Bill Riccadonna, Real Estate Professional for Raleigh, Cary, Garner, Apex, and Surrounding Areas

Q. What Are The Remodeling Trends For 2010?

A. Obviously, your return on investment depends on where you live. But according to Remodeling Magazine’s “2009-2010 Cost vs. Value report,” which compiles results from members of the National Association of REALTORS® in 80 cities, the trend is toward small-scale projects and replacements.

There’s no doubt that curb appeal helps sell homes. You can improve your home’s exterior without spending a great deal of money by adding a deck, replacing a lawn or enhancing the entranceway.

Because of all the government incentives available, it also makes sense to make any improvements that add to your home’s energy efficiency. For example, you can get a federal tax credit for 30 percent of the cost (up to $1,500) for installing certain products such as energy-efficient windows, insulation, roofing, and heating and cooling equipment. Go to www.energystar.gov for details.

Prospective home buyers continue to look for improvements to kitchens and bathrooms. Instead of a high-end remodel, more people are choosing moderately priced upgrades that will improve their chances of a sale.

If you have any questions, or need capable and trustworthy representation, please call me at 919-270-8426.

Everyone loves to travel, but there are some precautions you should take just to be on the safe side.  Use these travel security tips to help make your next international trip stress-free:

• Be prepared in case your passport is lost or stolen.  If your passport is lost, you must immediately notify the embassy or the State Department and report details of the incident.  Take copies of the passport, birth certificate and marriage certificate for each person on your trip.  You’d need these documents to authenticate yourself to authorities.
• Leave your itinerary and the numbers or copies of your passport with a friend or relative.  You also can register your travel for free with the State Department so you may be contacted in case of a family emergency or because of a crisis in the area in which you are traveling.  Go to http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html for more details.
• Don’t take your eyes off your laptop.  Hundreds of thousands are stolen each year and 97 percent are never recovered.  To protect yourself, remove any sensitive information from the laptop before you go and encrypt the data that’s on it.  Take a security cable to attach it to a piece of furniture if you leave it in your hotel room.  Better yet, you can actually buy tracking software that allows you to record a message (“Get your hands off me, I’ve been stolen!”) that will play when the thief turns it on.
• Purge your wallet or purse of extra credit cards, receipts and any reference to your social security number.  Leave your checkbook and debit cards at home.
• Keep a grip on your valuables (especially in crowds).  To thwart pickpockets, use security travel purses, bags, belts and money clips.  If you’re a man, keep your wallet under your clothes or in your tightest pocket.  If you’re using a fanny pack, secure the zipper by using a safety pin or a paperclip fastened to a rubber band around the belt strap.

Are you bummed by job burn-out?  If quitting your job isn’t an option, take these five steps to improve your situation.

Identify stress factors and learn how to manage them. Be proactive rather than passive about workplace issues.  Know the difference between the “shoulds” and the “musts.” If you have too much work and too little time, talk to your supervisor.

Reconnect with your core work. Maybe you’ve strayed from what you were originally hired to do.  Focus on the work you enjoy doing.

Take care of yourself. Take time off to recharge your batteries.

Build new relationships. Make friends with people who might have fresh ideas and perspectives. Do something different – open a Twitter account.

Plan your next move. Outline what you’d have to do to change careers and start taking action.

Do you sit at a desk all day and become a couch potato on the weekends? Recent studies have shown that those who sit most of the day have an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart problems and other diseases. That’s because the enzymes that burn fat shut down, slowing your metabolism and possibly lowering your beneficial cholesterol.

Even if you do exercise regularly, you need to move your muscles frequently (called non-exercise activity) throughout the day. Follow these tips:

Try to get 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day. When you’re not exercising, don’t remain sedentary for long. Get up and move, whether that means walking to someone’s office (instead of sending an e-mail) or going to the copy machine. Even standing burns calories since you tense your leg muscles and shift your weight from one leg to the other.

Turn off the TV. You’ll burn more calories doing almost anything else, such as playing games with the kids, cleaning the house or walking the dog.

When you do watch TV, change your seating. Watch it in a rocking chair (yes, it burns energy!), sitting on a therapy ball or riding an exercise bike. Move around during commercials, which can take up 20 minutes each hour.

You can read plenty of articles on the internet about how to save money on groceries, but do you really have a grocery shopping strategy? Here are some supermarket tips and secrets that will make you a savvy shopper.

• Approach grocery shopping like a job. You need to have a plan (take a list) and a budget to make the best use of your time and money.
• Stick to a time schedule. Shop for what you need and get out. It is said that if you’re in the store more than 30 minutes, you’ll spend an extra 50 cents to $1 per minute as you walk the aisles.
• Shop alone. Real Simple Magazine says parents will spend 10-40 percent more if they take their kids along. It might be worth it to hire a babysitter!
• Only buy “food” at a grocery store. Generally, you’re better off buying toiletries, cleaning supplies and pet food at a big-box discount store.
• Know the floor plan. Shop the perimeter first for fresh fruits and vegetables, protein and milk. You’ll find some good buys in the center aisles, but you’ll also be tempted by items like frozen convenience foods.
• Don’t assume everything on sale is a bargain. Stores often display “sale” items at the end of the aisles. Manufacturers pay to have their products put there so they aren’t necessarily a good deal.
• Check “price per unit.” Sometimes it’s cheaper per unit to buy two smaller items than it is to buy one supersize package.
• Look high and low. Stores often place higher-priced items at eye level (brands pay for the space). Check prices on the top and bottom shelves.
• Pay attention at checkout. Shoppers lose up to $3 billion a year on scanner mistakes (current sale prices not reflected).