4 Home Fixes To Do Before You Retire

By Heather Boerner • Bankrate.com

A leaking roof, a burst pipe or a skyrocketing electric bill are headaches no matter when they happen, but when you’re on a fixed income and unprepared, they can become a financial crisis.

Most people 45 and older want to stay in their home as they age, says AARP. If you’re among them, plan for and make your repairs now while you can still increase your income or make spending choices that allow you to pay for the repairs comfortably.

“If you wait until a critical thing happens to you, it’s going to be more of a financial burden on you and your family,” says Esther Greenhouse, an environmental gerontologist. “Secondly, you don’t want to deal with these issues in a crisis. The more control you have over your environment, the more control you will have over your life when you plan for it.”

Make a plan

If you plan to stay in your home, look for a licensed and insured contractor who is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, or CAPS, who is certified by the National Association of Home Builders. Draw up a schedule for repairs and how you’ll pay for them, Greenhouse says.

Get a quote now, save up for the repair and stash the money in a certificate of deposit or money market fund — anything unaffected by the stock market’s volatility and that’s likely to grow with the rate of inflation.

Here are four things to take care of before you retire.

Cost: Between 49 cents per square foot and $1.50 per square foot.

Advantage: Saves on electric bills and means you won’t use your furnace or air conditioning as often.

Most homes have little troublesome cracks and holes that let hot and cool air escape. Prime examples: gaps around doors, holes cut through walls for pipes and electrical wiring, and deteriorating window frames.

These tiny, tedious problems can make a big difference in your home’s energy efficiency. Unlike home repairs, energy costs are volatile and can skyrocket with the cost of oil. So the more tightly sealed your house, the better off you’ll be when you’re on a fixed income, says John Barrows, a New York-based builder, consultant and co-author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Building and Remodeling.”

Also, consider the age of your house: If it was built before the 1960s, it probably wasn’t well-insulated, says Ben Spofford, a Cleveland-based contractor and owner of Housecalls Home Services. Before the 1960s, energy was cheaper and people weren’t much worried about conserving energy.

If your CAPS contractor agrees, spring for insulating your walls, and even parts of your basement and your attic. It can seem extravagant to insulate spaces you don’t live in, but doing so will help maintain the temperature in your living area by keeping hot and cool air from escaping.

Cost: Anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 for an energy-efficient model.

Advantage: 85 percent to 95 percent efficient; tax rebate of up to 15 percent of the cost of the furnace if it’s Energy-Star rated.

“Insulation pays you back every time your furnace doesn’t come on,” says Barrows. “Getting a highly energy-efficient furnace pays you back every time it does come on.”

A traditional furnace can lose up to half its heat through leaks in its pipes, says Spofford. The same is true for leaking air-conditioning ducts. If your furnace or AC unit is decades old, the loss likely is greater.

An energy-efficient furnace, by contrast, only loses 5 percent to 12 percent of the heat it generates. And if you insulate your house well, you can buy a smaller one, says Barrows. Have your contractor run a Manual-J assessment. It’s the most widely used software program among building professionals and calculates how much heat your house will need. That, in turn, will allow you to buy a furnace just large enough for your needs.

You’ll also find that an energy-efficient furnace or air-conditioning unit will pay for itself in four to seven years, says Barrows — not bad if you plan to be there for 20.

Cost: $50 to $1,000 per 100 square feet, depending on materials.

Advantage: Better heat retention, avoidance of crises, such as water damaged walls and mold infestations.

A leaky roof can infest the walls with mold and hurt your health. And it can be a bear of an expense to deal with when you’re on a fixed income.

Once you’ve made a plan and set aside funds, consider adding a reflective membrane under the shingles so that it will reflect heat and cold. Your furnace won’t have to work so hard. When choosing shingles, consider a light-colored shingle instead of the typical gray or black. The light shingles won’t cost much more — shingles are at the bottom of the price range anyway.

If you’re looking for a green solution and are willing to pay up to three times the cost of shingles, consider a metal roof, says Barrows. You can purchase it made from recycled materials, and it’s simple to install.

Cost: Varies by home and repair needed.

Advantage: Stops leaks that cost in utility bills and repairs to damaged walls and floors.

A leaky roof can infest the walls with mold and hurt your health. And it can be a bear of an expense to deal with when you’re on a fixed income.

This will save you money in the long run by cutting your water bill and avoiding costly repairs that leaks can cause, let alone the concern about mold in the walls caused by leaks.

“Anything to do with plumbing should be taken care of first,” says Courtney Cachet , a licensed general contractor and designer in South Florida. “If you have a flood in your home, you could get huge damages that aren’t covered by your insurance.”

