Found 29 blog entries tagged as Renovations.

The kitchen is the heart of the home⁠—it’s where families spend most of their time cooking, socializing, and entertaining.

Since so much time is spent in the kitchen, potential homebuyers often search for homes with impressive kitchens. It’s for this reason that making upgrades to your kitchen will increase the selling price of your home.

On average, American homeowners spend between $12,565 and $34,976 remodelling their kitchens. But, when you’re selling your home, you probably don’t want to dump that much money into renovations.

With a few hours and a little bit of elbow grease, you can bring life back to your kitchen for a relatively low cost! Try these three DIY kitchen upgrades that will boost your home selling price:

Refurbish Your…

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when is it a good idea to use a home equity loan

What Is A Home Equity Loan?

A home equity loan is a type of loan that allows you to use the equity of your Santa Cruz home as collateral. It is an option that homeowners have available to them and that some people use to pay for major expenses such as home renovations, college education or medical bills.

These types of loans became popular in 1996 because they provided a way for consumers to circumvent their tax charges for that year, which eliminated the deductions on the interest for most consumer purchases.

Are Home Equity Loans A Good Idea?

It is a good idea to leverage your shelter for cash? What is a legitimate reason for taking out a home equity loan? It can be tempting to use the equity you have in your property to pay for…

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Though it can be an entirely different story for a trend shift in the opposite direction, which then requires you to get out the soaking bucket and scraping tool, wallpaper coming back into style is a home décor blessing for many. Wallpaper is back in - in a big way! - and it's making your dreams of accomplishing a fashionable living space come true much faster and easier than you could have imagined. Quite frankly, wallpaper can do the "fashionable home" trick to virtually any room in your house, adding that touch of warmth and personality you've so far only seen in show homes. It's time to get with the trends, and give your home a quick and easy facelift!

A World Of Design With Wallpaper

Let's face it: wallpaper can achieve a world of options that…

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Have you been looking through home décor magazines and gazing with wonder at the gorgeous homes inside? Do you want to add a touch of elegance and luxury to your Santa Cruz home, but you are on a tight budget? No need to worry, there are many ways that you can make your home look like a million bucks, without actually having to spend a fortune. 

Here are a few great ideas that don’t have to cost a lot, they just require a little bit of planning and some elbow grease and they will take your home from ordinary to luxury.

• Mount your curtains at ceiling level rather than the top of the windows. This draws the eye upwards and gives the illusion of high ceilings.

• Paint your interior doors a sleek and shiny shade of black. This looks very modern and…

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In your imagination it seems like a great idea – you purchase an older run-down Santa Cruz property and you have the chance to fix it up and turn it into the home of your dreams. However, the renovation project that is simply a quick montage in your imagination will actually take several months or years and thousands of dollars in real life. The concept of renovating a “fixer-upper” property is exciting, but the reality is a lot of work and investment. How can you make sure that you are making the right choice for you?

One of the main advantages of buying a fixer-upper property is that you will usually be able to get the property for a much cheaper price. But is it worth it for the amount of time and money you will need to invest in the property?

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Besides your kitchen, the restrooms in your home probably get the most use. Not only is it nice to step into a clean, modern bathroom, but also giving this room a makeover will increase the value of your home and see a return when it’s time to sell. Below are five ideas to brighten up your morning routine and make you feel like you’re stepping into a spa.

1. Refinish Your Tub
After a while, every white bathtub starts to get a little dingy. Hiring a professional to refinish your tub could cost you upward of $300. Don’t spend the big bucks when you can do it yourself. You can purchase a refinishing kit for around $30 at any hardware store.

2. Install His And Her Showerheads
If your shower is large enough, then install custom his and her showerheads. Put…

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If you have started working from home, whether you are a freelancer or running a business, having a home office in your Santa Cruz home is very important.

It is a place where you can separate your home life and work, so that you can get “in the zone” and concentrate on the important work tasks that you need to complete. But where should you place your home office?

If you have a spare bedroom in your home, the answer is easy – but what if you don’t have this extra space? Is it possible to squeeze a home office into an already full home? Of course it is, you just have to think outside of the box. Here are some ideas:

Convert Your Attic
If you have an attic in your home, why not use that space for a quiet and private home office? It will be separate…

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If you enjoy history and fixing things, then it may be hard to drive by historic Santa Cruz homes for sale without feeling the urge to buy one and fix it up. Before you do, you need learn the three R’s of fixing up historic homes and the differences between them.

The three R’s of fixing up historic homes are restoration, renovation and repair. Some of the differences are minor, but they can make all the difference in cost, time and problems.

Restoration

“Restoration” literally means returning something to its original state.

Restoring historic Santa Cruz homes for sale involve city and state programs. It’s essential that you check to see if the home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or if it’s located in a historic…

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When you own a Santa Cruz home, there are additions that you can make to the property that will improve the value of your home. For example, a newly renovated kitchen or bathroom is a popular choice that will really make the home more desirable to buyers. 

Also, adding storage space or a well-thought-out family room or other practical space can be a very good investment that will bring up the home’s value. However, there are other projects that are not really worth your time or money and will allow very little opportunity to recover your costs when it is time to sell the property. Here are a few examples of things that you think might add to the value of your home, but really don’t.

An Elaborately Landscaped Garden
A beautifully landscaped garden…

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So you are looking at buying a Santa Cruz home, but you are wondering whether or not it is worth it to pay a little extra for a home with one more bedroom. It’s a tough decision to make, especially when balancing other factors such as location and the other features of the home. However, having one more bedroom than you think you need could end up being a good thing for a number of reasons. 

Expanding Family

Perhaps you only planned on having two children, but a third one might come along as an unplanned surprise... will you have enough room for everyone? One of your children’s friends might have a bad home situation and need a place to crash for a while. One of your elderly parents might need to live with you for a while. There are many situations…

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