The number one place to improve the value of your home is the kitchen. Renovations there are going to be worth and additional 92.9 percent of what you put in. Bathroom improvements are a close second at 90.1 percent. Additionally, improvements elsewhere in the home (and on the outside) will increase the value of the home and give you something that will be a great asset for you.

Paint the Cabinets -

Replacing the cabinets can be a costly endeavor, so it is much cheaper to paint the cabinets or re-stain them. It is wise to pick neutral colors that are not black or white. A color near the middle of bright and dark is good and for extra protection and ease of cleaning, pick a paint that is mild, matte finished and weather proof.

Improvements by Replacing all old Appliances -

Your cabinets could be stellar, everything looks perfect, but the value of the furniture lessens the appeal of a kitchen. The cheap way to get them replaced is to visit a scratch and ding facility, with most appliances 50 to 70% off. They are likely guaranteed to look new compared to the old furniture, and that raises the potential value greatly.

Improve Bathtub and Shower Fixture Improvements

One way to increase the apparent size of a bathroom is to replace a shower curtain with a glass door, and by replacing the shower head with one more luxurious, you have turned a small bathroom into a lavish getaway. The glass door lets light in, and allows the viewer to see past the edge of the shower and see a larger space.

Paint Improvements -

This is the easiest thing that one can do to make the house more inviting is to freshen up the pain in all of the rooms. Pick neutral colors, since a colors are personal and a more bold look could make the house worth lesser than before.

Conclusion -

The value of your home is a measure of what a potential buyer will pay for the abode. The key to successfully raising the value of a home is the anticipation of what will and will not be desirable enough. One of the best ways to do this is to think of a change and consider what would cause the change to fail for you. Then you'll think of the appropriate and safe colors to use, and enough to make the environment one that is welcoming and will make the new tenets feel like they are getting a new home.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-10-27 05:57:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Let’s start with the refrigerator. Chances are it could use a top to bottom scrubbing and a defrost if it’s an older model. Completely remove all the food and scrub the entire surface inside and out with a good cleaner that’s safe to use around food. Get into every nook and cranny until it’s sparkling. If you’ve got a common refrigerator, you may be able to find replacement shelves that will make it easier to store your food. Before you shut those doors though, there are two more steps you’re going to need to take.

Grab an old toothbrush and dunk it in your cleaner. Locate the rubber gasket on the inside of the door and get scrubbing. It’s most likely pretty gunky unless you’ve been cleaning it on a regular basis. If your refrigerator is old, you should replace the gasket. This will make your appliance more efficient. These gaskets can be found at any hardware store. Measure the old one or take a section in to help make it easier to find the replacement. Replace both gaskets and shut the door.

Scrub the outside of the doors until they are sparkling clean. Now, you’ve got an option. You can leave it as is, or you can try a technique that will make it look like you’ve spent a couple thousand dollars on a new appliance. Get some stainless steel contact paper – yes, contact paper, and carefully apply it to your door. You’re going to want to make sure that there are no broken or crooked edges. Completely coat the appliance with the contact paper, smoothing out any bubbles as you go. When you’re done, your refrigerator will look fantastic. It’s important to find contact paper that’s meant for this type of use. You can usually find it in most home improvement stores or online.

Now, let’s move onto to the dishwasher. Repeat the same processes above, making sure that it is completely cleaned out. You can also add the same contact paper to this appliance so that you have a uniform look for your appliances. You may need to replace the gasket on the dishwasher if it is old and worn out; typically, with any appliance, a replacement gasket should be put in every now and again. These wear out pretty quickly in a dishwasher since the area inside is so hot and humid. Again, you’ll be saving money on energy costs by taking the time to install a new gasket.

Make sure that you follow the proper care instructions for your newly contact-papered appliances. Most come with special instructions, but you can use a damp cloth with dish soap to clean it. Make sure that the cloth is not too wet.

Your kitchen should now look brand new and you’ve only spent a few hours and a couple dollars!

Photo Credits: 1, 2

Read more tips and advice on home cleaning at Merry Maids.

