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.
12
724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE
❘
icmags.com
*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 thing prospects notice
even before exiting their cars looks like
something out of the movie “Twister,”
you’ve got a problem.
*Millennials: All-new appliances.
Realtors will tell you that major kitchen
(and bath) upgrades aren’t generally
worth their high costs, in terms of return
on investment, since prospective buyers’
tastes can clash with yours. However,
Millennials love, love, love all-new stainless
steel appliances. So much so that what
RealtyTimes.com called “an
astonishing majority of 75
percent” of respondents
in a recent survey
chose to spend their
hypothetical home
buying budgets on
them.
DO-IT-
YOURSELF
LANDSCAPING
THAT DOESN’T
LOOK IT
If you’ve ever attempted
to transform your backyard into a
beautifully designed paradise, then you
have probably planted, trimmed and dug
your way into a few minor frustrations
along the way. While good landscaping can
vary by degrees including budget, skills and
climate, there are a few easy things you can
do in order to be proud of your landscaping
without paying an expert.
The following tips will guide you on the right
path to do-it-yourself landscaping:
*Always layer your planting beds. Layering in
three rows, begin with your tallest plants in the back row, next
tallest in the middle and your shortest plants in the front. And
don’t just plant one bed—put another elsewhere in your yard to
help provide a sense of harmony.
*Calm your yard with water features. Providing focal
points in your landscaping work is a must, and one great way is to
incorporate water features such as ponds and simple waterfalls.
They both look appealing and add an attractive element to your
yard—the calming sounds of moving water.
*Utilize retaining walls. If you are planning on protecting
the fragile landscaping work around your home, it’s imperative
to construct a strong retaining wall. Erosion-prone areas in your
yard will benefit greatly by incorporating segmental retaining
walls constructed from concrete masonry. Using concrete