Should You Move or Remodel?

By: Dona DeZube

Published 2010-08-24 15:17:58

When your house no longer suits you, you can move or remodel. Find out which big change is the right investment of your housing dollars.

Calculate how much your remodel will cost and add it to the value of your house. If the number is more than 10% above your neighbors' house values, you're over-improving. Image: Masterfile

Deciding whether you should move or remodel? The most important things you need to consider are the four things you can’t change: your home’s value compared to the rest of the neighborhood, how much you love your neighborhood, the size of your lot, and the cost to move your stuff to a new house.

Just about everything else—remodeling costs, the hassle of living in a construction zone, or the ability to live happily without one more bathroom—is a personal preference. After all, your home isn’t just your largest investment; it’s also the place where your family lives.

1. Will remodeling make your home better than everyone else’s?

To make the right move-or-remodel decision, you have to know:

• Your home’s value. Easy. Just ask a REALTOR® to estimate it and tell you how it compares with the value of the other homes in your immediate neighborhood. Ask her what she thinks your house will be worth after the improvements, too.

• Your neighbors’ home value. Hit some open houses. Seeing the inside of area homes will inspire you; help you make good choices about finishes, room sizes, and how much to spend; and, admit it, entertain you.

• Your remodeling costs. Once you’ve got your renovation vision, get a quote from a home improvement contractor or, if you’re remodeling it yourself, tally the costs of the items on your supplies shopping list.

Then add the remodeling costs to the value of your home. If the number you get is more than 10% above the average value of homes in your neighborhood, you’re over-improving and probably won’t be able to sell for what you put into the remodel.

Here’s why: No one wants to buy the most expensive home on the block (your home) if they can spend the same money to get a similar home on a block of higher-priced homes. Would you pay $200,000 to live on a block where all the other homes are valued at $100,000? We hope not.

Make home improvements that are typical for the neighborhood. Don’t put granite countertops in a trailer, and don’t put laminate countertops in a Trump Tower condo. Your tour of open houses gives you a chance to verify that your planned remodel isn’t an over- or under-improvement for the neighborhood.

2. Do you love where you live?

Want to keep your kids in the same school district, but can’t find or afford a bigger, better house? Love the neighbors? Have an easy commute to work? Stay put. If you’ve soured on the traffic, the neighborhood’s crime rate, or the nosy neighbors, move on.

3. Do you have room to expand?

If your remodeling plans include increasing the overall size of your home, the size of your lot may be the deciding factor in whether to move or remodel. If you live in a 1,500 sq. ft. ranch on a 3,000 sq. ft. lot, you might be able to add a second story to turn it into a 3,000 sq. ft. two-story, but you’re not likely to add 1,500 sq. ft. at ground level. And if you have a septic tank and well, the location of those will limit how and where you add onto your home (or cost you a bundle to move).

4. Can you afford to move?

Consider these moving costs: sale costs for your existing home, shipping your household goods, buying window treatments and possibly furniture for the new house, costs to fix up your existing home before sale, higher utility costs (if your next house is bigger), insurance cost differences, and property taxes.

Foreclosures: a Sign of the Times

The real estate market frenzy is gone and as a result there are more homes in distress than ever before. Homeowners who bought, invested or refinanced when values were at an all time high are now struggling to make their mortgages. Many of the current homes on the market are homes in foreclosure and homeowners seeking relief through other avenues like short sales.

Purchasing one of these distressed properties is an opportunity for buyers to invest where the return on investment will be significant.

Only an experienced Real Estate Agent can guide you through the red tape of purchasing a Foreclosure or Bank Owned Property and streamline process.

The Thomas Davis Group are experienced Re/Max Real Estate Agents. We can work with you on the Thousands of Foreclosures and Short Sale Properties through out metro Phoenix, Arizona. Sign up is FREE to receive foreclosure listings in Maricopa County!

FHA Borrowers May Soon Be Able To Use $8000 Tax Credit at Closing

The details are still a bit unclear as to how the program will be implemented. However, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced this past week that first-time buyers using FHA loans would soon be allowed to "monetize" the $8,000 federal first-time buyer tax credit and use the funds for their down payment.
"We, like you, believe that this new tax credit is not only a tremendous opportunity for first-time home buyers, but also an enormous benefit for communities struggling to deal with an oversupply of housing.
We all want to enable FHA consumers to access the tax credit funds when they close on their home loans so that the cash can be used as a down payment. So FHA will permit trusted FHA-approved lenders and HUD-approved nonprofits, as well as state and local governmental entities to "monetize" the tax credit through short-term bridge loans. We think the policy is a real win for everyone, ensuring that borrowers can tap into the numerous organizations that are already part of the FHA network to receive this additional benefit," Donovan told attendees at the National Association of Realtors, Real Estate Summit in Washington.
As mentioned, the details of the program still haven't been announced, but the revised policy seems to offer a benefit to potential first time home buyers without the full down payment for the purchase of a home.
The policy should help boost the housing market by allowing first-time buyers using FHA loans to stretch their dollar by using the federal credit at settlement as part of their closing funds, rather than waiting months for a refund on a tax return. "This allows them to solve the 'chicken or the egg' question: the promised tax credit or the closing" that allows them to get the money, said Rob Dietz, director of tax issues of the National Association of Home Builders, adding: "They have a right to this credit amount as a first-time buyer. It makes sense to turn this credit into their home equity."
Still two questions remain unanswered: Will first-time home buyers be able to monetize the tax credit using any FHA-approved lender? Or will they need to be working with a state housing finance agency, which usually requires additional documentation and provides financial and homeownership counseling to those who qualify for their help?
"We will attempt to answer those questions once we've published our mortagee letter," HUD spokesman Brian E. Sullivan said.
If buyers could monetize the tax credit, they would essentially receive a short-term bridge loan for the amount of the credit (which could vary based on their income and the home's sales price). They could apply that money to their down payment or as additional equity in their home. For buyers working with a state housing finance agency, the monetized tax credit often becomes a "soft" second mortgage, which they must pay back once they receive their tax refund.
Dietz added that," There's no doubt that the purpose of the tax credit is to stimulate housing demand. We estimate new and existing home sales will increase by 160,000. But it's not a tax credit that is in anyway large enough to reinflate the market-it's just a useful and limited tool to smooth out the market," he said.
"As for causing sales to return to 2005 levels or push prices up, this tax credit is not capable of doing that."
As the details of the new program and the mortgage letter from FHA are published we will provide additional information and details. The final version of this program will tell the story of whether or not this will be a program that enables first time buyers an option to purchase a home and truly take advantage of the $8,000 home buyer tax credit at closing. www.thomasdavisgroup.com