Tag Archives: South Salem NY Realtor

South Salem NY Homes | Budgeting Your Bathroom Renovation

You want to remodel your bathroom, but you don’t want to break the bank, and that’s a distinct possibility with any home renovation project. Here’s the skinny on how fat your wallet needs to be to do the remodeling job that you want. And once you know what costs what, you can figure out which corners — or countertops — to cut.

According to Remodeling magazine’s 2005 Cost vs. Value Report, a mid-range bathroom remodel is approximately $10,499, higher or lower depending on where you live (and how you define mid-range). Redoing your bathroom will cost you less in the South and more in the West and Northeast. The report also estimates that such a job will recoup 102 percent of its cost at resale. So at least you know you’re not flushing money down the toilet. An upscale bathroom remodel is estimated to cost $26, 052 — a hefty jump in price — and to recoup about 93 percent of that on resale.

Remodeling defines a mid-range remodel as putting in a toilet, tub with a tile surround, an integrated solid-surface double sink and vanity, recessed medicine cabinet, a ceramic tile floor and vinyl wallpaper.

An upscale remodel includes expanding the room an additional 8 square feet into existing space, adding a window, moving fixtures such as the toilet and replacing them with high-end models, a 4- X 6-foot tiled shower with a shower wall, a bidet, stone countertops in the vanity with two sinks, linen closet, tile floor, lighting, an exhaust fan and other amenities.

It’s easy to spend $25,000 on a bathroom renovation. If you don’t have that sort of dough, a remodel is all about compromise. Think about what elements in your bathroom you most want to change and what you can live with and without.

Construction Zone
Unless you’re DIYing your renovation, you’ll use a general contractor (GC) or contract out the work yourself. The latter requires some know-how, since you’ll need to get permits, oversee the work, etc. In selecting a GC, get bids and definitely ask for and check references. See how satisfied his or her previous customers are. To save money, you might consider doing the demolition yourself; you can even hold a demolition party to garner help from friends. Also compare buying the materials yourself with the cost of the GC supplying them. You can buy online or at discount stores to save money. The GC gets a deep discount but also tends to mark up prices, so check both options.

Labor
Man- or woman-power costs moolah. The people who replace that ghastly popcorn ceiling, install sconces and ceiling lights, plumb the fixtures, or lay the tile will run up the budget. Keep this in mind when laying out your bathroom plan. Moving lights or plumbing or putting in a window will cost more than sticking with the bathroom’s original layout. It doesn’t mean you can’t vary some areas, but pick and choose to avoid sticker shock.

Fixtures
One of the major costs in a remodel is moving fixtures, such as the toilet, sink and tub. If you can keep the same floor plan that you have now, you’ll spend less on plumbing.

Then there’s the cost of the fixtures themselves. If you must have that exquisite glass vessel sink, then pick a standard white no-frills toilet (about $125). Or if you want the Kohler Purist Hatbox toilet ($2,991 and up) then opt for a lower-end sink and tub.

Tile Talk
Tile is another major expense, not only the tile itself but the labor involved in installing it. You can limit the tile to the floor and the tub surround with a drop-in shower stall. If you’re lusting after an iridescent glass tile mosaic, consider using the expensive tiles as accents in a field of more pedestrian porcelain ones. Decide if you want to spend your money on a total-body shower wall or a completely tiled shower. Instead of running tile up the wall, think about beadboard wainscoting for a period look or a cool paint color if your design is more modern.

Countertop Culture
In a kitchen, solid surface or stone countertops can bust your budget because of sheer square footage. In the bath, you can get away with granite or even marble, if you’re smart about it. A single-sink vanity won’t take a lot of stone. If you want two, then pedestal sinks (take your pick of beauties from Kohler, Porcher, American Standard and more from about $140 to $300 each) and a refinished side cabinet or bedside table with a remnant of granite or marble on the top will save you money, give you storage, and have you in step with today’s trend of furniture cabinetry versus built-in.

Plan carefully, set your budget and be creative; you’ll end up with a beautiful bathroom that hasn’t broken your bank account.

South Salem NY Real Estate | How Can You Achieve Customer Loyalty

Customer loyalty may not be what you think it is.  Most people or companies claim to have great customer service and customer satisfaction scores, which they think leads to loyalty.  However, these scores may be misunderstood.

