IN Norwin Spring 2019 | Page 16

Got a Plumbing Problem? We’re the Solution! Complete Indoor Plumbing Service & Repair Registered Master Plumbers Priced by the Job... Not by the Hour! PA7311 724-864-4044 W W W. J O H N S O N S H E AT I N G . C O M SERVICING THE COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS Local Quality & Experience Stay Comfortable all Year Round Mention code RJS for FF $ you 5 r fur O nace or a/c clean and check SALES • SERVICE • INSTALLATION Repairs All Makes All Models Furnace & A/C Checkups 724.863.9556 www.rjstaso.com 14 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE ❘ icmags.com A FEW KEY UPGRADES THAT CAN REALLY PAY OFF It’s time to stop thinking of Millennials as totally uninterested in owning anything just because they were early adopters of Uber. The newly released U.S. home ownership rate rose in 2018 for the first time in 13 years—it now stands at 64.2 percent—driven mainly by a shift toward owning over renting by the under-35 crowd who’d been wary of committing for both financial and personal reasons. “This is happening because young households are buying homes,” Ralph McLaughlin, chief economist at home listings provider Trulia, told the Wall Street Journal. They’re not the only purchasers, of course. But if you’re looking to sell your house now or in the not-too-distant future, you might want to check out this generational roadmap of four upgrades experts say are worth it to help attract potential buyers. *Cross-generational: a new steel door. The only thing that beat it on Remodeling magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report was loose-fill attic insulation, but this project—with a 90.7 percent return on investment— speaks directly to the report’s main takeaway: “Curb appeal projects, by and large, generated higher returns on investment than work done inside the home.” Plus, as far as Millennials go, while their ideal interiors may differ from older generations—for example, they prefer open floor plans and hardwood floors—Architectural Digest says they’re still into “traditional” exteriors. *Millennials: Smart-home tech. Yes, there are Boomers and Gen Xers who are super tech-savvy, but Millennials especially crave homes that allow them to control their heating, air-conditioning, home security, and lighting systems from their phones. They want to use their brains for other things, not for remembering whether they adjusted the heat or closed the garage door. *Cross-generational: A new roof. It’s the ultimate curb appeal enhancer and buyers pay a premium for one already in place. So if the first