Easy Ways to Increase Your Home’s Value

Are you ready to build your dream home with Hodorowski Homes, but you need to sell your current house first? Before you put your home on the market, take a look at some of these tips below to how to raise your house’s value before you sell.

$- Plant flowers or hang potted plants. Start from the outside of your home- the exterior is the first impression that your buyers have, make sure it’s a good one! HGTV says: “No question that shrubs and colorful plants will add curb appeal to any home, but when shopping at your local garden center, make sure that you "think green." Purchase plants that are native to your region or plants that are drought-tolerant; these require less water and maintenance.” 

$- Clear the clutter. The best way for the rooms in your home to appear larger is to clean up the clutter. If you must, rent a storage unit and put unused bulky furniture or clutter in a storage unit. Better yet, have a garage sale or donate any unwanted items that are in good condition.

$$- Paint. Before you list your home, put up a fresh coat of neutral paint on your walls. This will not only refresh the rooms, but it’s potentially one less thing the person moving into your home will have to do. Also consider the front of your home- give your front door a fresh inviting color.

$$- Add dimmers to light switches. This Old House suggests that “lighting noticeably enhances a home's appeal.”  Lighting can make a space appear larger and with the correct hue, it can create warmth and set the mood.

$$$- Clean/replace carpet. Along with the same line as paint, if your carpets have stains or odors, it would really benefit the value of your home if they were shampooed or better yet replaced. “Nothing turns buyers off more than the thought that they will immediately need to replace all of the flooring in a home. Ideally, you may want to replace them all, but if a limited budget puts a snag in that plan, start by replacing the carpet in the room that shows the most wear and tear and replace the others as your finances allow.”

$$$$- Update your bathroom(s). One easy way you can update your bathroom is to replace the outdated vanity with a more modern one. If you have cracked tiles or an outdated flooring, you may want to just consider a small gut renovation. Be sure you hire a professional.

For more tips on how to increase the value of your home, visit HGTV’s website.

Hodorowski Homes is the Capital Region’s premier home builder building single family homes in Schenectady, NY and its surrounding areas. Please visit www.hodorowskihomes.com for more information.

Staging Your Home to Sell

Spring is just around the corner and although it may not feel like it now, soon the flowers will be blooming, birds will be singing and the For Sale signs will be popping up on front lawns. If you are looking to sell your house this spring, we’ve put together some valuable tips from our Hodorowski Homes sales team for you to consider as you prepare to stage your home to sell.

"Spruce up the front of your home, including landscaping, lawn, walk-way, front door, porch area and garage door and trim” says Paula Filkins. “The first impression of your home is crucial to a potential customer.” An additional way you can spruce up your exterior is by power washing the exterior. If you don’t have one on hand, you can easily rent one from a big-box home improvement store. Another over looked but an easy fix item is washing all of your windows which will allow the best natural light to come in. John Mesko echoes that by saying: “Data suggests buyers decide not to buy a house within less than 2 minutes upon arrival, so keep your lawn mowed, or in winter plowed and shoveled! Be as neat as possible.”

Once a potential buyer steps out of their vehicle and into the front door of the house, make sure the inside is in order. Jim Bordis suggests to “De-clutter and keep it simple. Remove anything that's not needed, so in a kitchen for instance, if you don't use the toaster every day, put it away.” As you are de-cluttering, Jim also suggests putting away some of the personal family photos, this way the potential buyer can better envision themselves living there. Mesko adds: “Rent a storage unit short term, if needed. Keep ALL areas viewable and illusion of space as good as possible. Make beds, clean dishes, make a place someone wants to stay and explore as opposed to flee.” And while ridding of clutter is always good for your home, one other suggestion is to bring in fresh flowers on the kitchen counter or a few smaller vases of fresh flowers along the center of your dining table.

The last but equally as important tip for staging your home is to freshen up the carpets and floors of any pet hair and odors. If a potential buyer is offended by any odor coming from your house, the chances of them making an offer will be slim.

Oh, and if you are looking to build your dream home, we happen to know a great trustworthy company who can make that happen.

* Paula Filkins has 25 years of experience in both re-sale and helping individuals and families through the process of building a new home.
* John Mesko has been working with Hodorowski Homes for over 25 years and is experienced in both new construction and re-sale.
* Jim Bordis’s background is in management and has been guiding people through the building process since 2003.

Hodorowski Homes is the Capital Region's premier homebuilder building single family homes in Schenectady NY and it's surrounding regions. Please visit www.HodorowskiHomes.com for more information.

Eco-Friendly Moving Tips

At Hodorowski Homes we do our best to take care of the environment, not only around the office but out in the field as well. There are many ways we can do our part to care for our planet, even while you prepare to move into your new home. Here are some great eco-friendly moving tips to kick start your transition into your new space:

Donate to de-clutter. A great way to save your energy from moving any unwanted items is to have a yard sale a few weeks before moving. Not only will this save you the hassle of moving things you no longer use or need, you can also earn a few bucks too. If yard sales aren’t your style, you can always sell any major items online through Craigslist or eBay.

Use eco-friendly biodegradable packaging materials like these or wrap your fragile items in recycled newspapers. Another creative way to save money and materials is to use towels, pillowcases, throw blankets and sheets to pack breakable items. You can also rent reusable boxes which also help save on cardboard waste.

Pack a “first week” box. This is an all-inclusive box with items such as soap, towels, toothbrushes, coffee filters, etc. - household items that you use on a regular basis. This will prove very handy if you don’t unpack your boxes right away and will help avoid unnecessary trips to the market for those items.

Eat breakfast! You will need lots of energy if you plan to be moving and lifting all day. Also, drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep hydrated.

Go with company that encourages greener moving . If you are renting a truck for your move, consider renting from a company that encourages greener alternatives such as Penske. If you have hired movers, make sure all boxes and furniture are ready before moving crew arrives.

Moving across the country? Consider transporting your car via rail as opposed to a truck service. This can save fuel, therefore causing less pollution

Recycle. Once you are all unpacked, make sure you recycle any packaging materials like newspaper and box filler. Also, be sure to break down and recycle all of your cardboard boxes.

Remember, at the end of the day, while you need to do what is best for you and your family, we hope you can incorporate some of these eco-friendly choices as you go.

Hodorowski Homes is the Capital Region's premier homebuilder building single family homes in Schenectady NY and it's surrounding regions. Please visit www.HodorowskiHomes.com for more information.