3. Overhaul Your Kitchen and/or Master Bathroom
These are the two rooms in the house that you can ALMOST go overboard and still get your money back when you sell the home. Refinish or replace the cabinetry, put in new tile and sinks - even install a new, stand-up shower! When (or if) you put your home on the market, you should see a GREAT return on investment.
2. Knock Down Walls
Literally, knock down as many walls as you can and still retain the integrity of the home, and the NECESSARY separation of rooms. If you compare older homes to newer homes, you’ll notice that older homes are typically “choppy” while newer homes feel “open and flow well.” This is due to “line of sight.” Newer homes opt for less separation in rooms. You can create this same feeling by demolishing a half-wall that separates your kitchen from the living room or knocking down the wall between the living room and dining room to create one grand room. You’ll be AMAZED at the difference it makes.
Everyone loves to update their homes, and if you live in an older home in an appreciating neighborhood, it can be a fantastic investment. There are some pitfalls to avoid, which can cost a homeowner quite a bit of money because of no return on investment. However, it’s better to focus on what TO do and stay the course.
1. Raise the Roof!!!
Not literally, but gut the attic, and raise the ceiling in, at least, the living room. Older homes typically have 8 foot ceilings, and it’s one of the first characteristics that buyers notice. It’s relatively inexpensive, when you compare your return on investment, to demolish the ceilings of your older home and sheetrock over your new, vaulted ceiling. It’s amazing how much larger and lighter your home will feel.
2. If someone has managed to get access to your mail or other personal data, and opened any credit cards in your name or taken any funds from your bank account, contact your financial institution or credit card company immediately to report those transactions and to request further action. Ask periodically for a copy of your credit report.
What Shouldn’t Be There
1. If someone has gotten your financial data and made unauthorized debits or charges against your financial accounts, checking your monthly statements carefully may be the quickest way for you to find out. Too many of us give those statements, or the enclosed checks or credit transactions, only a quick glance, and don’t review them closely to make sure there are no unauthorized withdrawals or charges.
3. If you’re told that your statements are being mailed to another address that you haven’t authorized, tell the
financial institution or credit card representative immediately that you did not authorize the change of
address and that someone may be improperly using your accounts. In that situation, you should also ask
for copies of all statements and debit or charge transactions that have occurred since the last statement
you received. Obtaining those copies will help you to work with the financial institution or credit card
company in determining whether some or all of those debit or charge transactions were fraudulent.
2. If you’re not receiving monthly statements for the accounts you know you have, call the financial institution or credit card company immediately and ask about it.
C Check your financial information regularly, and look for what should be there and what shouldn’t:
What Should Be There.
1. If you have bank or credit card accounts, you should be receiving monthly statements that list transactions for the most recent month or reporting period
2. If you have to telephone someone while you’re traveling, and need to pass on personal financial information to the person you’re calling, don’t do it at an open telephone booth where passersby can listen in on what you’re saying; use a telephone booth where you can close the door, or wait until you’re at a less public location to call.
1. If you’re traveling, have your mail held at your local post office, or ask someone you know well and
trust another family member, a friend, or a neighbor to collect and hold your mail while you’re away.