Come tax season, many people choose to invest their tax returns in their homes. What’s the primary reason they remodel? According to our research, 48 percent take on remodeling projects that will make their home more comfortable. And while this seems to represent a shift away from remodeling to increase Aesthetic Updgrades

While not nearly as exciting as a kitchen remodel, investing in a few key aesthetic upgrades can yield significant returns on your home improvement investments. For example, replacing your front door, siding and garage door can yield some of the highest ROIs. And while neither project is as “fun” as a kitchen remodel, all are smart investments that will improve the look and value of your home. If your exterior could use an upgrade, we’ve got door and siding pros who are ready to help.a home’s value, it doesn’t mean one should ignore a project’s ROI potential. Here are a few projects that can make your home more livable and valuable.

Deck Addition

Adding a wood deck is an investment that will add value to your home while improving your outdoor living space. The key here is to not over-invest in the project. Composite decking might be more resilient, but with a significantly higher average cost and drastically lower ROI, it isn't nearly as smart an investment. Find a decking pro.

Replacement Windows

Besides improving the look and comfort of your home, new windows can have a dramatic effect on your utility bills. When it comes to replacing your windows, you have two choices: wood or vinyl. Both are good investments, though wood windows usually have a slightly higher ROI. Get quotes from screened and rated window pros.

Kitchen Remodel

Finally, the room every homeowner dreams of remodeling: the kitchen. You'd be hard pressed to find a home improvement expert or realtor who doesn't think a kitchen remodel is a worthwhile investment. And, for the most part, they're right. The key is to invest in the right remodel. You might daydream about upgrading your kitchen with commercial-grade appliances, exotic hardwood flooring, and other costly splurges. However, don't make the mistake of thinking they'll return more because they cost more. To get the most bang for your buck go with a minor, mid-range remodel. Want to check out kitchen remodeling costs in your area? Our True Cost Guidewill tell you what you can expect to spend.

Last but not least, before starting any remodeling project it's important to keep a couple of things in mind. One, if you're planning on moving within five years, stick to smaller remodeling projects as they typically have shorter payback periods. Second, and perhaps more important, never spend more than 25% of the home's value on renovations.

Housing Market is Healthiest in Years!

According to Nationwide’s recently unveiled, Health of Housing Market (HoHM) Report, the US housing market is at it’s healthiest levels since the index’s creation in 2001. The index analyzes the health of the housing market across the country and in 373 metro areas every quarter. Using the data that they have collected over the past 15 years, Nationwide will look to give a “data-driven view of the near-term performance of housing markets based upon current health indicators.” The fourth quarter of 2014 ended with the highest indicator score in over 15 years of data analyzed by the study at 109.8. The report explains:

“An index value over 100 suggests that the national housing market is healthy, with lower chances of a housing downturn over the next year as the index moves increasingly above the 100 breakeven value.”

Employment, demographics, the mortgage market, and housing prices are all used to evaluate the health of each market. The top 10 healthiest housing markets according to the index are:

1. Pittsburgh, PA
2. Cleveland-Elyria, OH
3. Philadelphia, PA
4. Rockford, Ill.
5. Burlington, NC
6. Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, PA
7. Fayetteville-Springdale, AK-MO
8. Idaho Falls, ID
9. Tulsa, OK
10. Kennewick-Richland, WA

The two ‘least healthy’ markets were Bismark, ND and Atlantic City, NJ who received“just slightly negative performance rankings”. David Berson, Nationwide’s Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, says “the quarterly report should serve as a resource to gauge how healthy housing markets are today but, perhaps more important, what to expect in the future and why.”

Bottom Line

The housing market continues to recover and surpass recent history. Meet with an agent in your local market to determine if you are able to take advantage of the opportunities available in real estate today.

MILLENNIALS

BUYERS OFFER MORE FOR A STAGED HOME

Three Estate Planning Items Everyone Needs

We all own assets in one form or another. When we die, we want to make sure that the assets are properly going to those we love. We also want to minimize any confusion, unnecessary legal fees and stress for our loved ones. There are three essential items that everyone needs to have in place to ensure their wishes are carried out after their death.

1)  Will or a Trust:
The simplest estate planning document is a Will. You can create your own Will by simply writing out the Will in your own handwriting, signing and dating it. This type of Will is called a holographic Will. California Probate Code 6110 sets forth the basic requirements of a valid Will. If you type your Will then, it must have the signatures of two disinterested  witnesses. However, the problem with a Will is that if the gross value of the estate is more than $150,000 then a probate will be required. In California, if someone owns a home, the gross value of that home is certain to be over $150,000, therefore, if someone has a Will and owns a home, then a probate is required upon his or her death.

The other commonly used estate planning document is a living trust. A living trust allows one to put all of his or her assets into the trust, administer the trust for his or her benefit during the lifetime and transferring the assets to their beneficiaries upon death -- no probate is needed. The other great benefit of a trust is that if one becomes incapacitated, the trust would name a conservator to care for one's needs. This conservator could be your spouse, your children or whomever you choose but the main benefit is that it avoids having the court appoint a conservator.  California Probate Code 15400 provides that unless otherwise stated, a living trust is revocable; meaning, once the living trust is set up, one can change their mind at anytime and terminate the trust. A living trust is a popular estate planning tool that is a convenient and efficient means to distribute one's assets at death.

2)  Durable Power of Attorney:
A "power of attorney" is a legal document that names another person to step into your shoes and make decisions on your behalf. It gives that person the right and authority to act on your behalf. However, the power of attorney is ineffective if you become incapacitated -- unless you have a durable power of attorney. If one were to become incapacitated, hospitalized, or disabled and unable to handle one's own affairs then the durable power of attorney will remain in effect and the one whom you named as your attorney-in-fact can carry out your affairs for you. Not all power of attorneys are created equal. A regular power of attorney will terminate at your incapacity or at a fixed date. It is important to have a durable power of attorney because when you need it most your durable power of attorney will endure your incapacity and allow your loved one to take care of you. The laws governing power of attorney are set forth in California Probate Code 4000 to 4545.

3)  Updated Beneficiary Designation Forms:
In most cases, the designated beneficiaries named in 401(k) plan, IRA or life insurance will override one's will, so it is imperative to take the time to update these forms when one has major changes in one's life such as a birth, death, marriage or divorce. It is important to check and update these forms on a regular basis.