How to Increase the Value of Your Home: Simple, Budget-Conscious Techniques and Ideas That Will Make Your Home Worth Up to $100,000 More! [Paperback]

Vicki Lankarge (Author), Dan Nahorney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 9, 2004

An easy-to-follow guide for home owners who want to maximize the value of their most important investment

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With anxiety over the stock market running high and home equity loan rates at an alltime low, Americans are investing in their homes like never before. Last year alone, consumers spent a record $123 billion on home building projects. How to Increase the Value of Your Home provides solid answers to questions such as: Is it better to build a downstairs bathroom or to remodel my kitchen? And it provides:

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• Techniques for commanding higher prices and quicker sales--now and 10 years from now .
• Guidance on which renovations to invest in and which ones to avoid .

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The guide to maximizing the value of your most valuable asset

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Millions of Americans are investing in home improvements, hoping to increase the long-term value of their most valuable asset. But do you know which home improvements will make your home's value jump, and those that won't? This practical guide covers all of the topics every homeowner must consider before getting started--improvements that add the most value, which should be undertaken first, and how to do it right from the very start. From remodeling the kitchen to landscaping the front yard and everything in between, you'll learn which improvements you should undertake, and which are a waste of your time and money.

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How to Improve the Value of Your Home will help you get the most bang for your home-improvement buck--with handy tips on lowering the cost of home maintenance and home improvement projects. If you aren't sure whether now is the right time to remodel, a simple quiz helps you to determine what you can afford to do and what to expect as a long-term payoff.

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And there's more:

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• Calculate the cost versus the value of improvements .
• What homework you need to do before tackling additions .
• How to find the resources and information you need .
• Where to find the right contractor to do the work .
• How to set a home-improvement budget .
• Ways to improve home energy efficiency .
• Tips on saving on home insurance .
• Simple ways to create curb appeal .

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About the Author

Vicki Lankarge (Hartford, CT) is an authority on protecting the value of houses. She writes on consumer issues for aol.com, CBS Marketwatch, and MSN.com.

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Dan Nahorney (Hartford, CT) is a journalist, business writer, and magazine editor.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (August 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071436936
• ISBN-13: 978-0071436939
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,103,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I was looking for..., December 30, 2005

By 

Robin Johnson Esak "Robin Johnson Esak" (Fredericksburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Increase the Value of Your Home: Simple, Budget-Conscious Techniques and Ideas That Will Make Your Home Worth Up to $100,000 More! (Paperback)

I'm preparing to sell my house and this book is exactly what I wanted to help me figure out what I needed to do, what I could do, and what I shouldn't bother with. On top of it's rather useful information, it's highly readable. I was afraid it would be overly wordy or bogged down with real estate-y stuff, but it's an easy read for your casual non-DIYer home seller. I wouldn't recommend that you use this as your reference on your first flip or anything, but if you want to sell your house and prepare it as well as possible first, this book suits.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your Home Will Never Look the Same, December 29, 2004

By 

Ned Mann (Burlington, CT, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Increase the Value of Your Home: Simple, Budget-Conscious Techniques and Ideas That Will Make Your Home Worth Up to $100,000 More! (Paperback)

Read this book in an afternoon, and you'll never look at your home the same way again. It contains literally hundreds of sensible ideas and tips for adding bottom-line value to your home. Moreover, it gives you practical tools and information for deciding which projects are worth doing (and which ones are not), and which ones to do first. If you have ever remodeled without first reading this guide, then you were working in the dark.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Addition to a Homeowner's Library, September 16, 2004

By 

Debra Carney (Whately, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Increase the Value of Your Home: Simple, Budget-Conscious Techniques and Ideas That Will Make Your Home Worth Up to $100,000 More! (Paperback)

This detailed and authoritative review of the do's and don'ts of home repair and remodeling is invaluable to any property owner. The material is cogent and well-organized, practical and reliable. Homeowners confronting the decision to sell or remodel their homes will find all the information they need to make an informed decision.