Bob and Lisa Hathaway woke up Feb. 28 and decided, on a whim, to trek from their Hicksville, Ohio, home to the Fort Wayne Home and Garden Show. Their mission: study the displays for home-improvement ideas.

The couple left with the money to make them reality.

The Hathaways won a $50,000 home-makeover package at the 37th annual show, and a week and a half later, they still are in shock and trying to decide how to use the winnings appropriately.

“I was just amazed that it happened,” said Lisa Hathaway. “I still am. We're always ready for an update to the house. our house needs some stuff done to it.”

The package is not a $50,000 check for the Hathaways to spend, but rather a package of materials and work orders to be used around the their home. the prizes include a new bathroom vanity, countertop and toilet; a kitchen countertop, sink, garbage disposal and faucet; new gutters, soffits, shutters, decking and sidewalks outside; interior paint; a painted garage floor and a new roof to top it off.

All labor and cleanup is included, Lisa Hathaway said.

After adding nearly 800 square feet in 1997 to the 1965-built, 1,900-square-foot ranch-style home, Lisa Hathaway said she and her husband have spent years slowly upgrading the home their three kids were raised in. the prize should assist with that.

Lisa Hathaway said she and her husband do not necessarily need some of the items in the package, and they will try to work with the suppliers either to opt out of those specific items or to negotiate equal-cost replacements.

“We'll obviously go with the majority of what they're offering, but we can opt out of some things,” said Lisa Hathaway. “We live right in Hicksville, across from a nursing home, so the home security system is one of those things we're not looking at. We just have questions.”

Hicksville couple wins $50,000 for home upgrades

Advantages of owning a home:-

Owning a home brings with it many advantages. Some of these advantages are:

* if you own real estate, your financial credibility goes up considerably in society.

* your own home gives you the freedom to do what you like with it. For example, you can paint walls, keep pets and do many other things that you may not be able or willing to do in a rented apartment/villa/house. Remember, you can carry out any kind of home improvements in your own home, whereas you will not be willing to improve upon a rented home.

* Investment in real estate always appreciates with time. one of the main reasons for the appreciation is that there are far too many people and our world and far too less built space available to accommodate them. The market value of your real estate may bring you windfall gains in case you decide to sell it at a later date. Plus, owning a home will guard you against real-estate inflation.

* Owning a piece of real estate in any form secures you emotionally – your home-ownership will fill you with pride and satisfaction.

* Over and above all these, you may enjoy some tax advantages because you own a home.

Searching for a home:-

Before you start your search for a home, you must at least make up your mind about the neighborhood you want to live in. if you’re migrating, then you must choose a neighborhood that is close to your workplace or your child/s’ schools. there are so many different factors that can influence your choice and ultimately it all depends upon you. Once you make up your mind where you’d like your real estate to be located, here’s what you must do:

* Always look up real estate online classified listings on real estate portals first. The online classified ads on the Internet cover a vast area and real estate portals such as ours’ – GO-Globe.com – cover numerous localities in different countries. You can try out niche neighborhood online classified ads too by running up a search on your favorite search engine. These online classified ads will not only give you an idea of the real market value in an area, they may land you with a super deal. On web portals, you can see the pictures of the property and you can figure out their location in a jiffy because the map will be given – this feature is missing in newspapers.

* Newspaper ads are a good source of information and many newspapers publish property pullouts or supplements, which clue you on to registration fees, taxes, mortgages, etc.

* Plan your finances well in advance. if you’re taking a loan, choose your preferred lender beforehand.

* next in line are real estate brokers. if you run a scan on the Internet you will most likely find a reputed real estate broker who has published his listings online. Contact him and dig for more information.

* now make a list about things to ask when you actually establish telephonic or Internet

contact: these would be location, price, pictures, utilities, amenities, taxes and whether the property is mortgaged, the kind of community (schools, shopping), the construction nitty-gritty (electric, plumbing, heating/cooling, etc.).

