It's Not Your Grandma's Kitchen Linoleum!

Faux Ceramic Tile Vinyl Flooring

Our kitchen, laundry and main hallway flooring was a beautiful white geometric design. It was a very popular pattern when we purchase our home in the late 1990’s but a decade later, it was just ugly.  

Being a REALTOR® and knowing we would be moving within a few years, we didn’t want to over remodel our home but knew we had to make changes during our kitchen remodel in 2010. We decided on an upgrade of hardwood for the kitchen and adjoining family room we were converting into a dining room but what to do with the hallways and laundry? In my mind’s eye, I saw ceramic tile but it didn’t calculate as a wise investment. Our second thought was a laminate floor that looked like tile. However the flooring store professionals talked us out of that one—best not to use Pergo-type products anywhere that is damp due to potential peeling of the image. So, we finally opted for an upgraded vinyl that looked like tile. Some of the faux-ceramic tile products have a visible texture so one has to reach down and touch it to see if it is tile or not. It was the perfect choice! The first day after the vinyl floor installation, our milkman was making his weekly delivery and asked when we had the ceramic tile installed. Bingo! Now, two years later and it still looks new! And best of all, it was just a fraction of the cost of ceramic or laminate flooring.

It is essential to make smart choices when upgrading features in your home. This is especially true if you plan to move someday. Not every home has the value or location to support high quality upgrades. Sometimes a good, budget-conscious alternative is the way to go. Over upgrading is one of the saddest news I have to deliver when people ask a market analysis. There is often a misguided expectation of receiving a dollar for dollar return on the remodeling investment. The reality is more of 25-30% return on investment on average for most remodeling projects. However, not doing anything when your home is out of date or deteriorating can affect the bottom-line when it comes time to sell. This is where a REALTOR® for life comes in. If you are unsure of whether you need to install the most expensive or just a good quality alternative product in your next remodel, give all me. I can help you decide whether your upgrades will make sense for the neighborhood. 

Copyright 2012 Teri Eckholm 

Remodeling Investments for 2010: Kitchens Still Have Sizzle!

Home in need of an update but the current real estate market has you questioning what to spend on the investment? If this sounds like you, you are in very good company! Many people are itching for a change in environment but are opting to remodel rather than move. But what the “what ifs” start creeping in too…Will I ever get the money back out of the remodel? Will the investment outweigh the value added to the home? If you are considering a kitchen remodel, it still could be good choice.

The statement “Kitchens and Baths sell homes” is second only to “Location, Location, Location” in the real estate playbook. Okay we don’t really have a playbook but the annual Cost VS Value Report for home remodels consistently shows that a higher percentage of funds used for a kitchen, bath or basement remodel will be recouped on a sale than most other remodeling projects. In late December, the NAR released the 2009-2010 Cost VS Value Report for home remodels. This study completed by Remodeling Magazine, looked at cost data, resale value and percentage recouped for 33 different projects in 80 housing markets across the United States. Minnesotans have to be a bit more cautious about remodels than in other areas of the country as our value of specific remodels are trending downward. If a homeowner does a major, mid-range kitchen remodel, he can expect to recoup about 64.3% of their expenses which is lower than the national average of 72.1% percent return on investment. A minor kitchen remodel, spending roughly $21,400 in Minnesota will be recouped at a rate of 69.4% again this is less than the national average of 78.3% but a reasonable return. (View all the statistics from the Cost vs. Value Report 2009-2010 for the Mpls/St Paul area.)
Before undertaking a kitchen remodel it is best to understand the “Why” of the project. Is it because your home-sweet-home is perfect except for a kitchen so small that people trip over each other on the way from the refrigerator to the table? Or is it because you want to move and the 1980’s country blue counter and white department store brand appliances have seen better days and should be put out to pasture? The approach to the perfect remodel will be different if you are planning to stay in the home for the long term.
Take a Family Lifestyle Inventory
If you are designing the perfect kitchen for your family, take a lifestyle inventory. This is a process where you answer questions to understand what will be the most important needs specific to your family for the new space. It will help you and your designer to incorporate important details into your plan.
Consider cooking habits:

• One cook or two?


• Baker?


• Left-handed?


• Do you do dishes as you cook?


• Lots of Gadgets?


• Buy in Bulk?


• One oven or two?

Consider eating habits:

• Family gatherings?


• Everyone for themselves?


• Eat outdoors?


• Need morning sunshine?


• Entertaining?

Other Considerations:

• Flat screen TV in kitchen?


• Computer or home office needs?


• Homework?


• Laundry?


• Recycling?


• Will the family grow?


• Older relatives?


• Handicap Accessibility requirements?

All of these are things to consider when making a decision on whether and how to remodel your kitchen. Work with a designer or use a remodeling design software that will take into account the important specific needs of your family.
Hot Trends for Today’s Kitchens
For a remodel to add value at resale, you must consider current needs and trends. So what are the hot for trends for kitchens today?

• Ceramic tile back splashes—One of the cheapest and best ways to update a kitchen!


