest thing you can do.
• Does Buying a Rental as an Investment Make Sense? – For those of you thinking big, this may be a good time to get a deal on a rental investment.
• To Sell an Apartment, No Detail Is Too Small – You might need to dial down some of the numbers from this article in the New York Times, but it’s spot on. Paying attention to how your home shows goes a long way to selling at a better price.

You can do things to your home to make it more unique and fun to live in, but some improvements have more impact on its value than others. Updating a bathroom? Yes. Adding a red accent wall? Not so much. Realty Times lists six ways to increase your home’s value, including big impact improvements in the kitchen, bathroom, and energy efficiency.

You may or may not agree with this realtor that red accent walls are officially over, but it is a reminder that any personal touches–whether it’s funky colors, kitschy decor, or family photos–can have an affect on how potential buyers view your home when it’s on the market. You can decorate your home however you like, but when it comes time to sell you want to neutralize any unique decorations so they can picture themselves, and their own quirky tastes, living there too.

Here’s a fun stat (or maybe troubling, depending on how you look at it): in the past 15 years, Americans have spent $15 billion on granite countertops for kitchens. That’s more than the total cost of the first Gulf War, likely more than the cost to save GM, and maybe even more than the final cost of the TARP program to bail out Wall Street once it’s said and done. Was it worth it? It was for the stone industry at least. Granite or other stone in the kitchen is now standard issue in any new home, at least until Formica comes back in style.

This great post at Design Sponge shows how color isn’t just about the paint on the walls. You can spice up a room with little pops of color in the furniture and decor, like that red teakettle in the picture.

Sure, you’ve probably gotten lazy and wrapped a few presents in newspaper, but would you put it on your walls too? Newsworthy wallpaper isn’t really the same as pasting the funnies on your dining room walls. It’s real wallpaper made from strips of recycled newsprint woven together. The texture and serendipitous placement of words could make for an interesting conversation starter in your home.

The passing of another year may seem mundane, but back in 1972 the year 2010 seemed like the distant future. Follow along with Dan Sinker as he posts excerpts from a book called “2010: Living in the Future,” published just 38 years ago. How does your home stack up to these predictions? Some, like an automatic toaster that flings your toast at you when its finished, are far-fetched, but others like the self-regulating furnace are remarkably prescient.

A few cans of paint will refresh your rooms

Redecorating might be the last thing on you list on a tight budget during the holiday, but the Tribune reminds us that there is one quick and cheap way to drastically change a room: painting.

It’s the easiest, thriftiest and least risky way to update a room. Unlike plumbing and electrical work, there’s no absolute right or wrong. Take a stab at rewiring and you could be violating codes, risking injury and creating a safety hazard. About the worst that can happen when you’re painting a wall is a little mess.

The article also includes tips for prepping and painting the room to get the best results.

Here’s something to think about in the coming weeks, and your family collects holiday gifts and all the packaging that comes with them: what do you do with the boxes? Some of those decisions are easy; of course you throw away boxes from toys, clothing, etc. But what about fancy electronics and gear that you might have to return or sell one day? Do you need to save the box for that new Wii for the kids?

The Unclutterer blog, a site dedicated to helping people stay organized, says keep the boxes only if you A) plan to sell the item within three years, and B) the original packaging improves the price when you sell it. Otherwise, it’s not worth the clutter.

If you need more ideas for decorating your loft condo, Apartment Therapy takes a peek inside 10 Chicago lofts, each with their own unique style.

So maybe we’re jumping the gun a little on the holidays, but this kitchen gift guide from Dwell would do the trick any time of the year, either as presents for others or yourself. It has great ideas for sprucing up the most important room in your home, including the fabulous Chicago city plates from notNeutral.

So maybe Chicago’s homes aren’t as squished for space as London’s, but this book-lined staircase is an ingenious and beautiful solution for storing bulky tomes. What other nifty ways could you squeeze in extra space in your home?

Tired of paying utility bills? You could build a net zero house–one that generates as much energy as it consumes–like this Ravenswood home. Designed by renowned green architects Farr Associates, it features solar panels, a gray water system for recycling waste water, a geothermal heating system, and carefully placed windows, nooks, and crannies that keep the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Not satisfied with slapping an ugly array of solar panels on the roof, the architects designed it to incorporate all these features seamlessly in a beautiful modern design.

Of course, these green features added 10 to 15 percent to the upfront cost of building the home. The final price tag was $1.6 million for the 2,675-square foot home, putting it out of reach for most buyers. However, its design, and skillful use of green features and materials, give a glimpse of what’s to come in green living.

Is it worth it to redo kitchen? — chicagotribune.com

One of the most common questions sellers ask us is whether or not they should remodel their home before putting it on the market. The kitchen is an obvious target because it has the most features that are susceptible to changes in style and taste. Trends come and go for stone countertops, finishes on cabinets, and the look and features of appliances, and after a few years sellers may be afraid that their choices will limit market appeal.

The article linked above refers to a 2007 report from Remodeling magazine that compares the cost of remodeling projects to the amount they add to a home’s resale value. On average, mid-range kitchen remodels add 83 percent of their cost to market value, while major remodeling jobs add 77 percent.

We always tell people to consider how much they will enjoy a particular upgrade while living there, and for how long. If you are planning to move soon, you may be better off saving the money. But if you’ll be able to live in the house and enjoy a new kitchen for a few years, the cost may be worth it.

Best Home Staging Tips – Homescape

Making your home look its best for potential buyers is somewhat of an art form, subject to personal tastes and the home’s characteristics. But there are a few common sense tricks for sprucing up a lived in space that apply across the board. The Homescape blog offers 10 tips for staging, including:

• Working on the entrance for a good impression
• Clearing out clutter
• Removing unncessary furniture
• Balancing your lighting
• Bringing in flowers and plants