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How to make big profits from ugly homes

ugly home

Due to generalities related to what constitutes true real estate value – exaggerated by advertising and the media hype machine – most of us are led to believe wealthy real estate moguls only got that way through posh mansion homes and elegant resort properties.

In reality, many of the planet’s rich and famous accrued their wealth via a traditional path of buying and selling the ugliest homes they could unearth on the market. Purchasing homes in tatters is profitable for those with a vision to see beyond all the warts and cosmetic flaws.

The gorgeous houses in the neighborhood stand out like sexy supermodels. If you happen to be the owner of the worst looking house on the block where other residences have been restored, your property will appear to be a diamond in the rough. That is great news if you are a real estate investor.

Location, location, location

Do next to nothing to it, and the value of the residence will still increase, because location is important, and your ugly dwelling is located in close proximity to the expensive homes. Do a few cosmetic touch ups – paint, install a new roof, do some landscaping – and you can transform a rundown property into a thing of beauty, both physically and financially.

It’s rather likely that your profit margin will exceed the margins of those homes that had costly face-lifts before investors bought them up.

The value you add to house turns into your equity. When you sell at a cost that includes that added worth, you can make other-worldly profits. Through the process, it is possible to get financial assistance based on the equity you are creating. This will allow you to let your home improvements pay for themselves as you proceed withe the project.

Follow a proven strategy

Some savvy investors will only work with properties that are rejected by others. By concentrating their time and efforts on neglected homes, they accomplish two key goals.

First, they limit competition. If you’re purchasing residences nobody else wants, you will seldom get into a bidding war, and you will likely never pay full price.

Secondly, buying houses in need of renovating involves essentially the same process each time. You buy it, make repairs, or sell it to a fellow investor, and sell it or rent it out for income producing property. By repeating the this strategy, investors can sharpen their skills and focus on developing a stable niche in an otherwise undervalued market.

Build a team to help you

If you make the choice to rehab properties, you can create a team of pros to help you, and move your group fluidly from project to project. Foe example, one person handles paint and wallpaper, one does plumbing, another does junk removal, and one tends to the landscaping. Generally, investors move with their teams from one place to the next, and continually make money to invest in future projects.

The bottom line: Buy the ugliest house on the street, dress it up real nice, and you will surely cash in on one of the oldest and most fundamental principles of real estate investment prosperity.

How Foundation Piers Work to Stabilize Basement Walls

foundation wall

Have you ever heard of foundation piers? Many homeowners are probably not familiar with this term and only hear about it the moment they start to experience some foundation problems.

Foundation Piering Defined

Piering refers to the process of driving sections of concrete or steel pipe pilings under a foundation to stabilize it and avoid future moment. A hydraulic pump is used to push the piers into the ground. Foundation piers that are concentrically loaded are installed right below the middle of the wall that will be lifted and the foundation is used as resistance for pushing the pier into the ground.

The piers should be driven deep enough so that they will hit bedrock or any stable strata for them to be effective. It serves as a solid and strong base required for supporting the piers that will then support the foundation. Foundation piering is considered as the strongest and most reliable method to stabilize a sinking or settling foundation.

Push Piers

Foundation push piers provide maximum foundation support that makes them most suitable for heavier loads and larger jobs. These have been designed for driving deep down to the earth to solid supporting strata or bedrock under the foundation. Since these are installed with the least skin friction, they provide the deepest penetration of any form of foundation support with no bending in the strata. Push piers are also useful for low impact interior installations.

Push piers also allow a sinking foundation to be raised to a flatter and more level condition. Through careful application, these can shrink and close existing cracks in drywall, stucco, brick, and other exterior finishes, while other issues such as jamming, sticking doors, leaning chimneys, and windows may be improved with push pier application as well. However, push piers will not guarantee perfectly flat or level conditions or a moisture-tight or water condition. These are also not effective as repair for fatigue or bowing foundation walls.

Helical Piers

Foundation helical piers provide an effective means of adding structural support to lighter and smaller structures such as patios, rooms, porches, steps, and other similar installations. But, once used for supporting a house’s heavy weight, they might not be that effective.

Helical piers have been designed with steel shaft including a corkscrew design at their end. A part of the foundation should be excavated to install these. The shaft is then drilled under the house, with the installation attached to the structure using a steel bracket. It is easier to install helical piers on weaker or older structures. These can also be used for new construction or pre-construction bearing systems in poor soils.

Foundation helical piers can provide an opportunity to try to lift the structure to return it into a flatter and more level position. But, helical piers don’t ensure perfectly level or flat conditions and these cannot lower moisture level of basements or improve water tightness.

If you notice some problems with the stability of your basement walls, foundation piering may be the best solution you can consider. Contact foundation repair in Cleveland for assistance.

Choose the right flooring for your bathroom renovation

porcelain tile

So where do you need to begin? One of the main concerns when choosing the best type of flooring for your bathroom is usually the moisture that occurs if when you do not have leaky pipes. Now choosing the best can be tricky as there are a variety of bathroom flooring materials. The best thing is that here I will provide you with the best alternatives to choose from so you do not really have to be overwhelmed. The following is the breakdown of the best among them:

Vinyl flooring

It is one of the best choices to make as first, it has a low cost of installation as well as ease installing. It has several designs and styles you can choose from that suits you. It is also easier to clean with high durability. You would also like its dirt and water resistant which will be perfect bearing in mind that the bathroom is the most place susceptible to high moisture. It will have saved you some coins for cleaning molds that appear due to the moisture levels. You will like that, don’t you? Additionally, it is softer on the feet making it a more comfortable surface.