• Open to Family Room or Great Room


• Custom cabinetry in a variety of heights with lots of moldings and unique woods…Maple and Cherry are preferred to Oak.


• Appliances with Energy Star ratings.


• Energy saving induction cook tops separate from ovens.


• Green flooring choices like bamboo, cork and eucalyptus.


• Sinks with instant hot water systems.


• Pantries and abundant, easy access storage


• Multiple types of lighting (bright to work, indirect for mood). Avoid track lighting.


• Windows for Natural Light


• Quartz-based granite-like counters in products like Cambria, Silestone and Zodiac, for counters and islands, as health conscious people trend away from granite. Too expensive to do the whole kitchen in quartz? Consider just the island in the expensive stuff and do the rest of the kitchen counter in a granite tiles or a complimentary colored laminate.

Stick to Your Budget
Take it from someone who just completed a minor-kitchen remodel this past year, can be easy to get caught up in the remodeling process and go over budget. Take time from the start to reflect on your family’s needs and reasons for the remodel. Consider options that make the most sense for your family, budget and neighborhood. Make certain that the kitchen isn’t designed and constructed at a quality far beyond the value of the rest of the home. Remember remodeling for family use tends to cost more than a remodel for resale.
If remodeling specifically to put your home on the market, go for the minor remodel and take into consideration the quality and condition of the rest of home. Remember you will not recoup 100% of your investment. The changes are being made to make the house more saleable in a down market. A good REALTOR® will give you the best advice as to what is necessary and what is over the top. If you are in an upscale neighborhood where homebuyers will expect high-end quality, don’t make discount-store decisions. Likewise, if your home is in an area of modest or lower value homes, skip the granite and go with an upgraded-laminate to replace dated counters. Understanding the market place you live in will help make the best choices to recoup the most from your investment.
Spending a little extra time in the planning stage can reduce the headaches and heartaches of a construction project that does not meet expectations. Taking your time will allow you to make the wise decisions that add value to your most important financial investment, your home.
 

Copyright 2010 Teri Eckholm http://www.terieckholm.com/

Granite and Stainless Steel Appliances are Over-Rated (and not required) in all Anoka County Kitchens!

As a REALTOR® I have fun watching the HGTV’s remodeling, staging and sell-your-house-now shows but not all the advice is going to make sense for every home and every market. Case in point, kitchen remodels. You’d think watching these shows that the only way a real estate agent can sell a house with a new kitchen is if it has been remodeled with granite and stainless steel appliances. It seems that every real estate agent that walks through a newly remodeled kitchen is either gushing about the “perfect” choice of granite or lamenting about how the new white appliances were the wrong choice.

Here’s the problem…Each show has one agent in a particular town giving a personal opinion based on their knowledge of their market. Time after time I see these REALTOR’s® crestfallen faces as they enter the kitchen as eager sellers show off their beautifully remodeled space where they have chosen…can you believe it…WHITE appliances! The agent will gush over the granite and maybe the tile backsplash or light fixtures then question the choice of appliances. “Why, oh why did you not choose stainless steel?” they often lament. “But you did make an excellent choice with the granite counters.”

Now add in that some of these shows are reruns from a few years back and one has to ask the question, does it always make sense to always use granite and stainless in a kitchen remodel? My answer is no.

A few weeks ago, I showed late 1980’s built four level split in Ham Lake just a few miles north of Blaine. The selling features included a couple of acres with mature trees, a polebarn garage, a just completed four season sunroom and remodeled kitchen. The kitchen had beautiful granite counters and island accented by high end stainless appliances. Unfortunately, it also had the original 1980’s windows that had seen better days. The wood rot was evident and progressing to a point where the windows would require replacing throughout the original part of the home. Add to this the complete lack of window treatments in the new family room which meant there was zero privacy as the bank of floor to ceiling glass faced the street. If the homeowners had gone with good quality appliances and high end laminate counters instead, they could have diverted the thousands of dollars from the kitchen remodel to replace windows and purchase window treatments for the sunroom.

Here’s another point….Even if the home was in pristine condition, it is doubtful that the sellers would ever see a positive return on their granite investment. In fact, in the Twin Cities the average homeowner will see a return of about 72% on their investment on a kitchen remodel…NOT 100%! If homeowners overpay for the materials used, that percentage will no doubt drop like a chunk of granite used in the remodel! If the homeowner intends to eventually sell, upgrades like granite might help the home to sell faster in a slow market, but dollar for dollar return in most cases would be lower than going with high quality laminate in an older north metro Twin Cities home. (For more information on return on remodeling investments see the Cost vs. Value Report 2008 for the Mpls/St Paul area.)

Now had the home been a bit newer and located just to the south in one of the Blaine neighborhoods near the Tournament Player’s Club golf course where everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) has granite and stainless, you bet, that not having these features would be a big negative when the owners went to sell. But this was not the case in a mid-range 1980's Ham Lake neighborhood.

Here’s the bottomline on remodeling your home…If you plan to move in the near future, make required repairs first and be certain your upgrades fit YOUR neighborhood. As a local REALTOR® who knows the Twin Cities North and East Metro, I am here to help!

