This Blog presented as a guest post by Keisha Joss

How Underfloor Heating Can Increase Property Value

If you are like many homeowners, you enjoy making improvements to your home from time to time. While you no doubt enjoy the added benefit that improvements provide to you, you may also enjoy increasing the value of your home through your improvement projects. One of the most innovative improvements that homeowners are considering today is adding underfloor heating to their space. This is a subfloor heating unit that is installed underneath the tile, stone or other flooring surface in your home. Depending on the size of your home, the type of underfloor heating system that is installed and how effectively your home is weather sealed, this type of heating system can be used as a sole heating system or in conjunction with an HVAC or other type of heater.

How Does Underfloor Heating Work?
An underfloor heating system features a system of heating coils that are placed underneath your decorative flooring surface. The coils are heated with a programmable feature or with a simple adjustable temperature control. The flooring may be placed throughout your entire home, or you can choose to install it in a key location. For instance, some people enjoy placing an underfloor heater near the vanities in a bathroom or throughout the kitchen and breakfast area of their home. It radiates heat upward, warming the title or stone floor as well as the surrounding air. With this heating system, you will not have to contend with cold toes as you walk across your floor on chilly days.

How It Affects the Value of Your Home
Underfloor heating is a luxurious upgrade to add to your home. It most commonly is found in high-end homes, but it is starting to become prominent in more affordable homes across the country. It is a selling point for your home because it can reduce your home’s energy bills and is an eco-friendly way to heat your home. Further, it promotes improved air quality in your home because it does not force air throughout your home to stir up pet dander, dust and more. Furthermore, it can help you to attract buyers to your home because it is a talking point that fascinates people. After all, why would you buy a home that would give you cold feet all winter long when you can buy a home with heated floors?
If you have been looking for ideas for your next home improvement project, consider how underfloor heating can improve your comfort inside your home and boost your property value too.

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Home Inspections, a necessary evil?

You’ve found the house you want, the contract is written and you have 10 days to complete a home inspection and request the seller make repairs.  So what is important during a home inspection?

Find the right inspector.  Don’t just ask your agent for references, this is an important step in the home buying process and you deserve to have a pro do the job.  I’ve been with inspectors who know much less about homes, building and how to fix things then I do.  It’s frustrating to go through an inspection with a client with an inspector that is not top notch.  I run into guys that go off on tangents, they talk about the neighborhood, they talk about crime, they scare people over the silliest of things.  I’ve also had inspections where the inspector missed big items that were problems noticed immediately after settlement and they refused to discuss the issues.  Get someone that knows construction.  Not someone who learned all they know about home inspections from a book and a franchise training session.

In one situation, the inspector missed that no AC was coming out of several vents in a family room. None. I watched him check the vents.  Two days after my client moved in, I got a call that there was no air coming out of two vents.   After I inspected it, I realized she was absolutely right.  Eventually I opened a hole in the basement ceiling and found when recessed lights had been installed, the installers disconnected the vents to the room above by cutting the vents totally off and just stuffing them in the ceiling.  They were in the way of the recessed lighting.  How stupid.  The inspector refused to share the $1,500 expense to make the repairs.  I made those repairs, out of pocket because it was the right thing to do.  We removed portions of the ceilings, moved the ducts around the recessed lights and patched the ceiling and repainted.  I call the inspector several times, it was a nationally franchised company.  Suffice to say, he is not being used by my clients anymore.

All home inspection agreements I have seen, indemnify the inspector for errors, that’s why, you must get someone with a great reputation and knowledge of construction.  Please call and interview several, this step in home buying is one of the most important.

To Much Time on little inspection items;  These guys take forever, running dishwashers, microwaves, stoves, washers, dryers and the like and not enough time on things that can cost you money.  For example, many inspectors show up with a 3′ step stool and look at your roof from the ground.  How can you consult a client about roof condition by just looking from the ground?

Think and focus on the big money repairs when conducting a home inspection on homes for sale that you want.  What are the big things?

1. Roof, Foundation, Water and drainage issues, Plumbing systems to include making sure the actual pipes are of good quality, HVAC systems and Electrical systems.  These are the big ones.  Sometimes inspectors will spend time on little items  and make them sound big.  For example they will use the term GFI, well that’s simply a plug or circuit that will trip the breaker off if there is any contact with water of your appliance.  Like a hairdryer in a bathroom. Seldom do they explain what they are and how simple a fix it is, they make it sound like a big problem. Then, the same inspector overlooks the fact that the electrical service coming into the house is not wrapped properly and is hazardous.  The list goes on and on.

The biggest prevention to these issues is seeking a professional and that requires some work on your part.

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