Porcelain tile

For tiles then porcelain is second to none. It resists staining thanks to its hard exterior, also it resists bacteria, water, and odors. It is definitely a great choice for your bathroom flooring as it is considered impervious also to moisture. It allows customization of style that you can create that unique design you desire.

Stone or ceramic

Top of the list? Definitely, has to be. It poses every single requirement that is needed for a bathroom flooring. It is durable, easy to clean and will always look clean. It is waterproof as well, basically, it promotes hygiene when you have it installed in your bathroom. Through time although it accumulates dirt with its grout, other than that it is great.

All these are best choices to make only that you now factor in your budget and maintenance requirements. Contact a bathroom remodeling contractor in Syracuse, NY for assistance.

What to look for in a roof when buying a home

roof

Buying a house is probably the biggest investment one makes in his/her lifetime. We analyse each and every factor before starting the dream project. It starts from the location to the budget, from the floor to the roof. The roof is also equally important part of the house. So, when looking for a suitable home, you should be aware of the types of roofs and what to look for in a roof, as you don’t buy a house every now and then and you look into the future in that house.

Give a manual check up

You should first look around the house from outside and check the roof for any damages, especially the condition of the shingles. It should not be damages or caved in spots. When you are done with the quick check up from outside, then you should have a decent look from inside. Notice the ceiling for any leakages or water pooling. Dark spots on indoor ceilings and peeling paint can be signs of water leakages. Leaking can destroy your furniture and the paint and walls and it costs a lot to do a new rooftop installation.

Check for molds on the roof

All molds are not easily visible. It is mostly greenish in color. Molds are a result of water leakage or pooling. If you find molds in your roof, removing it won’t fix the problem as they keep returning back at the same spot unless the source of the mold is fixed, which mostly, is water leakage at that spot. So the leakage or pooling should be fixed instantly so that there are no more chances of molds. You can also consult a professional to check for all these factors.

Check for the water flow and the drainage pipes

Water logging is major issue in most of the houses and the roof should be designed such that the water can flow easily through a pipe into the gutters. The opening for the pipe should be properly inspected once in a while for any blockages that might prevent the water from running down into the gutters. The seepage system should be properly checked, professionals are recommended.

Overall ventilation system

It should have a proper ventilation system, allowing sunlight and air to come in. Poor ventilation can make it humid, which can also facilitate the formation of molds.

Check for any irregularities: You should make sure that roof is perfectly flat and there should not be any bulges. You should check if any shingles are missing and you should be well aware of the lifespan of the roof. You should know how old is the roof and what materials are used to build the roof.

Materials used

Copper roofs can last for a long time. Copper roofing provides durability, corrosion resistance and requires low maintenance but has high installation costs. Composites, metal, tin, shingles etc. are the main materials used for building a roof. Composite shingles last longer than other materials and require low maintenance.

So, the structural integrity of the roof must not be overlooked as the roof is arguably the most important part of the house as it gives you shelter and keeps you safe. Hence, knowing the condition of the roof is very important.

Create A Temporary Garage With Fence Panels

There are times in life when you really have to make your mind work hard. When you decided to pull down your old brick garage and build a replacement yourself, you know that the task is going to take you weeks, if not months, if you’re completing the assignment by yourself and only at the weekends. In the meanwhile, where are you going to keep your vehicles?

A temporary garage is an obvious answer, but how you are going to install one and where are you going to put it?

Where to install your temporary garage

It is perhaps easier, first, to state where you can’t install a temporary garage.

You should speak with your local planning authority and tell them that you are considering the installation of a temporary garage. They will supply you with rules and regulations that will dictate the types of temporary garage you can install, along with measurements and location possibilities.

They may not allow you to install anything ahead of your normal front building line – that is to say, you might not be able to build anything in front of your house.

If they do give you permission to install a temporary building, which comes with a different set of rules to those governing permanent buildings, they might restrict the height of the building and it might not be sufficient for your choice of temporary garage.

If your plot of land is large enough, you might be able to remove secure fence panels or part of a brick wall that forms the border between your front and rear garden. This might give you enough space to drive your vehicle over your front building line and install a temporary garage, technically, in your rear garden.

You probably won’t be able to install your temporary garage anywhere close to the garage that you are building because the two will get in the way of each other and you wouldn’t want to damage your vehicle as you are building your new garage.

Possibilities for your temporary garage

As this is a temporary garage, you won’t want to overspend on its construction, but you will still need to spend enough to provide a secure location for your vehicles, to protect them from the weather and car thieves.

This is a good reason to use secure fence panels, on fence posts, to mark a new area for you to park your vehicle, to provide a weatherproof area and to ensure the car thieves don’t have easy access to your vehicle. The advantage of using secure fence panels, perhaps choosing to use the hit and miss fence panels so that sufficient air can pass around your vehicle, is that you can relocate them to other parts of your garden later, perhaps to provide a secret garden or to replace ageing fence panels that form part of your current border.

When you install six-foot secure fence panels, you will be keeping your car out of sight of nosy people, and if you are able to secure a roof, perhaps by the use of a large tarpaulin, or if your vehicle space is small by using further fence panels, over the top of your fence panels, you will have weatherproofed your vehicle as well.

You can use to hit and miss fence panels as your garage gates to your temporary garage. As these are substantial and secure fence panels, you will be able to fix a temporary locking mechanism to your satisfaction and then your temporary garage is ready and available for use.