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Originally posted 2008-12-06 21:01:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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1. Thoroughly clean the refrigerator and oven. The new tenants will probably do this, of course, but if you leave anything in these it can be grounds for the landlord to keep your deposit for cleaning costs. Do this early, especially the oven, so that the odors are gone before you leave.
2. Patch all holes, even the tiniest picture nail holes, in your walls. Spackle and sand so that you can feel or see that there was ever a hole there. This is one of the banes of landlords--tiny holes all over the walls when someone leaves.
3. Paint, if you're allowed. Paint the walls the color they were originally if you've changed them, or just put a fresh coat on to spiff them up and cover any mars that have occurred while you lived there.
4. Clean everything thoroughly. This means everything, including corners, baseboards and nooks and crannies, along with the big things like toilet, tub and floors. Wash anything that's fabric that has to stay behind and dust thoroughly.
5. Be sure you remove everything when you leave no matter how helpful you might think it will be to someone else. Then after everything's gone, go over the floors one last time to leave it sparkling.
6. Be sure you turn in keys not just to your apartment or house, but to the main door if you have one.
7. Schedule a time for your landlord to go through the area with you so that you can show them the cleanliness you've left and they're aware of it. This step is probably the most important in making sure you get your deposit back, because you've made it clear that you want and deserve it.

Photo Credits: longlostcousin

Originally posted 2010-02-01 14:23:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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The good news is, if the appliance is less than a decade old, parts may be very easy to find. Once a new part is found, then it is up to the owner of the old machine to repair the appliance, which however will likely be an easy fix. The internet is a storehouse for businesses that supply original equipment manufacturer pieces (OEMs).

Many times, these websites will post a photo inventory, of hundreds of thousands of replacement parts for all major name brand appliances of all varieties. These sites will typically post instructions on how to repair the appliances with the parts, so it becomes a matter of being able to take apart an appliance and be able to put it back together again.

Very frequently, the repair is something really simple, such as a blown fuse or broken motor belt. These appliances are usually designed such that when they should fail, it is a relatively cheap part that is easy to replace, as opposed to a very expensive part.

To begin repairs, one must know what part needs to be replaced. Thankfully, the same sites that provide replacement parts also provide instructions and guides to diagnose the problem and learn how to fix it. These guides are usually setup in a question based format, for example it could read "If the light will not come on, check the door. If the door is broken, then you will need..." Not every problem is listed, so if you are having difficulties in figuring out what may be wrong, then you can email one of the many experts that the site will have. These individuals will be able to help you quickly figure out what you need.

If you know what part needs replacement, another good source is a junk yard that receives discarded appliances. Going to the junk yard, you can look for a discarded appliance that is the same model as yours. Should this little scavenger hunt succeed, then you can pull the part you need from the discarded appliance. Even more beneficial is that you can also pull out other parts to have on hand in case you should ever need them. Easy to replace parts, such as motor belts, fuses, wheels, knobs, and so forth are especially good to grab to have on hand.

So when you find that an appliance of yours has failed and you are faced with either fixing it or repairing it, then know that the cheaper route, that is more environmentally friendly, is to repair your appliance. Through websites specializing in replacement parts to junk yards where you can benefit from other's discarded bits, you will be able to find what you need to avoid a $1000 to $2000 replacement.

Photo Credit: 1

Originally posted 2008-12-01 05:17:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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1. Clean thoroughly. Any good landlord will make sure that the apartment or house you're renting is thoroughly clean before you move in. But if you clean it yourself you remove that lingering doubt that maybe it wasn't cleaned thoroughly. And it will smell like your cleaning products, which will make it smell like your old home so it's more familiar right away.
2. Call an exterminator for an inspection and treatment if necessary for things like mice and roaches. Even if you don't see anything now, that doesn't mean it's not there. It won't feel much like home if you wake to discover you have roommates you didn't expect.
3. Change the locks. Even if you trust your landlord, you don't know if all the keys to your new home have been turned in over the years. You'll immediately feel more secure.
4. Pay attention to the bathroom. If there's a trash can, toss it and get a new one. Look for hair build up in the tub and sink drains and remove it now. And change the toilet seat to a brand new one.
5. Be sure you have plenty of extension cords in case the outlets aren't in great places. You don't want to feel frustrated by your inability to reach them.
6. Spent a few hours really looking around the area, into all the nooks and crannies, so you can discover anything left behind now rather than later and just get more familiar with your new home.
7. Pay special attention to the fridge. Clean and disinfect it to remove any traces of the last tenant.

Photo Credits: Patrick Q

Originally posted 2010-02-02 03:24:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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