Realty Insights for Home Buying, Home Selling, and Indy Info

In my last post, I mentioned 10 features that add value to your home. Conversely, here are 10 things that could decrease the value of your home: 1. A pool . An in-ground pool in most parts of the country doesn't automatically raise the value of your home. Having a swimming pool will automatically limit your market when it comes time to sell. 2. No garage or small garage . Unless you're living in a condo, a retirement community, or historical or in-town neighborhood most buyers will look for at least a two-car garage. 3. Garbled floor plan . Small rooms and bathrooms, an inconvenient floor plan or a layout that requires you to access bedrooms or bathrooms through other rooms will detract value from your home. 4. Outmoded appliances or systems . Who wants an electrical system or plumbing system incapable of handling modern conveniences? Would you buy a home if the appliances were worn or broken? 5. Stale or overly personal decor . 6. A bad roof . Roofs are expensive to replace, a...

Here are 10 features that can add value to your home: 1. An updated kitchen . Buyers are looking for solid surface counters and high-quality flooring, such as wood, laminate, tile or stone. Also important are newer appliances in working order. Even if your kitchen isn't huge, it should have usable countertops in good condition. Be wary if renovations are out of character with the community, such as granite countertops in a subdivision where plastic laminate is the norm. 2. Modern bathrooms . A big asset is a spa or a whirlpool tub. Some other features buyers are seeking are separate showers with steam and/or multiple jets, a double sink, and a separate room for the toilet. Make sure the plumbing and water heater can handle the job. The pipes have to be large enough to carry an adequate volume of water and the water heater has to be big enough to accommodate it. 3. A well-appointed master suite . The wish list: A luxurious bathroom, lounging areas and walk-in closets. 4. Natural mat...

Following is an article from MSNmoney.com columnist, Liz Pulliam Weston about the Do Not Call list: By Liz Pulliam Weston Humorist Dave Barry got it absolutely right when he called the federal Do Not Call list "the most popular federal concept since the Elvis stamp." There's no red-state, blue-state divide on the list, which prohibits telemarketers from bothering folks who have registered their phone numbers. Republican or Democrat, Libertarian or Green Party member, everybody detests telemarketers -- except, of course, telemarketers themselves, who were just about the only voices in opposition to the list's creation. The numbers speak for themselves: 10 million phone numbers were registered within four days of the list's opening on June 27, 2003. 30 million numbers were signed up within 40 days. 63 million were registered in the list's first year. Currently, 149 million phone numbers are on the federal Do Not Call list. Imperfect but better than the calls The...