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Whether you’re a homeowner or an investor, your property represents at bare minimum a significant investment. So how can the conscientious homeowner or investor protect their home against fire? There are a few ways this can be done, and they all involve preparedness and vigilance.

Last week, we discussed the basics of landscaping, how to get started, and began with the first and most common improvements to make. Because there’s a narrower window between their costs and benefits, trees and hard-scape additions deserve special consideration and thoughtful planning. Mistakes or unnecessary additions can be costly, so with so much riding on this aspect of your overall plan, it’s important to understand that not all landscaping improvements are created equal, so to speak.

When selling your home, landscaping is the main factor that determines whether your home feels inviting from the outside. Curb appeal, of which landscaping is a large part, is important to 71 percent of homebuyers when choosing their future home, according to a recent National Association of Realtors survey.

Whether you’re rehabbing a bargain property and flipping it, or making small upgrades to increase the longevity of a property you intend to hold and rent, in both cases the value of the property to either a buyer or a tenant will in some ways be affected by the layout, design, durability, and appeal of the bathrooms. When we discussed fixtures, bathtubs in particular deserve special attention. Replacing your bathtub is a relatively simple way to upgrade the look of a bathroom and should be a part of any major bathroom renovation.

For most people, the single largest purchase they’ll ever make is their home, and with a mortgage commit to the endeavor for several years or decades. Just as a large purchase like a home or property is nothing to undertake lightly, so too are the terms and structure of the mortgage, to which the buyer will be financially bound over the course of paying off the property. Whether you’re an investor or a homeowner, the mortgage on your property is going to be a part of realizing your goal, whether it’s ownership of the home or selling it for a profit. When choosing a mortgage, there is a wide range of personal factors you need to be aware of and weigh against current and anticipated economic realities.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve talked a great deal about the importance of regular maintenance of and additions to your property as a way of retaining its value and increasing its overall appeal. One area that neither be ignored nor neglected is the property’s restrooms, the importance of which can’t be overstated. A privilege we enjoy as occupants of the First World is the expectation that the restrooms we use will be clean, sanitary, and afford us all the amenities we’re used to, and this expectation carries over to, and indeed perhaps starts within, our very own homes.

In the past, we’ve talked about ways to improve the overall appeal of your property, whether you’re trying to rent it out, sell it, or are simply a homeowner looking to maintain the value on your home.One addition that’s often overlooked is the presence of area rugs for living spaces or throw rugs for hallways, both of which can add a bit of homey comfort to a living area, especially if you’ve got hardwood or laminate flooring. What’s not usually mentioned, however, is the need to maintain those rugs.

When investing in real estate, it’s not uncommon to be holding on to a particular property for at least some amount of time, even if it’s a fix-and-flip. While the property is under your name, you’ll want to make sure it’s properly maintained in order to protect your investment. Neglecting to do so can lead to costly repairs or a major health hazard, and at best it’s an enormous waste of time and a colossal headache. As an investor, surely you have better things to do, so in keeping with our mantra of formulating a plan and diligently sticking to it: don’t neglect maintaining your property, and take care to avoid mold!

Most of the time in real estate investment, what makes a property worth your time and money as an investor is the fact that it’s either likely to increase in value or you’re getting a good deal due to the condition of it. For most investors, upgrading, repairing, or maintaining their property prior to listing or renting is part of their overall plan, and generally they rely on contractors to accomplish this.

As a real estate investor, you’re inevitably going to wind up selling the properties in which you’re invested in order to realize a profit. We don’t want to make too much of it, because we believe real estate investment is a series of plans and goals regarding each investment with actually buying and selling being just two steps among many, but ultimately the final goal is to sell