Small improvements can make a huge difference in how much your home sells for. Pillar To Post is the leading home inspection company in North America, according to Entrepreneur Magazine. Here are five tips from Pillar To Post for making your home more marketable:

First impressions: The first thing a potential buyer is going to see is the outside of your home. Make it count. Make sure the outside of your home is freshly painted, that the landscaping and the lawn are well manicured and that toys and other clutter are removed. Putting a layer of mulch on gardens and other non-grassy areas is an easy improvement that doesn’t cost that much. It not only makes your yard look nicer, but it also helps prevent weeds

Paint: A fresh coat of interior paint is one of the easiest ways to increase your property value. A light, neutral color makes your home look larger and prevents potential buyers from worrying about their belongings not “going” with your home.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau has announced the following new residential construction statistics for April 2013:

Building Permits
Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,017,000. This is 14.3 percent (±1.0%) above the revised March rate of 890,000 and is 35.8 percent (±1.3%) above the April 2012 estimate of 749,000. Single-family authorizations in April were at a rate of 617,000; this is 3.0 percent (±0.9%) above the revised March figure of 599,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 374,000 in April.

The Appraisal Institute, the nation’s largest professional association of real estate appraisers, advises homeowners to properly maintain their landscaping, which can significantly affect property values.

“If a landscaping change is positive, it can often enhance price and reduce a home’s time on the market,” said Appraisal Institute President Richard L. Borges II, MAI, SRA. “But if the change is negative, it can lower the price and lengthen the time a home remains for sale.”

Curb appeal is essential when selling a home, Borges said, noting it’s the homeowner’s opportunity to make a great first impression. A home with lackluster landscaping or an exterior in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint will likely be unappealing to prospective buyers and ultimately could affect the home’s potential resale value, he said.

I know you don't have to be a CPA or a rocket scientist to figure out how to keep a household budget. In fact, this little quiz to help consumers learn about household budgets is available through the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

To take the quiz, first consider the following words: Business, Income, Debt, Values, Expenses, Written, Goals

Now plug them into the following questions - and you can only use each word once:

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes improved three points to a 44 reading on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for May, released recently. This gain, from a downwardly revised 41 in April, reflected improvement in all three index components – current sales conditions, sales expectations and traffic of prospective buyers.

“Builders are noting an increased sense of urgency among potential buyers as a result of thinning inventories of homes for sale, continuing affordable mortgage rates and strengthening local economies,” notes National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chairman Rick Judson, a home builder from Charlotte, N.C. “This is definitely an encouraging sign even amidst rising challenges with regard to the cost and availability of building materials, lots and labor.”

“While industry supply chains will take time to re-establish themselves following recession-related cutbacks, builders’ views of current sales conditions have improved and expectations for the future remain quite strong as consumers head back to the market in force,” says NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.

Which snapshot would you like?

• Market Area overview for Hilton Head/Bluffton/etc combined

• On Island Detached Homes Only

• On Island Attached Condos/Villas Only

• Off Island Combined Homes, Condos & Villas

Hilton Head Island Area Market Stats (MLS)*

• Closed Sales YTD: 1,055(+10.5%)
• Pending Sales YTD: 1,336 (+12.8%)
• Median Price - Area wide YTD: $239,000 (+9.1%)
• Average Price - Area wide YTD: $321,674 (-2.1%)
• Median Price - Hilton Head Island Villas/Condos YTD: $215,000 (+28.4%)
• Median Price - Hilton Head Island Detached Homes YTD: $450,000 (-1.6%)
• Median Price - Mainland Detached & Villas/Condos YTD: $211,045 (+14.1%)
• Housing Inventory: 2,602 Homes for Sale - 8.7 Months Supply (-27.4%)

      *Current as of April 2013. Next update for May to be released mid- to late-June

The warmer weather has us all heading outside to soak up the sun, but it’s also a good reminder to take care of some basic things around your house. Pillar To Post is the leading home inspection company in North America, according to Entrepreneur Magazine. With more than 400 locations in the U.S. and Canada, Pillar To Post provides real estate agents and homeowners, the most professional inspectors and the most comprehensive inspection reports in the industry. Here are their top five home maintenance tips for the warmer months:

Inspect air-conditioners: If you have central air, you’ll want to clean the exterior condenser unit and all of its components, removing debris and trimming back any plants that are growing near it. You should also rinse down the interior of the unit, straighten out bent fins and lubricate the motor. You’ll also want to clean or change the air filters, inspect the drain line for debris and make sure all hoses fit securely. You can do this all yourself with guidance from the unit’s owners’ manual or call in a professional. If you have window units, the job is a little bit easier. You simply have to install the units and clean the filters. This is also a good time to deep clean all the fans and ceiling fans in your home.

Mulch: adding a layer of mulch to gardens and other non-grassy areas helps prevent weeds. It also helps the soil to hold moisture and nutrients during the warmer months, giving your plants a better chance of growing.

Freddie Mac recently announced it is making its new Streamlined Modification program immediately available to all eligible borrowers nationwide in order to expedite financial relief for potentially thousands of distressed families. Freddie Mac's Streamlined Modification program had originally been scheduled to start on July 1, 2013.

The recent announcement extends to the entire country Freddie Mac's decision to make the Streamlined Modification immediately available to eligible Hurricane Sandy victims.

Under the Streamlined Modification program, servicers are required to send modification offers to borrowers who are at least 90 days, but no more than 720 days, delinquent on mortgages that are at least 12 months old and meet other eligibility criteria.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury recently released the April edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard – a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market. The latest data show important progress across many key indicators—as home values continue to rise and home sales remained strong in April—although officials caution that the overall recovery remains fragile. The full Housing Scorecard is available online at www.hud.gov/scorecard.

“The Obama Administration’s efforts to speed the housing recovery are showing continued progress as the April scorecard indicators highlight ongoing improvements throughout the housing market,” says HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Affairs Kurt Usowski. “The annual increase in home prices is the highest in nearly seven years and sales of existing and new homes are both up over 10 percent from one year ago. But with so many households still struggling to make ends meet, we have important work ahead.”

“The Administration’s programs have improved outcomes for homeowners by setting new standards for mortgage assistance and putting into place unprecedented consumer protections,” says Treasury Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability Tim Massad. “HAMP continues to offer struggling families meaningful relief to avoid foreclosure and strengthen local communities.”

It's the season of sunshine and enjoying the great outdoors. Celebrate it with a style makeover for your home by tapping lively decorating trends and home decor ideas that will refresh and brighten your living space.

"Look to nature for inspiration for decorating ideas to refresh your home," says Erinn Valencich, Los Angeles-based interior designer, style expert and designer partner for Quick-Step, a laminate flooring leader. "Incorporate garden-fresh shades of green, warm and sunny color palettes, botanical prints, weathered woods and whimsical accents that will help reinvigorate your home's style and awaken your senses."

Top style trends for 2013