Posted by Sudbury Northern Life  
(NC)-If you're one of many Canadians planning to sell your
home this year, you may have reconsidered with the changing
market in resale homes. According to Canada Mortgage Housing
Corporation's (CMHC) second-quarter Housing Market Outlook, the
average Multiple Listing Service (MLS) price of resale homes
was projected to increase by 5.1 per cent in 2008. But at the
same time, the number of homes that are selling is slowing down
and mortgage costs are increasing. This means fewer home buyers
and a tough sell for homeowners.
Like you, every homeowner wants to sell their home at the right
time and at the right price. While waiting for the market to
adjust, don't feel frustrated. There are plenty of things you
can do to help increase the value of your home while you find a
time that's right for you to sell.
One option is to upgrade your home's features to help improve
its energy efficiency.
"Being able to tell potential home buyers that you've improved
the home's energy efficiency is an attractive selling point,"
says David Flood, energy efficiency expert, Owens Corning.
"There are a number of inexpensive and convenient projects you
can do such as upgrading your home's insulation."
The task is easy. Begin with a tour of your home to check for
drafts, especially around windows, doors and basement headers.
Remember, if air can move in and out of your house, so can
heat.
Help make your home weather-tight by sealing all gaps with a
compatible caulking sealant or spray foam sealant and use
weather-stripping around window and door frames - all of which
are found at your local home building supplies store.
"Sealing drafts and replacing old and damaged insulation is
simple and can be an easy weekend project for any homeowner,"
says Flood.
Insulation can be added or replaced.
Until the right selling time arrives, you can help increase the
comfort of your home while helping to decrease energy costs to
save money for your next abode. For more information and tips
on improving your home's energy efficiency, visit
www.owenscorning.ca
.
