Articles
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Factory-built homes are more “green” than most site-built homes.
With the housing market taking a down-turn, more and more home owners are turning to modular house building. And because these modular homes are built in a factory, there's less waste of wood and other materials, making for a much "greener" home in the end. According to this article, modular homes are one of the fastest growing sectors of the residential community: Homebuilders are learning that there is a very 'green' side to modular homes. Factory-built ...
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Does your general contractor have Worker’s Compensation Insurance?
You can usually tell the quality of work your general contractor will give you by how he treats his employees. If he doesn't take even the minimum amount of time to protect them, how much effort will he put into your house? Austin Injury board has a great how-to process on how to buy good worker's comp insurance. A worker's comp policy can generally be purchased in one of two-and-a-half ways. First, the employer that ...
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Small improvements help house sales more than large improvements
With the current state of the housing industry, many potential home sellers are wondering what to do to make their houses more likely to sell. Should you take on major housing improvements, like installing new siding or finishing your basement? Or should you settle for more minor improvements? According to the Statesman, the smaller improvements are better: Even a minor, mid-range kitchen remodeling project in the D.C. area would cost about $21,000, and a major "upscale" ...
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Despite slow economy, consumers continue with home improvements
It is logical to assume that when the house market is extremely shaky, then home improvement investments will take a sharp dive as a result. But the Pantagraph is reporting that participation in home improvement shows has nearly doubled over the last few years. Also the business of heating, ventilation and air conditioning hasn't declined at all. As one of the people quoted in the piece said, "“HVAC is recession-proof." The mood seemed to be ...
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Remodeling in your house: How much will it improve your appraisal?
Whenever someone decides to do some remodeling in his or her house, the thing always at the back of the mind is how much the remodeling will improve an appraisal. If I remodel my kitchen, will this add another $10,000 to my house's worth? What about finishing my basement? The Washington Post has an excellent article that talks about the problems that appraisers face with these questions. It isn't an exact science: If there are foreclosures ...