CNN money- 8 Reasons to Remodel

8 reasons to invest in your home

By Josh Garskof, contributorJanuary 25, 2011: 5:30 PM ET
(MONEY Magazine) -- Not long ago, you could have your big remodeling project and get your money back too. Owners recouped an average of 87% of home improvement costs at resale in 2005, according to Remodeling magazine.

But by 2010 the magazine had pegged the typical payback at just 60%. Hardly the right time to tackle the new kitchen or master bathroom you've been dreaming of, right?

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Businesses are encourgaging homeowners to Go GREEN when renovating

By Elizabeth Razzi

Special to the Washington Post
Friday, October 8, 2010; 9:15 PM

Icicles hanging from the eaves were not the result Dave Parsons had in mind when he installed a geothermal heating system at his Oakton home during the summer of 2009. But that's what he got during last winter's brutal cold spells, when the new system leaked hot air into his under-insulated attic. And monthly electricity bills as high as $560, the result of his geothermal's backup electric resistance heater kicking on too frequently, weren't welcome, either.

Washington post Reports: Contractors Making Deals to Stay in Business

Homeowners looking to remodel will find contractors willing to negotiate

By Sandra Fleishman

Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, September 25, 2010 

 With homeowners holding on tighter to their hard-earned dollars -- or trying the do-it-yourself route -- remodelers are fighting to hold on to business by offering to do more for less, said remodelers and experts at this month's annual Remodeling Show in Baltimore.

Some remodelers are cutting their margins sharply; others are willing to do competitive bidding again; and some are offering faster completion dates or more services than before, said industry experts such as Sal Alfano, editorial director of Remodeling magazine, a co-sponsor of the show. "This market is good for homeowners, but not for remodelers," Alfano said.
For a while this summer, it seemed the worst was over. Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies in July issued its Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA), projecting that national homeowner spending for improvements would be up 5 percent in 2010 over 2009 and that the market would continue to improve in the first quarter of 2011.

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