Finally finished installing the tile backsplash on Mom & Dad's kitchen this morning. I'd promised them I would do it before Christmas, and I finally got to it. I am actually pretty happy with how it turned out. Now, I want to do my own kitchen....

**All personal pictures and images/logos are the property of and copyrighted by Tim Tanz, and may not be reproduced or used without his permission.**

I have been representing home buyers and home sellers in the St Louis Metropolitan Area since 1997.

I am a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR), and GRI (Graduate, Realtor Institute).

Affiliations: Member St Louis Association of Realtors (SLAR), Member Missouri Association of Realtors (MAR), Member National Association of Realtors (NAR), Member Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council (REBAC), Member Council of Residential Specialists (CRS).

St Louis Real Estate, St Louis Real Estate Agent, St Louis Realtor, St Louis Realty.

Click the following image for a FREE St Louis Metro MLS Property Search:

St. Louis City and St. Louis County Residential Real Estate, Homes, Condos, Lofts & Townhomes. St. Louis City Neighborhoods: Benton Park, Benton Park West, Bevo Mill, Botanical Heights, St. Vincent Park, Carondelet, Central West End, Clifton Heights, Columbus Square, Compton Heights, Downtown, Dutchtown, Forest Park Southeast, Fox Park, The Gate District, Gravois Park, The Hill, Holly Hills, Lafayette Park, Lasalle, Lindenwood Park, Northampton, Shaw, Skinker/DeBaliviere, Soulard, Southwest Garden, St. Louis Hills, Tower Grove South, Tower Grove East, South City, Wyndown/Skinker. St. Louis County Communities: Affton, Shrewsbury, Webster Groves, Maplewood, Richmond Heights, Brentwood, Clayton, University City, Bayless, Hancock Place, Lindbergh, Mehlville, Kirkwood, Ladue, Ritenour, Parkway North, Parkway Central, Parkway West, Parkway South, Valley Park, Rockwood Summit, Marquette, Eureka, Lafayette, Crestwood

My article on bathroom facelifts has me focused on bathrooms now and since I am becoming a technology freak, I couldn't pass up sharing this article with you from Houselogic entitled 3 Hot Trends for Bathroom Remodeling in 2012 by Jamie Goldberg.

The three trends she lists are:

1. Conservation rules that will be popping up as regulations which will affect your remodel plans
2. New technology which involves iPhones, high-tech toilets (a bun warmer? or a toilet seat night light?), television screens in your medicine cabinet, etc
3. New safety features in showers, tubs and flooring

(Wow! a toilet with a remote control?!)

It all sounds like some creativity and fun can be had in our smallest and most essential room in the house.

Free Market Report

Value Added = Minor Bathroom Makeover

According to the Cost vs Value Report 2010-11, the cost of an average bathroom remodel is $18163 in St. Louis and the recapture is 63%. However, there are many small touches that are very inexpensive that can make your bathroom take on a new and current look. Sometimes with just a couple of hundred dollars and a little elbow grease, a weekend do-it-yourself project can produce a 100% return on your dollar.

In this bathroom, my client spent a Saturday adding a glass tile back splash and a glass shelf. This little bit of "extra" put the finishing touches on this lower level bathroom.

According to Kristi at Addicted 2 Decorating, this project got a little more intense than she would have liked but it was inexpensive and gave the bathroom a whole new look. Click on the link for the step by step. She made the brass go away with oil-rubbed bronze.

Here is something I did to my bathroom. This wooden cabinet look was going to cost over $1500 in all the supply catalogues. I found this old sewing machine cabinet in a pile of junk at an estate sale and paid $100 for it, the sink was $70, the glass counter was approx $300. The glass could easily be switched to a granite.

These are just a few samples of inexpensive bathroom projects that can make a difference in your sale. Sometimes it is just changing the shower curtain and towels, or just painting. Maybe it's as simple as a new mirror. Here is an article from Small Bathroom Makeovers that has more interesting and inexpensive ideas.

Free Home Value Report

The website DSNews.com, just posted an article by Esther Cho titled "Consumer Sentiment Improving, Fannie Mae Survey Shows" Respondents to the survey expect the home sale prices to increase this year by 1%. They also felt that home loan interest rates will not rise. The resulsts of this Fannie Mae National Housing Survey for January 2012 shows this makes four months in a row in which consumer outlooks were positive. Read the article at: http://www.dsnews.com/articles/consumer-sentiment-improving-according-to-most-recent-fannie-mae-survey-2012-02-08

**All personal pictures and images/logos are the property of and copyrighted by Tim Tanz, and may not be reproduced or used without his permission.**

I have been representing home buyers and home sellers in the St Louis Metropolitan Area since 1997.

I am a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR), and GRI (Graduate, Realtor Institute).

Affiliations: Member St Louis Association of Realtors (SLAR), Member Missouri Association of Realtors (MAR), Member National Association of Realtors (NAR), Member Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council (REBAC), Member Council of Residential Specialists (CRS).

St Louis Real Estate, St Louis Real Estate Agent, St Louis Realtor, St Louis Realty.

Click the following image for a FREE St Louis Metro MLS Property Search:

St. Louis City and St. Louis County Residential Real Estate, Homes, Condos, Lofts & Townhomes. St. Louis City Neighborhoods: Benton Park, Benton Park West, Bevo Mill, Botanical Heights, St. Vincent Park, Carondelet, Central West End, Clifton Heights, Columbus Square, Compton Heights, Downtown, Dutchtown, Forest Park Southeast, Fox Park, The Gate District, Gravois Park, The Hill, Holly Hills, Lafayette Park, Lasalle, Lindenwood Park, Northampton, Shaw, Skinker/DeBaliviere, Soulard, Southwest Garden, St. Louis Hills, Tower Grove South, Tower Grove East, South City, Wyndown/Skinker. St. Louis County Communities: Affton, Shrewsbury, Webster Groves, Maplewood, Richmond Heights, Brentwood, Clayton, University City, Bayless, Hancock Place, Lindbergh, Mehlville, Kirkwood, Ladue, Ritenour, Parkway North, Parkway Central, Parkway West, Parkway South, Valley Park, Rockwood Summit, Marquette, Eureka, Lafayette, Crestwood

Brentwood Parks and Recreation

Daddy Daughter Dance