There is a new player in town. A company called VA Mortgage Center has recently launched an interesting program for all the Veterans and Active-Duty military. Even though that are insured by the U.S government, VA Mortgage Center is not affiliated with any government agencies.
From watching their video and doing some research on their company, it seems like their mortgage program is very solid and it seem to offer some good benefits for our former and current troops.
It was well known that high-end kitchen and bath renovations were increasing the home’s value. But the granite countertop’s glory days might be over. During the housing boom, updating a kitchen with high end materials like cherry wood cabinets and a Viking stove was a sure bet to boost a home’s value.
The statistics show that the homeowners recovered about 80% of the cost when the house was later sold. The slowdown in the real estate market and the flood of new properties on the market, has given the buyers more options to choose from therefore all these extra upgrades don’t present much value in their eyes anymore.
A recent survey by NAR has shown that most renovations are returning less than 70% of their cost. NAR’s survey revealed that returns on investment for a wide range of high-end interior redecoration dropped in 2007. An upscale bathroom renovation cost an average of $50,590, nationally, but only added $34,588 to house value - a 68.4% return. In 2006, a high-end bath renovation returned 77.4% of its cost.