Florida Realtors®: International Real Estate Sales in Fla. = $19.4B
ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida remained the top destination of foreign buyers purchasing U.S. residential real estate in 2016, with 22 percent of all foreign buyers who bought residential property in the United States. Florida Realtors® latest report, the 2016 Profile of International Residential Real Estate Activity in Florida, finds that international sales hit $19.4 billion this year, though that’s less than the $23.7 billion spent in 2015.
Read More »Want a Home Project with Appeal? Try Outdoor Remodeling
ORLANDO, Fla. – Homeowners looking for a remodeling project should head outside, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) and National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP).
Read More »Moving with Kids? Realtors® Can Help
ORLANDO, Fla. – Most people can relate to the complications and complexities involved with moving. Whether you’re relocating to a recently purchased apartment or a starter home, resettling takes time, effort and planning.
Read More »What’s Best in a Home? Depends on the Generation
ORLANDO, Fla. – Homebuyers are demanding more home features that help them save energy and keep the home organized, according to a recent study released by the National Association of Home Builders, “Housing Preferences of the Boomer Generation: How They Compare to Other Homebuyers.”
Read More »Florida Realtors®: Tips for Home Sellers
ORLANDO, Fla. – Potential homebuyers are guests when they tour a home for sale, so what etiquette rules should home sellers follow? No matter how nice the home is, a seller’s behavior can also affect how buyers feel about making an offer.
Read More »Florida Realtors®: Florida’s Climate Inspires Relocations
ORLANDO, Fla. – No surprise here: Florida is one of the top states for Americans looking to relocate, so says a recent Harris Poll survey of 2,200 adults in the U.S. Joining the Sunshine State in the top five are California, Hawaii, Colorado and New York.
Read More »Florida Realtors®: Seniors Face Homeownership Challenges
ORLANDO, Fla. – Due to today’s economic realities – including the recent Great Recession – along with the usual health challenges, many of today’s mature adult homeowners may face financial and housing-related challenges as they reach retirement.
Read More »Why Buy? People Want A Place to Call Home
ORLANDO, Fla. – For more than half of Americans, the main reason to buy a home is simply because they want a place to call their own, according to the “Homebuyer Insight Report” recently released by Bank of America (BofA).
Read More »Florida Realtors®: Why Do Homeowners Move?
ORLANDO, Fla. – Every living situation has something that bothers the homeowner, and those issues often prompt them to look for a new place to call home. A recent survey from mortgage data research firm HSH.com polled more than 1,000 Americans on what upset them about their homes, their neighbors and their neighborhood. Op4G conducted the survey.
Read More »Florida Realtors®: Get the Most Bang for Your Remodeling Buck
ORLANDO, Fla. – What do potential buyers notice first when they visit a home? The exterior, which makes a home’s curb appeal crucial, according to the 2014 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Exterior projects were among the most valuable home improvement projects cited.
“Deciding what remodeling projects to undertake can be difficult for homeowners because there are so many things to consider, including costs and time involved in the project,” says 2014 Florida Realtors® President Sherri Meadows, CEO and team leader, Keller Williams, with market centers in Gainesville, Ocala and The Villages. “Realtors know what home features are important to buyers in their area, but a home’s curb appeal is always important since it’s the first impression for buyers.”
Exterior replacement projects offer the greatest bang for the buck, the report found. Projects such as entry door, siding and window replacements can recoup homeowners more than 78 percent of costs upon resale. In fact, eight of the top 10 most cost-effective projects nationally, in terms of value recouped, are exterior projects.
A steel entry door replacement is expected to return the most money, with about 96.6 percent of costs recouped upon resale, according to the report’s findings. The steel entry door replacement is consistently the least expensive project in the annual Cost vs. Value Report, costing little more than $1,100 on average.
A wood deck addition came in second with about 87.4 percent of costs recouped upon resale. Two different siding replacement projects also landed in the top 10, including fiber-cement siding, expected to return 87 percent of costs, and vinyl siding, expected to return 78.2 percent of costs.
Two garage door replacements were also in the top 10; a midrange garage door replacement is expected to return 83.7 percent while an upscale garage door replacement follows closely at 82.9 percent of costs recouped. Rounding out the top exterior remodeling projects were two window replacements: A wood window replacement is estimated to recoup 79.3 percent of costs and a vinyl window replacement is estimated to recoup 78.7 percent of costs.
Turning to the inside of the house, two interior remodeling projects in particular can recoup substantial value at resale, according to the report.
An attic bedroom is ranked fourth and is expected to return 84.3 percent of costs; nationally, the average cost for the project is just above $49,000. The second interior remodeling project in the top 10 is the minor kitchen remodel. The project landed at No. 7 and is estimated to recoup 82.7 percent of costs. Nationally, the average cost for the project is just under $19,000. The improvement project likely to return the least is the home office remodel, estimated to recoup 48.9 percent.
For the second year in a row, Cost vs. Value data shows that the value of remodeling is up for all 35 projects included in the survey. To read the full project descriptions and access national and regional project data, visit www.costvsvalue.com.