Home inspection tips:-

Okay, now we assume you have frozen on your neighborhood and you have started looking at some real estate. Here’s what you must check:

* Check the toilets, sinks, tubs, tiles and the plumbing in the bathroom. look for breakages, ultra-used equipment and leakages. Similarly, check the kitchen’s sink.

* Check the woodwork in the house and look for termite-invasions, excessive use, poor

quality of wood, etc.

* do a general check on electrical appliances, windows, electrical outlets and the garage.

* Take a close look at the exterior of the house: look for cracks, damaged gutters, water seepages and the ventilation.

* while inspecting the interiors take a hard look at the quality of the flooring, cracks inside the house, loose tiles and water stains. it is important to ensure that your home is well built and in top habitable condition. You may also think of appointing a home inspection specialist who may find more faults than you.

Once you have selected your home and have completed all the inspections needed, you are now ready to buy it. every country has a different set of property laws and it will be prudent that you see your lawyer for all the paperwork involved for the closure of the deal. A wise man once said, “A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.” and a wisecrack once remarked, “Home is where you can scratch where it itches”. both these statements are oh-so-true and so relevant, that their importance cannot be overemphasized. if you’re planning to buy a property, go ahead and follow our guide – it will pay you rich dividends.

This Home Buying Guide is brought to you by GO-Globe.com , an international free online classifieds real estate portal, developed in Dubai, Europe, India.

You can save yourself a whole lot of cash when you register your property or when you search for your dream home on our site. We currently have over 4000 properties listed on our site.

Make Your Bathroom Vanity Look Best

Best way to upgrade bathroom

March 11, 2010 @ 8:40 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

Best way to upgrade bathroom

Upgrading bathrooms and kitchens can add value and beauty to one’s home. by modernizing certain areas, the home will never feel as though it is outdated. Gemstone countertops and accents add appeal and uniqueness to areas of the home that would otherwise feel everybody is unique,everybody do not like to be the same with others.so we should give personalized gifts to others that can display different character.commonplace. To be sure the gemstone is of the highest available quality, a builder proficient in design aspects should be sought out. the builder should be reliable and recommended by companies like the Marble Institute of America and the better Business Bureau to insure the job will go smoothly.

If you have noticed a problem with your kitchen floor then maybe it is an appropriate time to opt for beautifully designed and crafted kitchen floor tiles. Applying fresh kitchen floor tiles can give you a different experience to enjoy the cooking and conversation you generally do with your family members while you are cooking some special food item for your beloved one. If you are searching for guidance on how to select kitchen tiles for your house then this article may instruct you really in doing so.

Have you any idea about that which tile is known as a commonly used material now-a-days among home owners and constructors? If yes, then you would not face any kind of difficulty. On the other hand, if you don’t have any idea about that then you should know at least the one that is in most in-demand today. this material is the kitchen tiles that have become popular among the people who want to keep and refurbish their kitchens in a way that can make an eye-catching look and translucent appearance. Several home owners are attracting towards its utilisation due to its flexibility and stunning beauty. Before going to opt for these tiles, you need to consider the following instructions:

Indeed, kitchen is the most occupied and littered place of the household project. the slabs, floors and walls are often filled with oil, tea garbage or water. As a result, kitchen demands for the tiles that can withstand stain and can be cleaned utilising a cloth and a mild detergent.the sink Hand Sanitizersanitizer more and more welcomed by the general publiccombos, most of the time, combine sink with a cabinet, granting you a functional and wholesale supply is your ultimate source for gift basket supplies.handy place to make yourself feel beautiful in the morning. Before you get your hands in one of them, it’s important for you to determine who in your family will use the sinks on a regular basis. You may be in great desire for a marble vessel sink, but if your children will also be using it, it is highly oil painting reproduction from old World Masters to Contemporary artists.recommended that you go for porcelain sink that is more practical for your whole family.

Vessel sink combos can offer you with double sink vanities, which can transform your bathroom plastic card Systems is a leader in plastic ID card and badge printing technology,to a more purposeful place. these vanities expediently divide your bathroom space into “for him”, “for her” or “for parents”, “for children” sink allotment.

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granite sink » Best way to upgrade bathroom