If you recently purchased a new home with the intent to sell in the future, it's important to continuously invest and add value to the home. There are a number of small, budget friendly projects that can be completed to add value to your home. Making these small investments will pay off down the road when the time to sell has come. At Choice Properties, our expert real estate agents are eager to help you with both your home buying and selling needs. Consider these cheap upgrades to increase your home's value, preparing your home for the highest profit. 

10 Easy, Budget Friendly Ways to Add Value to Your Home

• Paint Kitchen Cabinets. Having new cabinets installed can easily come with a price tag. Tackle this yourself by giving the cabinets a fresh paint job with a neutral color.   

• Swap Out Hardware. When is the last time the kitchen and bathroom hardware was updated? Swap out old knobs and pulls for a clean, sleek pair. 

• Devote Time to Outdoor Patio Space. The outdoor areas of a home are just as important as indoors. Incorporate nice landscaping, perhaps with a clean firepit and outdoor seating on the back patio. 

• Replace Old Outlets. Wall outlets are often overlooked. Replace the old, washed out white outlets with a fresh face. 

• Install Crown Molding. Adding crown molding is a great way to add value to a home. Contact your local contractor for an estimate and witness this small change greatly enhance the appearance of your home.

• Focus on Curb Appeal. The walkways and front of your house is the first thing people will notice upon entering your home. Make sure it's welcoming by adding brick stairs, a safe railing, and a freshly painted front door.

• Upgrade Landscaping. Does your front lawn look bare? Consider having a couple trees planted for shade and greenery. Bushes and year-long plants are great to add along flower beds.

• Add Storage Solutions. If your bathroom is smaller than usual, get creative with permanent storage solutions. This could include floating shelves behind the toilet or above the sink.

• Replace Lighting Fixtures. Don't overlook the power of lighting. Making small adjustments by replacing bulbs or fixtures can greatly enhance the appearance of a room.

• Check Window Frames. An easy way to make windows appear larger is to add crown molding and new blinds to the window.

Choice Properties offers you a chance to find the home of your dreams. We work with your budget and ideas in mind to support your ultimate vision. Call us if you are ready to check out the available inventory or to speak with a reputable agent who can assist you with your home buying needs.

Advice for Winterizing Indian Lake Ohio Vacation Rentals

It's been a great summer for the guests in your Indian Lake Ohio vacation rental. Now, the guests are gone and time to shut the place down for winter. It's important that the property is protected for winter, so that it's able to be used and enjoyed in summer. We have some advice for you to winterize your Indian Lake Ohio vacation rentals.

Turn Off Water

Shut off the water and thoroughly drain the water out of pipes. To do this, find the lowest faucet on the property, usually one on the exterior and open it up. Then go back through the cabin and open every sink, shower or bath faucet and flush every toilet to remove remaining water. You also have to turn off electricity or the pilot light on the water heater and drain the water heater into a floor drain. Disconnect garden hoses and empty pipes leading to outside faucets. Finally, you could use a compressor to blow out the last of the water.

Leave The Heat On

It's best to keep the heat on at a low level for the winter. Of course, power outages are possible and so if the power goes out for a couple days, there could still have problems with pipes cracking. Another argument for leaving the heat on at about 55 to 60 degrees if possible is to prevent the buckling of grouted tiles in bathrooms and kitchen due to the cold weather.

Remove All Food

This includes removing boxes of cereals or cracker and cookies that could attract insects and rodents. Wipe down kitchen counters, all appliances and the kitchen table. Clean out the fridge completely, and don't forget about the freezer. You don't want to come back in Spring or Summer to rotten food.

Unplug All Appliances

Unplug all the appliances including toasters and microwaves. The refrigerator can be left plugged in, but if you are unplugging that too, make sure you clean it out completely, as advised above. Check the pilot lights on the stove and fireplace and shut off the gas. It's a good practice to check for possible gas leaks at this time. If you have a working chimney, put a chimney cap on it or cover it in some way to prevent animals from getting in. finally, unplug the TV, stereo and any computers you may keep at the premises.

Bring In The Dock

Maintaining the dock is critical if you want to use or rent out your property in the next year. If you don't have a dock that can withstand ice, you'll need to bring it in during the winter. Rolling docks and floating piers need some manpower to handle but a standing dock will require even more reinforcements.

Winterize The Boat

You can hire your local marina to winterize your boat, or you can do it yourself. One thing to make sure of is to cover the boat securely to protect it from the elements. Store all the cushions, rafts and life vests in a dry, well ventilated area to protect mildew.

Check For Entry Points

Floorboards, corners, eaves and other nooks and crannies make great entry points for unwanted winter critters. Make sure you check them and seal any holes that are big enough. A good sealant to use is steel wool, which mice and squirrels cannot bite through.

While you will do all you can to make sure your Indian Lake Ohio vacation rental is thoroughly winterized, not everything is predictable. It is a good idea to look into hiring a winter caretaker, who will check on your property periodically, and take care of little things, and be able to alert you for any big issues. Taking care of your property for the winter will ensure that you don't miss even one day of summer on the lake.

Are you interested in starting the hunt for your lake house? Our expert agents are here waiting to assist you! Give us a call today.

Why You Should Live in a House Before Renovating

Many buyers are looking for move-in ready homes. Significant opportunities are available in prime locations with home that linger on the market yet need some work. Some individuals will flock to the homes to customize to personal requirements and built equity along the way. Learn why it is important to live in a space before starting renovations on a property.

Minds Can Change

Living in a home can start with grand visions of seeing changes to be made but, based on the condition and priorities, things can shift over time. When a person actually lives in a space, it is easier to see exactly how to use the house, what will work and what will not. The day-to-day experience will inform home improvement decisions of how to use the home every day.

Take a Break

Purchasing a home is a massive project in itself. Along with an enormous change, it is a shock to the system. Finances change and buyers jump through so many hoops, spending months looking for a home. It becomes almost a part-time job. A home renovation, likewise, can become a big, stressful project with decisions to make and contractors to deal with. Take a break, enjoy the new home, then start looking into renovations.

Time to Plan

Renovations need to be carefully thought out, planned and designed. Multiple architects, contractors or designers must be involved in the process which is time-consuming. Hiring the right people to take on renovations can save time, money and headaches down the road. Some buyers want to start right away to get the home into perfect shape but do not want to pay rent and mortgage at the same time. Buyers need to plan ahead for even the best laid plans can go awry.

Buyers who said on day one that a home which requires work was not on the list, that is often what people end up doing to some extent. It is the natural evolution of buying a home in that people don't always want a brand new, pristine building and will go for character first. Rarely someone buys the home which was at the top of one's list or one which the people started off thinking about. While people should remain open to doing some work on a home, it is not worth it to get stressed about doing it all at once. Living in a home as-is for six months gives the home a test drive to see how things run and how the family utilizes space. It may be surprising what can work one perspective shifts, priorities change and everyone gets a chance to see what is happening on a day-to-day basis. A family may just settle in and decide on less renovations once the home feels lived in.