If you live in an area where the pipes freeze, check to make sure none need to be replaced. Check drain pipes to make sure roots aren’t growing in them — that can cause backups.

10 Ways to Increase Your Home’s Value

Katie Adams
Friday, October 30, 2009

This article is part of a series related to being Financially Fit

In a dour housing market, wouldn’t it be nice to know that your remodeling project would pay off when you went to sell the property? Remodeling Magazine evaluated the top remodeling projects, how the cost-to-value has changed since the housing market implosion, and which projects are still worth the investment. Using the magazine’s “Cost Vs. Value Report for 2008-2009,” let’s look at some of the best projects you can undertake and recoup the majority of your cost.

Upscale Projects

• Siding Replacement (fiber-cement or foam-backed vinyl). With the economic slump, home buyers aren’t being dazzled by bells and whistles as much as they are improvements that will ensure lower repair and utility bills. Although replacing current siding with fiber-cement has lost value from 2007, it still nets an astonishing 87% ROI. If you prefer a foam-backed vinyl product replacement instead, you can still look to recoup 80% of your cost.
• Window Replacement (vinyl or wood). Windows are not only an aesthetic feature. For most homeowners, they represent one of the easiest ways to lower home heating and cooling bills. By replacing your current windows with more efficient vinyl or wood ones, you can save on your utility bills, attract future home buyers and net a nearly 80% (vinyl) or 77% (wood) return on your investment.
• Bathroom Remodel. Depending on the size and amenities of your desired bathroom, you could expect to pay over $50,000 to tear out walls, repair joists and wall studs, change structural elements and make major layout changes, such as switching a toilet and shower. However big the price tag, you can still expect to recoup nearly 71% of the cost (which would be $36,400 if you have a $50K bill) when you go to sell. This project increased its value since 2007, while its sister project – adding a complete bathroom – fell in value.
• Major Kitchen Remodel. Kitchens are typically the most frequently used room in a home, so it makes sense that investing money here is going to pay off when it comes time to sell. While a major kitchen renovation is usually the most time-consuming and expensive home improvement job (averaging more than $110,000), it’s also one of the most profitable. Regardless of the size of your financial layout, you can expect to get a nearly 71% ROI.
• Deck Addition (composite product). With families cutting their entertainment budgets, they’re spending more time at home, so it makes sense that adding a deck (composite, not wood) is a good investment. You can plan on recouping 63% of your total job cost to boost your home’s value by nearly $24,000 if you paid the average job cost of $37,000.

Mid-Range Projects

While all of the mid-range projects dropped in value versus cost since 2007, there are still numerous projects that will net you a significant ROI. Here are a few of the best bets for your money:

• Deck Addition (wood). If your bank balance can’t swing the higher price tag that comes with composite decking, you may still be able to afford a wood addition on to your home. While a wood deck would cost you, on average, in the neighborhood of $10,000, the resale value it will add to your home is more than $8,600 – an 81.8% return on your investment.
• Siding Replacement (vinyl). Fiber-cement or foam-banked vinyl are often more preferable siding upgrades, but getting vinyl siding replacements instead is still a good choice. You can recoup nearly 81% of your cost which, if the job cost you more than $10,000, means you could add more than $8,200 to your home’s value.
• Minor Kitchen Remodel. With belt-tightening in style, people are turning to minor kitchen improvement projects instead of major overhauls. It turns out that that choice is not only frugal, but financially wise. While major kitchen remodeling jobs can still, on average, return a nice 70% ROI for homeowners, minor kitchen remodeling jobs net an even higher 79.5% return.
• Attic Bedroom. Anytime you can add bedrooms, you’re going to add to the overall value – and listed purchase price – to your home. If your attic’s dimensions allow you to convert it to a bedroom, you may want to consider investing the money to do so. You’ll add some sleeping space and net a nice 74% return when a new buyer puts your home under contract.
• Basement Remodel. If you’re fortunate enough to live in an area with a water table high enough to permit basements, you should think about squeezing all the value you can out of it. By remodeling and finishing a previously-unfinished basement you can expect to get nearly 73% of your investment returned with a higher list price, come time to sell.

Conclusion

If you have savings or access to reasonably-priced credit, it’s worth it to consider home improvement projects that will produce the best return for your time and money. Make sure you work with a reputable, licensed contractor (to avoid costly errors or budget overruns), and before you undertake any project it’s a good idea to check and see if it could significantly increase your property tax bill.

While it may still make sense in the long-run to undertake the project and add overall value to your home, you may need to make a few budgetary changes so that you don’t get caught off-guard when the tax bill comes.

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