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6 Ways to Finance Your Home Improvement Project

Isabel M. Crowe

If you’ve been staring at the four walls of your home since March, you might feel an itch to finally finish your basement or update your bathroom tiles. As long as you’re at home, you might as well enjoy what you’re looking at, right?

According to a survey by online lender LightStream, 73% of homeowners are planning a home improvement project this year. Nearly two-thirds of homeowners planning renovations will use savings, the survey says. Those who don’t have savings or choose not to spend it will need to weigh their options for financing their renovation projects.

The best way to pay for your project depends on factors like your home equity, credit and goals for the project. Here are six types of home improvement loans and how each works.

1. Cash-out refinance

The economic effects of COVID-19 have driven mortgage rates down sharply, making cash-out refinance a popular recommendation

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28 Dumb Ways You Could Lose It All by Trying To Get Rich

Isabel M. Crowe

Everyone wants to get rich quick, but no one likes the risks involved in chasing that elusive fortune. If you want to learn how to get rich, you’ll receive conflicting advice and run into a dizzying array of investment opportunities. And low returns aren’t the only danger. If you choose a bad method for making money, you could end up losing a big chunk instead of gaining one.

Last updated: Feb. 25, 2020

Inexperienced rehabbers often drool at the prospect of a cheaply priced house, thinking it will bring them riches as a rental. They ignore the fact that there’s a reason for the price. Brian Davis, the co-founder of SparkRental, learned this the hard way.

“My particular mistake was investing in super low-end properties, chasing super high returns,” he said. “In rental investing, bad neighborhoods look great on paper, because the typical numbers that investors use to … Read More

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Ways to Create a Better Space No Matter Where You Live

Isabel M. Crowe

Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

As many of us are spending more time at home in the era of coronavirus, our backyards have become our havens, our places to stand in the sun or dig in the dirt. And green spaces go beyond the yard—a balcony, a window over a park across the street, or some houseplants in a corner. Any of these can put us a bit closer to nature.

Here you’ll find what some of us at CR and some of you are up to in our “backyards,” along with tips and inspiration on new ways to enjoy your space. Just click on any of the photos or videos. Share your backyard activities on Instagram with sell your house fast jacksonville the hashtag #BackyardOasis and tag @consumerreports and we might include your post here.

Grilling

Grills are getting a whole lot

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