Archives April 2017

Considering that over one-third of all home remodeling jobs involve the entire home, it is important for a homeowner to consider the return on investment that will come with home improvements. Of course, if you’re a homeowner and a landlord, it’s even more important to ensure that your investment property is actually living up to its name.

If you’re looking for modest remodeling jobs that offer a positive return on investment, here are some of the best practices and techniques to follow in order to reap the biggest payout.

The Kitchen

The kitchen is often seen as the most important room in a home. Perhaps that’s why most homeowners choose to spend the majority of their remodeling budget on kitchen upgrades. Here are a few easy ways to make simple upgrades to your kitchen:

• Investing in durable materials, such a laminate, for your cabinets. Most laminate is made of at least four materials including resin, the wear layer, the decorative layer, and kraft paper. If you’re looking for cabinetry that looks like wood but lasts much longer, this material stands the test of time.
• Installing a new faucet and sink can go a long way to giving the entire room a cleaner feel. There are plenty of modern options for just about any style.
• Incorporating new lighting can add ambiance in no time, especially if natural light is lacking in your kitchen area. Consider upgrading your lighting fixtures if you’re looking for a little project that makes a big difference.

The Bathroom

The bathroom is probably the most used room in the home, so any money spent in bathroom remodeling is worth the hard work. While it’s not the most exciting room in a home, it’s one of the most important from a practical perspective. Interesting bathroom remodeling ideas can include:

• Updated tile and grout will be like giving a bathroom a facelift. It’s all too easy for grout to get dirty or stained in this small, high-moisture room.
• Putting in matching sink and tub faucets.
• Painting the ceiling to get rid of any water stains or signs of water damage.
• If there’s a closet in the bathroom, consider removing the walls to open up the space and make the bathroom bigger.

The Flooring

The floors of a home are walked on every day, but barely anyone notices them unless there is a huge problem. Capture potential tenants’ attention by taking the following advice:

• Stay away from carpeting. Not only is it harder to clean, but going with a hardwood option keeps allergens outside of the home.
• Since they are often used only in kitchens, consider using ceramic tiles for either the bedrooms or living rooms, too. They give off a unique vibe and a fresh, modern look.
• If you opt for hardwoods, make sure to add a few smaller throw rugs to add dimension and color. While most landlords expect tenants to provide these types of rugs, they can add warmth to an empty room that would otherwise be lacking.

Of course, the remodeling projects you choose will depend greatly on the condition of your investment property. Unlike traditional homeowners, landlords don’t have the luxury of choosing renovations based purely on your own preferences. Before beginning any new work, think carefully about how it will help you generate income from your investment home.

The United States currently has the second largest construction market in the entire world. The U.S. construction market contributes over $900 billion in expenditures. On a global scale, the overall construction market is expected to continue to grow over the next few years.

Market officials are optimistic about the current state and future of the construction industry, despite technology automating a significant amount of jobs in other industries.

General construction will be a major part of the upcoming construction growth because of the increase in popularity of newly built homes. Roughly 41% of the American population prefer a brand-new home over an older existing one.

According to The Stack, by the year 2021, the global data centre construction market is expected to grow to $73.87 billion.

“The general construction sector occupies a majority 43% of the global data center construction market,” said Abhishek Sharma, a lead analyst at Technavio for construction data research. “This sector encompasses the design and construction of a well-secured facility, in addition to installing the setup, flooring, internal frames, external walls, windows, doors, installation of infrastructure, and disposal fittings.”

As Yahoo Finance reports, in addition to the general construction sector, electrical and mechanical construction will play important contributing roles in the growing global market as well.

The electrical construction segment is projected to reach $20.9 billion by 2021 and the mechanical construction segment is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of over 9%.

“Data center designs include mechanical components such as cooling solutions and racks. It also includes sprinklers, piping, belts, filters, water pipework installations, and lifts,” Abhishek added.

Despite the industry optimism, a stronger emphasis on safety must be placed on each sector of the construction market. In 2015 alone, a total of 4,836 construction workers were killed while on the job, which equals 13 deaths each day.

The overall report took into consideration revenue, emerging trends, forecasts and current analysis.

More than 3 million people fly on commercial aircraft every single day. Some of those travelers planning a flight to Oregon for the 2017 solar eclipse, however, have been sorely disappointed.

Hotels in Oregon have received harsh criticism for the apparent cancellation of over a dozen reservations for the 2017 eclipse. In turn, they appear to have raised the rates for hotel rooms from anywhere between $600 and $1,600 a night.

In recent months, some customers have been complaining on online forums and filing reports with the Oregon Department of Justice, claiming that the rooms that they had booked well in advance have inexplicably been canceled, and the rate of the rooms driven to staggering prices. Many of the hotel managers involved with these claims have yet to respond or they seem unapologetic, even as August looms on the horizon.

According to one customer who had a room booked at the Stafford Inn in Prineville, ” … had a room booked for the eclipse on August 21, 2017, and the manager emailed to say they were canceling it because of new ownership. This is not true because the new owners took over in 2014, not just now. Now they are offering up the room for $600 a night instead of the $160 it was confirmed for.”

As of right now, the Oregon Department of Justice is looking into these accusations. If they find the hotels responsible, then those businesses could be breaking the law under the Unlawful Trade Practices Act. This makes it illegal to use deceptive marketing tactics like false advertising.

According to a department spokesperson, Ellen Klem, “A hotel can charge whatever it likes. It just can’t be deceptive in the advertising or the marketing.”

Hotels that have chosen to respond have offered an explanation many customers find difficult to accept. They are blaming either a system upgrade or glitch in the system, or even stating the changes occurred because of new ownership or new branding.

Now customers are forced to stop shopping for their sun filters and no. 14 welder’s glasses that would, according to NASA, best protect their eyes during the eclipse, and figure out how to get their hotel rooms back. Needless to say, a lot of people are not happy that their confirmation number doesn’t mean much anymore.

The investigation is still ongoing by the Oregon Department of Justice. If found guilty, those hotels could face hefty fines and serious blows to their reputations. However, the only thing most customers want is their reserved spot to see the magnificent spectacle that is the 2017 solar eclipse.