On the contrary, customer service and customer satisfaction may not lead to loyalty.  They just mean that your customers, loyal or not, are happy with you.  That said, customer service and satisfaction is the price of entry.  You won’t get loyalty without it.

So, let’s define what customer loyalty means.  Is it a repeat customer?  If so, does the customer go anywhere else, or are they 100% loyal – or a better word might be “married” – to you?

I’m very loyal to one of my favorite restaurants, The Pasta House.  I go there for lunch about every week or two.  What about the rest of the days of the week?  I go to other restaurants.  So, am I a loyal customer?

The above example ties into the concept of “wallet share” versus “market share,” which I’ve been writing about for many years.  The concept of market share has to do with how many of the customers that are able to buy your product actually buy it.  For example, if there are 100 customers in a given area that could buy your product, and 60 of them buy it, then you have 60% market share.

Wallet share takes the concept of market share to another level.  Of those 60 people who admit buying from you, how many of them will still buy from someone else?  If they only buy from you, then you have 100% of their “wallet share.”  If they split their loyalty between you and someone else, you only have 50% “wallet share.”

At the highest level of loyalty, your customer only buys from you.  In other words, they give you 100% wallet share.

So, here is what I want you to do.  Define what customer loyalty is to you and your organization.  There are several considerations to think about:

1. Define how often your customer buys what it is you sell (product or service).  This doesn’t mean how often they buy from you.  It is how often they buy what you sell, from you or your competition.

2. Based on their frequency of buying, even if they buy from a competitor, would you consider them loyal?

3. Do they ever buy, even once in a while, from your competition?

4. Following up on question 3, if they do buy from a competitor, why?

5. Again, following up on question three, if they do buy from a competitor, what can you do to get them to buy more often, if not always from you?  (Or at least more often from you than they currently do?)

6. What other questions should you be asking yourself to determine if a customer is loyal and how you can earn more wallet share, if not 100% of wallet share?

It is important to note that some businesses don’t need 100% wallet share to consider their customers loyal. Back to The Pasta House restaurant example above, Kim Tucci, the restaurant chain’s co-founder, says, “We would consider a guest loyal if they came back two times a month.  The customer has so many choices of where to go, the type of food and more.  If they want a hamburger, they should go to their favorite hamburger restaurant, but if they want a bowl of pasta, I hope they come to us.  That is how we define loyalty.”

Creating loyal customers is a far more cost effective strategy than bringing in new ones.  Many studies claim that it can cost five times more to acquire a new customer than keep an old one.  If that is the case, then loyalty – even at a lower wallet share – is a very smart strategy.

So, define what loyalty is to you.  Determine what percentage of wallet share makes a customer loyal.  Then strategize on how you can create more loyal customers and increase your wallet share.

Author:     Shep Hyken on the Web Shep Hyken on Facebook Shep Hyken on Twitter Shep Hyken on LinkedIn Shep Hyken on Google Plus Shep Hyken RSS Feed

Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a speaker and New York Times and Wall Street Journal best selling author who works with companies and organizations who want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. His articles have been read in hundreds of publications, and he is the author of… View full profile

This article originally appeared on Shep Hyken and has been republished with permission.

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7 Factors To Consider Before You Follow Someone On Twitter | South Salem NY Homes

7 Steps To Help Your Home Age Comfortably in South Salem NY | South Salem Real Estate

A survey by AARP earlier this year found that 33 percent of adults older than 45 have modified their homes to allow them to age comfortably in place. 

Aging-in-place modifications can include: 

1.   Decorative grab bars in showers

 

2.   Step-free entrances

 

3.   Levered door handles

 

4.   Raised electrical outlets

 

5.   Bathrooms that can accommodate wheelchairs

 

6.   Widened doorways to accommodate walkers

 

7.   Higher toilets

 

Mike Leary, founder of Rochester, N.Y., firm Access Lifts & Ramps, says business is brisk and he expects it to continue to grow. “If my kids stay in the business, they’ll be the ones to make out well,” Leary says. “They’ll be taking care of me. I’m in the middle of the Baby Boomers.”

 

NAR Article

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