What to Know About Home Renovations
from Houzz
So, you have lived in your home for 10 years now. When you bought it the home was in pretty good shape, but truth be told, it could have used a bit of updating even then. Now, ten years later, the carpet is worn, the walls are dirty, and everything just looks tired. It’s time to spruce the place up a little.
I think home’s are a great investment, providing we don’t get in over our heads, and all of our investments should be cared for. Homes are one of the biggest financial investments for many of us, and we should make certain things are kept up. But when it’s time to renovate a home, we have to think with our heads as well as our hearts.
If you live in a neighborhood that is a little run down and tired, if most of the homes in that neighborhood still have inexpensive cabinets and formica countertops, be careful not to do improvements that are not in line with neighborhood values. While it’s become fairly standard for homes these days to upgrade to granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, try not to go overboard, or you will be disappointed when it comes time to sell or refinance your home. Even in the best of times, in the best of areas, you won’t necessarily recoup every dime you put into home improvements, but if you add a large addition, and top of the line everything in a neighborhood which does not have those types of improvements, you will be disappointed
Often each neighborhood has a Realtor or two who work in that area. It never hurts to let them know what you are thinking and ask them to run some numbers for you before you start work with a contractor. And if there are open houses in your area, take the time to look around and see what upgrades are prevalent in your area.
Pete DiSalvo, CPA
Vero Beach, Titusville
The “Slow Season” Is a Great Time for Planning
Along the Treasure Coast and up into the Space Coast, summer used to be our slow season. The people who live here part of the time traditionally return to somewhere up North or oversees and we have this beautiful coastline all to ourselves.
That situation has begun to change over the past five years. There are more full time residents moving into the area. Homes are going up all over the two counties and Realtors can’t get listings fast enough to satisfy the demands for housing.
Still, for some of our clients, this time of the year they get a little breather. It is the perfect time to take stock of where their businesses are financially, what their new goals are, and what steps they need to take to get to the next level.
Pete and his staff can help you plan for the future, and stream line the company tasks by taking over things like Payroll and Bookkeeping. We have the tools to put you on the path.
The first thing we need to determine is what is currently working well for you. Is it print advertising, word of mouth, networking, website and social media, or perhaps a combination?
Next, we work to figure out who your most profitable customers are, and how we can get more of them.
Third, who are the customers you want that you aren’t getting? Is your image consistent with the value of your services? Sometimes a business doesn’t need MORE customers, they just need customers who are willing to pay more for a higher quality of service.
Give us a call..it’s a great time of year to take stock and ramp up for next year!
Pete DiSalvo
CPA – DiSalvo Logo
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