Tag Archives: Home Equity

Top 10 Tweaks to Add Value to Your Home

Top 10 Things to Add Value

Just like purchasing your home, selling it is a journey all its own. Whether you’re aiming to sell your home in one year or five, you can make a number of small changes that offer a big return on your home’s value. Try these key improvements and see the effect on your next home assessment.

  1. An eye-catching entrance. As the gateway into your home, your front door will set the tone for what’s within. Update your door bell, paint the front door, and hang a spring wreath to tie it all together.
  2. Energy-efficient updates: Updating appliances, windows, and fixtures, to their more green counterparts can set your home apart with the attractive promise of future savings.
  3. Low-maintenance landscaping: While flowers are eye-catching, shrubs and drought-resistant greenery make great visual impact with the promise of less hassle.
  4. A thorough clean. A deep clean of carpets, curtains, and corners will make your home sparkle and create a positive first impression. Hiring a professional cleaning service may also help to remove hard-to-clean grime and overlooked areas.
  5. De-cluttered rooms. A tidy house doesn’t always feel open. Heavy curtains, overstuffed couches, and rooms devoid of sunlight can make buyers cautious of square footage. Rid the room of nothing but bare essentials and simplistic furniture to maximize the area of the space.
  6. Extra mirrors. To double the feel of any room, strategically place mirrors to create an illusion of extra space.
  7. Small updates to big places. Kitchens and bathrooms are focal points in the selling process. Without the time and cost of a major remodel, small updates like new lighting, fresh paint, or modern accessories can add value to your home on a budget.
  8. Revamped flooring: Thin or threadbare carpets can raise alarms for buyers as they visualize the daunting need to replace the tired flooring. As your budget allows, replace your home’s carpet beginning high-traffic areas and working outwards.
  9. Modern lighting. Updating light fixtures to a timeless and simple feel, help to elevate a home’s design and gives the potential buyer a blank canvas to imagine life in their new home.
  10. A professional opinion. In under an hour, a trained interior designer can provide suggestions for small tweaks, such as furniture arrangement or paint color adjustments, which can increase your home’s value with limited investment.

While improvements are not a guarantee of improved value, they can make all the difference when drawing in interested buyers. If some of your home-improvement projects require a bigger investment than your budget expected, our lending officers at Timberwood Bank can work to help you secure the Home Equity Line of Credit you need.

Beginning Spring Renovations with a Home Equity Line of Credit

Home Equity Loan

With warm weather approaching spring is the ideal time to shake off the dust and get your house back into shape! Get started on your next home renovation with a strategic Home Equity Line of Credit from Timberwood Bank. Our custom financing allows you withdraw only the funds you need along the course of your future project. Inspiration can be found everywhere when updating common areas such as the kitchen, bathrooms, basement, or outdoor living area. See what these average home renovations cost with this handy guide courtesy of Timberwood Bank.

Kitchen Remodel: Creating your ideal culinary environment is more than just choosing cabinets and granite. With all the updates and finishing work, a typical Midwestern kitchen remodel can cost around $15,000 to complete. Carefully crafting the heart of your home takes concentrated decision making and long term planning. Consider updating your kitchen appliances to save you time and energy while preparing future meals. You may want to refinish or replace worn out flooring to match the new feel of your fresh remodel.

                Bathroom Remodel: Giving your common space a much needed facelift can help you add value to your home. With updates as simple as new hardware and a tasteful backsplash you can bring some timeless style to a functional space. When undertaking a full renovation, features like a walk-in shower or a double vanity can bring a bold statement to the room. The average bathroom remodel in Wisconsin typically runs under $10,000 for a completely revamped space.

                New Deck: Building a fun outdoor patio or deck can open up the area for countless fun family activities. Costing around $6000 for the average Midwestern deck, you can complete this exciting renovation in time and under budget. Spice up your new construction with added rails to hold beverages or food during grill outs and get-togethers.

                Finishing a Basement: Depending on your foundation and other structural issues, most basement renovations center on adding dry wall, placing new flooring, and waterproofing the entirety of the room. Typically costing under $25,000, a finished basement can serve as additional space for an office or play room, increasing the livable square footage of your home.

There are endless projects to begin your spring to-do list this season. Let Timberwood Bank help you get started on your next home renovation with a tailored Home Equity Line of Credit. Speak with one of our helpful lenders to get started today!

Mortgage Financing 101: Which type of loan is right for you?

Home Financing

A spacious backyard with a white picket fence. A rustic plot in the country just outside of town. A four-bedroom beauty custom designed by you and your spouse. Whatever your vision, home ownership is a unique and fulfilling adventure! At Timberwood Bank, we offer a variety of mortgage options to help you finance your slice of the American dream. Take a peek at just a few of our loan offerings:

Fixed Rate Mortgage Loan – Whether on a 15-year-plan or a 30, a fixed-rate mortgage ensures a consistent monthly payment for the length of your loan. Stable and dependable, frozen rates allow you to plan for the future, and refinancing options are available should your plans change. Timberwood makes it especially easy, offering customizable options to create the loan that works best with your budget.

USDA – Rural Development Loan – High down payments, traditional credit requirements, and steep debt-to-income ratios can be the barrier separating you from homeownership. The USDA-Rural Development loan program, however, helps navigate around these barriers. Helping fund closing costs, legal fees, title services, and other up-front payments, these loans

WHEDA Loan (Wisconsin Housing Economic Development Authority) – Unique financing options have made WHEDA a smart loan choice for Wisconsin residents for more than 40 years. Offering assistance with down payments, special tax credits to qualified borrowers, and preferred fixed interest rates for first-time home buyers, a WHEDA loan may be right for you. Ask your Timberwood Bank lender to help you discover the most effective WHEDA loan for you!

Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) – Take full advantage of the equity already sitting in your home with our HELOC option, which offers lower interest rates than many credit cards and consumer loans. Fund a home renovation, a much needed repair, or a home addition with this tax-deductible option that also helps build your credit score.

Lot Loan – You’ve got the land to build the house of your dreams, but perhaps you’re not quite ready to break ground. Our Lot Loans may serve you best! Through this option, you can purchase and secure your lot while you continue to design and plan your dream home. We’ll help you get the ball rolling once you’ve selected your contractor and uncovered your plan to your dream home.

Our experienced loan officers at Timberwood Bank are ready and excited to help you take the next big steps towards home ownership.  Give us a call at (608)372-2265 to set up an appointment today!