HoweEnterprise.com
December 14, 2020
How to enhance the value of your home Hey Taylor: I just bought a house and I’m really focused on making sure it retains its value. Aside from maintenance Taylor and such, what Kovar are some ways to hold (and hopefully increase) its overall worth? - Carmen Hey Carmen: This is an important thing for homeowners to focus on! Property value usually trends upward, but that’s never a guarantee. Here are a few ways you can increase the worth of your new house over time: 1. Maximize space. Whether your home has two bedrooms or four, it's important to feel that there’s plenty of room. As the years go by and you collect more things, it’s easy to get accustomed to cramped quarters and limited storage. That can be a big deterrent when it comes time to appraise your home. There are a few ways to make your house feel bigger, one of which is actually making it larger with an addition. If you have the money to invest in a new room, you should see a good return on that money when it comes time to sell. If you don’t want to make the house physically bigger, you can install shelves, cabinets, and pantry spaces that create space without adding square footage. 2. Be tech savvy. You don’t want to overdo it with the programming and computerizing of your house but smart home security panels and thermostats can add a lot of appeal. As long as there isn’t a steep learning curve, prospective homebuyers will generally like the idea of a house with good security features and a heating and cooling system that is effective and efficient. Any system that lets you save money on utility bills makes financial sense
in the immediate future and for resale purposes. You should think about innovative and efficient lighting sources, bathroom fixtures, kitchen appliances, and so on. You don’t have to turn your home into something out of a scifi novel but keep an eye out for smart devices you think will fit nicely in your house. 3. Keep up outdoor appearances. If home value is a concern, you can’t overlook your front or backyard. Even if you just have a small patch of grass, figure out a way to make it look nice. You’ll also want to be sure you go with a setup you don’t have too much trouble maintaining. People often bite off more than they can chew when it comes to landscaping, and if you abandon your efforts part way through you could end up with a pretty ugly yard. Find a look you like that you have time to maintain, and stick with it. Home upkeep costs a good deal of money, but that investment will pay off if you take the right approach. Keep the above items in mind as you work on your home, and hopefully the value will continue to rise! Legal Disclaimer: Information presented is for educational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. To submit a question to be answered in this column, please send it via email to Question@GoFarWithKovar.com or via USPS to Taylor Kovar, 415 S 1st St, Suite 300, Lufkin, TX 75901.
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Living with children Q: Our 14year-old daughter desperately wants to begin wearing makeup, which all, and I mean all, of her John classmates are Rosemond allowed to do. We have held off not only because of our beliefs but also because of her immaturity. Up until recently, for example, she has continued to throw magnificent tantrums when she doesn’t get her way. We decided to use the makeup issue as a bribe of sorts and told her that if she didn’t throw a tantrum between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day that we would begin letting her wear makeup. She stopped throwing tantrums. Bam! Just like that, after fourteen years. Now, however, she has replaced tantrums with defiance. We will ask her to do something and she will tell us, flat out, “No.” What can we do now? We’ve already used makeup as an incentive. Furthermore, none of her friends are allowed to socialize for the duration of the pandemic, so taking away social privileges is a non-starter. We’re in a dilemma. A: This is easy, so easy in fact that I am typing this answer with both hands tied behind my back. Okay, so let me ask you a question: What makes you think that since you’ve already bribed her with makeup concerning her magnificent tantrums, that you can’t also bribe her with makeup concerning her equally magnificent defiance? “How would we do that?” you ask? Being able to answer that very question is why I am a parenting expert. In graduate school, I obtained the highest grade ever
awarded for “Answering Really Tough Parenting Questions 501.” Besides, no parent has ever bested me in a shotgun round of “Stump the Expert.” In short, you came to the right guy. First, however, let me point out that letting her begin wearing makeup if she doesn’t throw a magnificent tantrum for the rest of the year is not exactly a bribe. You were eventually going to let her wear makeup, right? Right. Strictly speaking, therefore, it’s not a bribe. I prefer to call it a lever. You have used her burning desire to wear makeup to leverage an end to her magnificent tantrums. Offering her one thousand dollars to stop throwing tantrums…that would have been a bribe. So, the answer to the above question is you simply tell her that from this day forth, every act of defiance on her part moves the date she can begin wearing makeup one day forward. Right now, Makeup Day is January 1. Her next act of defiance moves it to January 2, and so on. Furthermore, once she earns the privilege of wearing makeup, you can take it away for tantrums or acts of defiance. To wit, a misstep of either magnificent sort results in her makeup being taken away for a week during which time another misstep results in said week beginning anew. See what I mean? Drum roll and cymbal crash, please! Family psychologist John Rosemond: johnrosemond.com, p arentguru.com. John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology. In 1971, John earned his masters in psychology from Western Illinois University and was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society.
CCP Data leak (Continued from page 9)
there’s no suggestion that these members have committed espionage — but the concern is over whether Australia or these companies knew of the CCP members and if so have any steps been taken to protect their data and people.” A spokesperson for the InterParliamentary Alliance on China
— a group “which comprises more than 150 legislators around the world who are concerned by the influence and activities of the Chinese government” — released a statement saying that a representative of the organization had “received this list from a nongovernmental source, but was not in a position to verify it,” and that journalists had “since investigated and their findings are disturbing indeed.”
