Kitchen Remodel Considerations

As a seasoned General Contractor, my professional recommendations for enhancing and improving your kitchen with a focus on increasing the value of your home revolve around strategic investments that combine aesthetics, functionality, and quality. When it comes to kitchen upgrades, certain areas tend to deliver the best return on investment, ensuring your home stands out in the competitive real estate market.

First and foremost, consider upgrading your kitchen's cabinetry. Replacing outdated or worn cabinets with high-quality, modern options can breathe new life into the space and significantly boost your home's value. Opt for durable materials and styles that complement the overall design of your home, striking a balance between classic and contemporary aesthetics.

Next, pay attention to the kitchen's focal point – the countertops. Investing in attractive, low-maintenance, and durable surfaces like granite or quartz can make a lasting impression on potential buyers. A well-chosen countertop material enhances the kitchen's overall appeal and increases the perceived value of your home.

To create a welcoming and functional atmosphere, consider upgrading kitchen appliances. Stainless steel appliances not only lend a sophisticated look but also signal quality to potential buyers. Energy-efficient appliances are also a wise choice as they offer cost savings in the long run, appealing to eco-conscious homebuyers.

Additionally, don't overlook the importance of proper lighting in the kitchen. Installing well-designed lighting fixtures can transform the ambiance and functionality of the space. Recessed lighting, pendant lights over the island, and under-cabinet lighting can add depth and warmth, making your kitchen feel inviting and practical.

Lastly, focus on enhancing the kitchen's flow and layout. Consider opening up the space by removing non-structural walls or adding an island if it complements the available space. A well-designed kitchen layout that maximizes storage, counter space, and flow can leave a lasting impression on potential buyers and add significant value to your home.

In conclusion, investing in high-quality cabinetry, attractive countertops, modern appliances, well-designed lighting, and a functional layout are key elements to enhance your kitchen and increase the value of your home. By making thoughtful and strategic choices, you can create a kitchen that not only meets your needs but also becomes a valuable asset when it's time to sell your home.

4 Trends in Multifamily Housing

Across the US, builders, developers, and investors are rushing like maniacs to keep up with the huge demand for rental apartments and multifamily housing. Plenty of money is finding its way into the multifamily housing sector. Not only areinvestors and developers looking to boost home’s value, they also recognize the opportunity to earn a substantial ROI. Generally speaking, the multifamily housing market is booming because renters are looking for newer, better places to live as they bounce back from the housing market crash and they recover along with the improving economy. With that said, let’s take a look at four trends to track in the multifamily housing market.

1. Renters Seek Luxury and Affordability

Right now, renters in metro areas are looking to live as close to downtown as possible. Despite the desire for a certain lifestyle, affordability can be an issue. Unfortunately, a large portion of current renters still aren’t in the greatest shape financially, so their housing options are typically limited. Builders have taken it upon themselves to create micro apartments in an effort to fill this need. These apartments are roughly 250-350 ft.², they are quite luxurious with modern sinks and vessels, and typically lease for 75% of the monthly cost for a larger, similar style apartment in the city. As you can see, this option is still luxurious but much more affordable for lower income renters.

2. Green Leases Are a Hot New Trend

As the development of environmentally friendly apartments with energy efficient appliances, a cool roof, electric car charging stations, bike storage, and a focus on green initiatives takes shape, property managers are now asking tenants to sign a green lease. In Boston, in an effort for developers to get a green district designation, the city created the green lease. When a tenant signs this lease, he or she must agree to follow routines that lead to a sustainable lifestyle. This entails things like composting, recycling, and taking advantage of the available public transportation in the community. More and more metro areas are slowly catching on to this trend, and green leases are going to become a major phenomenon in the multifamily dwelling market sooner rather than later.

3. Tenants Now Have More Technological Control

We live in a massive period of innovation and technology is changing all the time as new advancements get released into the marketplace. In today’s modern multifamily dwelling, building owners are going to have to adapt with the changing times. As an example, many tenants are looking to take advantage of Internet TV. Yet many building owners are not ready to eliminate satellite and cable TV services. At this time, building teams have recognized the value of technological advances as far as improving a building’s sustainability is concerned. And they are beginning to embrace this new technology in an effort to provide a greener, more stable environment for their tenants and the world at large.

4. Living the Urban Lifestyle

As of now, multifamily dwelling owners hope to attract empty-nesters and millennials as their target renters. By focusing on these particular demographics, luxury property owners are making strides to develop building communities that provide the urban lifestyle. They are offering access to all of the latest technology, all of the hottest amenities like an outdoor fire pit, an indoor swimming pool, game/media room, laundry room, bike room etc. And everything a tenant could ever need is within 20 minutes of the apartment, whether they are walking or taking public transit. Again, this urban lifestyle trend is all about focusing on sustainable living.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, the current crop of renters is focused on living a sustainable lifestyle.  As a building owner, you must utilize the four suggestions mentioned today to stay relevant in this ever-changing market.

About the author:

Wendy Dessler is a super-connector with OutreachMama and Towering SEO who helps people find their audiences online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing bigger customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition. 

10 Tips for Green & Sustainable Building

The U.S. Department of Energy provides these 10 important tips for green and sustainable building:

1. Replace ordinary light bulbs with CFL bulbs. If every household replaced just one light bulb with a CFL bulb, America could save enough energy to light nearly three million homes.

2. Close curtains and shades at night to keep warmth in and keep them open during the day.

3. Try new lighting control technologies like motion-sensitive or timed off switch lighting. Using these new options can reduce lighting use by 50% - 75% and save the lighting portion of energy bills that account for 11% of overall household energy consumption.

4. Heating and cooling uses more energy and drains more energy dollars than any other system in the home. Approximately 43% of utility bills cover heating and cooling.

5. Install a programmable thermostat to keep your home comfortably warm in the winter and comfortably cool in the summer.

6. Replacing windows can save between 7% and 24% of the household heating and air conditioning costs.

7. Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips, and turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use as TVs and DVDs in standby mode still consume several watts of power.

8. Choosing energy-efficient products can save families approximately $400 a year while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Chose ENERGY STAR® certified products when you buy or replace household appliances.

9. In the workplace, buy and use ENERGY STAR labeled office equipment, and other products. Be sure that the “stand-by mode” function is activated as this automatic “sleep mode” saves energy and money when the equipment is not in use.

10. Regularly change the HVAC filters in the heating and cooling system of your home or office as dirty filters can cost up to $5 a month extra, overwork the equipment and result in dirtier indoor air. Consider purchasing “electrostatic” filters, which are washable, long lasting, and provide cleaner air. Clean or change filters more often if smokers or pollution sources are present.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy (www.eere.energy.gov/)