pdxremodels.com

So, you are thinking about new appliances for your home. Before you go out and buy, you might want to consider checking into the various rebates and incentives that are available. Chosing energy efficient models might prove a better way to go. Depending upon the appliance you buy (or the way you choose to power them), you may be able to stuff a few dollar bills back in your pocket. Read the rest of this entry »

Better yet, send me your story along with the photos.  Tell me what you would do differently (if anything) if you were to do your remodeling job all over again.  Email me here.

A few days ago I wrote a post about the Portland Development Commission’s low-interest loans for necessary repairs and home improvements to your home.  Well, did you know that they also have a home loan program for where you can refinance your home at a 90% loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, based on the after-improved value of your home? Cool, huh?  Read the rest of this entry »

Tim Carter, a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, shows you how to wire a 3-way switch (something my hubby now knows how to do!) Enjoy.

Read the rest of this entry »

It can be tough to choose the perfect approach when remodeling a home.  Do you focus on the here and now, making your home fit your tastes and current needs or do you consider a few years down the line and remodel for a broader audience? It can be tempting to make a home remodel truly unique, but in doing this you run the risk of making it so different that when you go to sell it will only appeal to a limited number of people. 

Wall Street Journal writer, Jeff Opdyke, recently wrote an article about this very dilemma. 

“You might love the kitschy look of a 1950s bathroom, with the small, multicolored, multishaped tiles on the floor and shower walls. But when most potential buyers look at that, they either cross your house off their list or mentally mark down the price by the thousands of dollars they’ll spend on tearing it out and putting in a new bathroom.

Your style is their disaster.”

What conclusions did Jeff draw about his own homeowner dilemma? Read the whole article here.

For a look at a few more exceptionally different homes (I can’t help but wonder who the next potential buyer would be), take a gander at HGTV’s television show What’s With That House? website or these photos of weird houses around the world.

So, you live in a house that needs some repair. I don’t mean a new kitchen or a little paint, I mean REPAIR. Perhaps the furnace has a mind of its own and works sporadically or the home has faulty plumbing. Maybe every time a rain storm comes through town you are immediately on bucket patrol to catch that inevitable drip here or there.

Like many of us, you probably love the house (or neighborhood) despite it’s flaws and you just don’t want to (can’t afford to?) move.  You have the desire and ideas to repair these necessary items; the only things holding you back is finding the money.

Well, if you live in the Lents Town Center or Interstate Corridor areas, you might be in luck. The Portland Development Commission (PDC) has a couple of loan programs for folks needing critical repairs to their homes. Critical repairs include such items as:

• Leaking roof
• Dangerous wiring/faulty electrical circuitry
• Failing structural system
• Faulty plumbing
• Broken sewer connection
• Inoperable heating system
• Hazerdous porch/stairs
• Critical assessibility need
• Code violations related to health or safety

However, there are income levels to qualify (no more than 50% or 80% of Median Family Income, depending upon the loan type) and a list of other criteria:

• Property taxes must be current for owners qualifying for the loan, or no more than two years’ delinquent
• There must be equity in the property equal to the loan amount
• Applicant must intend to occupy the property as the primary residence throughout the term of the loan
• Total assets cannot exceed $50,000, not including the value of the primary residence
• Applicant must be on title to the property
• Loan Conditions :
  • The loan amounts range from $5,000–$10,000; some repair needs may be extensive or too costly and consequently not feasible under this program
  • Lien placed on the property, from 20–30 years, depending on the interest rate
  • Loan comes due when the property changes hands

To start the process of receiving a PDC home remodeling loan you need to contact a PDC Loan Specialist. The telephone number to call is (503) 823-3400 or you can contact a specialist via email here.

Good Luck!

Photo by Penny Mathews, used under creative commons.