Easy Home Improvement Projects with the Best Return on Investment

Looking to make some updates to your home without breaking the bank? Many people are putting their homes on the market right now and making improvements to make their homes more attractive to buyers, but even if you aren’t planning to sell in the immediate future, it can still pay off to make some of the cost-effective, easy home updates suggested in the recent Equifax Finance blog article “Inexpensive Ways to Increase Your Home Value.”

• Update the bathroom: Buyers today expect updated bathrooms, both master baths and powder rooms. Creating the true spa experience by installing a steam shower or built-in sauna is probably out of the budget, but you can easily update the bathroom with new tile. Choose a large tile for the floor (small floor tiles are outdated). Small tiles do work in the shower. Many home improvement retailers offer how-to classes on tile setting, so this is something you could save money on by doing yourself after getting some experience in a DIY class. Then, paint the bathroom walls to give the room a pop. If you do the tile installation yourself, you could do new paint and tile in a powder room for less than $200 and in a standard sized bathroom for less than $400.  The article suggests finding substitutes for popular, expensive tiles like Carrera marble with tiles that look like the more expensive types but are half the cost.   
• Update the basement: Buyers are looking for basements that they can use for more than just storage – they want a gathering space for children, friends and family members that they can be comfortable in. Warm up your basement with wood-look tile or luxury vinyl plank flooring, which both start at under $2 per square foot. These too could be done yourself after taking a DIY class. Then, finish off the update with a new coat of paint, new lighting fixtures and attractive furnishings.

Get the rest of the cost-effective home improvement tips on the Equifax Finance blog, where you can find more advice on real estate and personal finance, from saving money, budgeting, investment, insurance, taxes, credit rating know-how and tips for preventing identity theft.

Home Builder Uses Pinterest to Attract Female Buyers

With women making the majority of all home buying decisions, it should come as no surprise that more home builders are concentrating their efforts on attracting the female demographic to their doorstep. In fact, Pennsylvania homebuilder Keystone Custom Homes is taking a female-centric approach to marketing with their latest Pin-N-Win sweepstakes.

While Pinterest's users are 30 percent male, we can all agree that the site predominately appeals to women. And, along the same line, 11 percent of all Pinterest boards are in the home decor category, making it the number one category for pinboards overall.

These factors are just a few reasons why Keystone Custom Homes has seen such great success with their sweepstakes. Since launching on May 29, the builder has attracted nearly 100 entrants, 140 new followers and more than 500 Facebook likes.

Now through July 5, you too can enter to win a $500 Pottery Barn gift card from Keystone Custom Homes. To enter, follow these simple steps:

• Follow Keystone Custom Homes on Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/kchhomes.

• Name a new pin board “My KCH Dream Home.”

• Re-pin the sweepstakes image located at www.pinterest.com/kchomes/my-kch-dream-home to the board.

• Repin at least five images from Keystone Custom Homes’ boards. Images should vary and include exteriors, kitchens, family rooms and master bedrooms.

•  Include #mykchdreamhome in the description of each pin.

• Once the “My KCH Dream Home” board is complete, post a comment with the link to it under the pin located at www.pinterest.com/kchomes/my-kch-dream-home.

To learn more, visit www.KeystoneCustomHome.com or call 877-513-0385.