Copyright 2009 Teri Eckholm http://www.terieckholm.com/

Remodeling Investments for 2009: Kitchens Still Sizzle!

No doubt there are many homeowners who a different home but the current status of the real estate market has caused them to reconsider a move and opt for a remodel. But what the “what ifs” start creeping in too…Will I ever get the money back out of the remodel? Will the investment outweigh the value added to the home? If you are considering a kitchen remodel, it still could be good choice.

The statement “Kitchens and Baths sell homes” is second only to “Location, Location, Location” in the real estate playbook. Okay we don’t really have a playbook but the annual Cost VS Value Report for home remodels consistently shows that a higher percentage of funds used for a kitchen or bath remodel will be recouped on a sale than most other remodeling projects. In late December, the NAR released the 2008-2009 Cost VS Value Report for home remodels. This study looked at cost data, resale value and percentage recouped for 25 different projects in 80 housing markets across the United States. In Minnesota, if an homeowner does a major, mid-range kitchen remodel, he can expect to recoup about 72.7% of their expenses which is a little lower than the national average of 76% percent return on investment. A minor kitchen remodel, spending roughly $21,000 in Minnesota will be recouped at a rate of 73.3% again this is less than the national average of 79.9% but a reasonable return. (View all the statistics from the Cost vs. Value Report 2008 for the Mpls/St Paul area.)

Before a undertaking a kitchen remodel it is best to understand the “Why” of the project. Is it because your home-sweet-home is perfect except for a kitchen so small that people trip over each other on the way from the refrigerator to the table? Or is it because you want to move and the 1980’s country blue counter and white department store brand appliances have seen better days and should be put out to pasture? The approach to the perfect remodel will be different if you are planning to stay in the home for the long term.

Take a Family Lifestyle Inventory

If you are designing the perfect kitchen for your family, take a lifestyle inventory. This is a process where you answer questions to understand what will be the most important needs specific to your family for the new space. It will help you and your designer to incorporate important details into your plan.

• Consider cooking habits: One cook or two? Baker? Left-handed? Do you do dishes as you cook? Lots of Gadgets? Buy in Bulk? One oven or two?


• Consider eating habits: Family gatherings? Everyone for themselves? Eat outdoors? Need morning sunshine? Entertaining?


• Other Considerations: Flat screen TV in kitchen? Computer or home office needs? Homework? Laundry? Recycling? Will the family grow? Older relatives? Handicap Accessibility requirements?

All of these are things to consider when making a decision on whether and how to remodel your kitchen. Work with a designer or use a remodeling design software that will take into account the important specific needs of your family.

Hot Trends for Today’s Kitchens

For a remodel to add value at resale, you must consider current needs and trends. So what are the hot for trends for kitchens today?

• Open to Family Room or Great RoomCustom cabinetry in a variety of heights with lots of moldings and unique woods…Maple and Cherry are preferred to Oak.


• Retro-look Appliances with Energy Star ratings.


• Energy saving induction cook tops separate from ovens.


• Ceramic tile back splashes.Green flooring choices like bamboo, cork and eucalyptus.


• Sinks with instant hot water systems.


• Pantries and abundant, easy access storage.


• Multiple types of lighting (bright to work, indirect for mood). Avoid track lighting.


• Windows for Natural LightQuartz-based granite-like product like Cambria, Silstone and Zodiac, for counters and islands, as health conscious people trend away from granite. Too expensive to do the whole kitchen in quartz? Consider just the island in the expensive stuff and do the rest of the kitchen counter in a complimentary colored laminate.

Stick to Your Budget

It can be easy to get caught up in the remodeling process and go over budget. Take time from the start to reflect on your family’s needs and reasons for the remodel. Consider options that make the most sense for your family, budget and neighborhood. Make certain that the kitchen isn’t designed and constructed at a quality far beyond the value of the rest of the home. Remember remodeling for family use tends to cost more than a remodel for resale.

If remodeling specifically to put your home on the market, go for the minor remodel and take into consideration the quality and condition of the rest of home. Remember you will not recoup 100% of your investment. The changes are being made to make the house more saleable in a down market. A good REALTOR® will give you the best advice as to what is necessary and what is over the top. If you are in an upscale neighborhood where homebuyers will expect high-end quality, don’t make discount-store decisions. Likewise, if your home is in an area of modest or lower value homes, skip the granite and go for the laminate to replace the counters. Understanding the market place you live in will help make the best choices to recoup the most from your investment.

Spending a little extra time in the planning stage can reduce the headaches and heartaches of a construction project that does not meet expectations. Taking your time will allow you to make the wise decisions that add value to your most important financial investment, your home.

If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me a call or visit my website for a FREE Relocation Packet or Homebuyers Success Packet. I specialize in acreage and lakeshore properties in the north and east Twin Cities metro area including Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake School District! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.

Buying a Home? Check out my new HOME BUYER'S BLOG!

Copyright 2009 Teri Eckholm http://www.terieckholm.com/