As a homeowner, taxes can be confusing. Here are a few tax credits and deductions that you may qualify for. Selling Your Home Although home improvement costs are considered a personal expense that cannot be deducted from your taxes, they still have a tax benefit by adding to your home’s tax basis and reducing the amount of taxes owed when you sell your home. Allow us to explain. A tax basis is the amount you subtract from the total sales price of your home to determine your p

The process of renovating your home can be one of the most stressful and overwhelming experiences as a homeowner. Decisions regarding paint colors, decor, flooring and themes are challenging in their own ways, but larger projects introduce new sets of challenges and excitement. You may be excited about renovating your home, or it may be your only option if you purchased your home at a higher price point than what you could sell it for today. Either way, a reasonably-priced an

Last week we went over the effects that a cluttered home has on not only your home but also your health. The question is now, how do we get there? Why are these decisions so hard to make? Maybe you feel guilty for wasting money or tossing objects connected to old goals (like those expensive shoes you bought when you thought you were going to start rock climbing). Maybe you get caught up in the cycle of, “I might need this later,” or “this could be worth something.” Perhaps yo

When it comes to deciding on whether to begin investing in a home gym, there are a few things you should keep in mind before you start buying anything expensive or excessive. Keep in mind that home gyms aren’t for everyone. There are types of people that need to get out of the house to find the motivation to get up and work out regularly. The most common mistake people make when debating on investing in a home gym is that they have big dreams of getting fit quick and spend fa

Halloween has passed, and with Thanksgiving and the winter holidays quickly approaching, there’s a lot to look forward and prepare for this time of year. Pack up the skeletons and dust off the cobwebs; get a head start on holiday hosting preparations. Taking care of this now will allow you to spend more time with your family and relax. Replace floor protectors If you have hardwood floors, you want to protect your wooded investment. Check the feet of chairs and other furniture

Fall is finally here! Do you have your home where it should be before the season really begins to change? This checklist will help you sort out a variety of tasks that will both protect your home and help you save money. Clean the Gutters With the season transitioning into the fall, that only means one thing: Leaves… lots and lots of leaves! A great way to get ready for the onslaught of foliage that’s going to fall would be to start cleaning out your gutters before any major

If you’ve been thinking about renovating your home lately you know going into it that it can get pretty costly. According to the 2017 Houzz & Home Report, homeowners spent an average of $73,100 on renovations in 2016. You don’t have to spend tens of thousands of dollars when it comes to making sure you have a renovation you are happy with. There are a variety of ways to save money as you go along and update your home. 1. Buy Discontinued Flooring New flooring can definitely g

Across the board, there are pros and cons to your job no matter what field you are centered in. In the renovation and home-repair community, building professionals truly pride themselves on being able to go above and beyond their client’s expectations. However, this does not mean that your contractor and his/her team is going to be firing on all cylinders with excitement at every step of the project. Contractors may smile and carry on with a brave face throughout the renovati

The decision to hang wallpaper in your home might be scary for beginners, but it doesn’t have to be if you keep a few things in mind before you start. Read through our list of tips and you’ll be well on your way to hanging wallpaper like a pro. Ordering Order all of the wallpaper you’re going to need (and then some) at the same time. When it arrives, take time to double check the lot numbers to ensure it all came from the same batch or run. Different runs can have a slightly

A survey done by Consumer Reports lets us into the minds of millennials when it comes to what today’s buyers are looking for. Now, before you write off the wants and needs of a millennial, you should know they accounted for 32% of purchased homes in 2014. Consumer Reports spoke with 1,573 millennials to learn what decisions need to be made to begin improvements on their home and its final value. The Kitchen Kitchens hold a lot of power when it comes to a prospective buyer, es

There are some everyday things we take for granted that could one day be gone. We need to do what we can to protect the earth’s natural resources, water being one of the big ones. Something as simple as turning off the water while you brush your teeth can help in ways you could not even begin to imagine, not only in your pocketbook but also in a global effort to protect earth’s natural resources. Any Room with Plumbing Locate and repair leaky faucets, both inside and outside.

There are a few things you probably didn’t know about tape measures. For example, did you know that today is National Tape Measure Day? You read that correctly, don’t worry. July 14 is a nationally observed day for the tape measure. Alvin J. Fellows changed the course of history and the lives of carpenters, seamstresses and craftsmen worldwide when his patent for “Improvements in Tape Measures” was granted on July 14, 1868. So, if you’re feeling appreciative toward the retrac

For a millennium, man has been celebrating the earth in a variety of ways and traditions. For example, Hanami is the observance of the cherry blossoms blooming in Japan. The name literally means “viewing flowers.” It was originally practiced more than a thousand years ago and is celebrated by esteemed Japanese artists and poets. More recently, Fira per la Terra, or “Fair of the Earth,” is celebrated annually in Barcelona in the weeks leading up to Earth Day. The festival focu

When it comes to renovating your home, researching and finding a reputable contractor will determine the outcome of the renovation process. You and your contractor are going to be spending a lot of time and money together. For the majority of homeowners, the hardest decision in any home renovation project is finding a contractor that’s not only going to install the beautiful cherry hardwood floors they may have in mind, but also a contractor who’s going to perform at a high a