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THE GARDEN ISLAND
HARDWOOD FLOORING BRANDPOINT
Whether you’re thinking about selling your home or just making some updates, it’s always smart to consider renovations that will enhance the enjoyment of your home and increase your property’s longterm value. One key improvement many homeowners consider is updating their home’s flooring to solid or engineered hardwood, an investment that can maximize a home’s style and value. Hardwood flooring instantly transforms a space, and you can choose from many types and hues of wood to suit the design style that’s just right for you. You can also stay on-trend by using hardwood flooring throughout your home to achieve a seamless, cohesive look. “Hardwood flooring is always a standout feature that brings timeless, stylish appeal to any home,” says Jennifer Meska, Head of Merchandising at LL Flooring. The National Realtor Association’s 2022 Remodeling Impact Report found that homeowners who install new hardwood flooring get an average return on investment (ROI) of up to 118 percent. On top of that, the National Wood Flooring Association has found that 99 percent of real estate agents believe homes with quality hardwood floors are easier to sell, and 90 percent believe they sell for a higher price. All of this means that hardwood floors can essentially pay for themselves in resale value.
Mortgage rates fall below 7 percent for first time in months Jeff Ostrowski BANKRATE.COM Mortgage rates broke below the 7 percent barrier this week, according to Bankrate’s latest lender survey. It was the first time since February that the average 30-year rate was in the sub-7 range. The reason: optimism that the Federal Reserve might cut rates in the near future. The 30-year mortgage rate fell to 6.92 percent. The 15-year rate fell to 6.92 percent and the 30-year jumbo to 6.92 percent. The 30-year fixed mortgages in this week’s survey had an average total of 0.28 discount and origination points. Discount points are a way for you to reduce your mortgage rate, while origination points are fees a lender charges to create, review and process your loan. Monthly mortgage payment at today’s rates The national median family income for 2024 is $97,800, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the median price of an existing home sold in May 2024 was $419,300, a record, according to the National Association of Realtors. Based on a 20 percent down payment and a 6.92 percent mortgage rate, the monthly payment of $2,214 amounts to 27 percent of the typical family’s monthly income. Will mortgage rates go down? In the simplest sense, the economy drives whether mortgage rates go up or down. Thirty-year mortgage rates tend to fall in recessions — but not always — and today the economy is anything but a downturn. The jobs market has been strong, and inflation, while lower compared to a few months ago, is still above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target. The Fed is likely to cut rates this year, if only once, and optimism about a rate cut allowed mortgage rates to slip below 7 percent, says Michael Merritt, senior vice president at BOK Financial, a bank headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Friday, July 19, 2024 • B3
One top trend to improve your home’s value ing excellent resistance to stains, scuffs and scratches. This natural option in hickory flooring stands out for its high-contrast color variations and unique grain patterns, with colors running from light tans to deep browns and reddish tones laced throughout. Hickory floors are equally attractive in a more classic or traditional style home, for a sophisticated and modern city loft or a rustic country cabin. Modern engineered elegance
LL Flooring’s Claire Gardens Oak Engineered Hardwood Flooring gives you the option for ontrend, wider planks (8.5 inches wide). The buttery cream coloring of this classic white oak flooring gives these blonde planks an inviting lightness and beauty that complements a variety of today’s preferred styles, ranging from modern farmhouse, minimalist and Scandinavian to COURTESY OF BRANDPOINT biophilic, eclectic and bohemian designs. The buttery cream coloring of this classic white oak flooring gives these blonde planks an invitEngineered hardwood is an ening lightness and beauty that complements a variety of today’s preferred styles. hanced wood product that offers The timeless appeal of near-assured that they will stay line of solid and engineered hard- improved performance, and hardwood flooring in style for generations to come. wood, which offers a 100-year lighter tones can help to reflect Another advantage of hardthe light in any room of your Hardwood floors have been residential warranty. home for a more open, bright around for a long time, and for wood flooring is that you can Classic, enduring style and airy ambiance. good reason. They can create the choose from a wide variety of Whichever hardwood flooring perfect complement to a wide Hickory is the hardest of all styles and species of wood to option you choose, you can relax range of home design styles, ofNorth American woods, making achieve different looks, and you and enjoy its beauty now and for can consider either solid or engi- it perfect for those who want fering natural tone, beauty and years to come — or prepare your sophistication that’s hard to du- neered hardwood for even more beauty and long-lasting quality, home to sell — knowing that options depending on the needs especially for high-traffic areas. plicate with any other material. you’ve made a sound investment The 5-inch wide planks in LL of your home. On top of that, hardwood Here are just a couple of exam- Flooring’s Natural Hickory Solid in the future of your home. floors are known for their timeExplore all of the possibilities less quality - hardwood has been ples of selections available to to- Hardwood Flooring are factory finished with premium aluminum for hardwood flooring in your a trusted flooring material for day’s homeowners from LL home at LLFlooring.com. oxide for a fortified finish, offerhundreds of years, and it’s Flooring’s Bellawood premium