Housing Crisis Hits Remodeling Berkeley CA

Many home owners who perform home improvements now will be in good shape for the next home price spurt, but they may first get only use-benefits without the added value.

by Broderick Perkins
© 2008 DeadlineNews.Com

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Deadline Newsroom - It's a good time to negotiate a bargain on a home improvement -- even if it won't do a lot for your home's value.

Many homeowners are reluctant to put money into a home improvement for fear their home value will decline anyway.

Home improvements, once used to help boost the value of homes, are the latest victim of the housing crisis.

Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies says home improvements are set to decline by an annual rate of more than 11 percent into the first quarter of 2009.

Kermit Baker, director of the Remodeling Futures Program of the Joint Center blamed weak home sales and the growing inventory of unsold homes for discouraging upper-end remodeling in many areas.

Weak home sales and swelling inventories are the byproducts of a housing market plagued by foreclosures and tight underwriting standards.

The fallout prevents new home purchases and refinanced mortgages that often result in cash pulled out for home improvements. ...

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