Sometimes, when you love your house...the location, the floorplan, the lot, the neighborhood, the schools, etc, it's worth it to spend a few thousand dollars to remodel the kitchen, update the bathrooms or change up the flooring, paint, fixures and paint rather than buy a new home.

Yes, you heard me. Even though I am a REALTOR and would love the opportunity to help you sell your exisiting home and buy a new one with all of the "bells and whistles" you want, I know that sometimes it is better for you to stay in your current home and remodel it before you sell. By taking this approach, you can enjoy the improvements AND improve the liklihood that you will sell when the time comes for you to list it for sale.

A few years ago, homes with dated kitchens and bathrooms sold for top dollar...It was all about supply and demand. Today, if your kitchen isn't updated or your bathrooms are still pink and blue, you'll be lucky if a Buyer makes an offer and when they do, it most likely won't be at the price you want (as they will deduct twice the cost of an upgrade when writing their offer). There are hundreds of homes on the market in most cities and in most cases, many of the sales are of those that have been updated. When the time is right for you to sell your home, you'll have one more objection handled!

With that being said, it might just be worth it to roll up your sleeves, strap on the carpenter's belt and get busy with one or more improvements. A few of the most popular renovations are:

• Updating your kitchen cabinetry
• Installing new surfaces on the counter tops
• Upgrading the bathrooms
• Installing in new flooring (real wood, tile or carpet are good choices)
• Painting the interior and/or interior of the home 

If you have a REALTOR, ask them to give you their opinion of what's most important to Buyers in your marketplace. If you don't have a local REALTOR, the representatives at your local home improvement store can help too!

To help lighten the financial burden, if you shop at Lowe's, I'd be happy to give you a coupon for 10% off (up to a maximum of $500.00) off your next single purchase of any in-stock or special order merchandise.

Give me a call at (321) 377-0157 or email me at LaShawn@LaShawnNorden.com to request your coupon.

If your home is in Central Florida and you need a good Residential Contractor, my husband, Rick Norden owns his own renovation company, Priority One Homes, and would be happy to give you a FREE estimate.

Rick can be reached at (321) 377-3661. In addition to being licensed and insured, he has 10 years of building and renovation experience.

Happy Remodeling!