hope for your home

In anticipation of the new TLC series Hope For Your Home, which premieres this Saturday, I thought I'd share with you host Kirsten Kemp Becker's five tips for increasing the value of your property. A veteran Realtor, author and real estate company, and owner of a successful design company, Becker knows a thing or two about acclimating your home to the current economic climate. Here's a few ways she says you can do so yourself:

1. Plants on the outside. "The most economic way to achieve curb appeal is by refining your landscaping at the front of your house and by making sure the front door is the focal point. Guests, buyers, and appraisers will take notice of the entry experience and homeowners/sellers need to establish that emotional connection from the moment they pull up to your home. Remember the details: trim weeds, fix broken screens, hide the trash cans from view, and plant some fresh flowers in prominent planters."

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This Saturday, TLC will premiere its new series, Hope for Your Home, about the harsh realities facing homeowners in the US today. In each half-hour episode, host and real estate expert Kirsten Kemp Becker will help one family in financial need make improvements essential to increasing the value of their property, with the help of a contractor, of course.
"In a slow, or dare I say declining real estate market, it is important to set yourself apart from other homes on the market when yours is listed for sale. If you need to refinance, the same holds true," says Becker in a press statement. "Fortunately," she continues, "there are high impact low cost improvements homeowners can achieve over a weekend with help from friends and family." After these improvements have been made each week, a real estate agent and mortgage broker will examine each home and reassess its value, giving the homeowner the option to refinance and stay in their newly renovated home, or sell and find a more affordable alternative. Tune into the premiere this Saturday, Aug. 9, at 8:30PM EST/PDT on TLC!
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