Nashville Home Improvement Help

A national consumer opinion poll released today found that 24 percent of U.S. homeowners are “considering using” their economic stimulus checks to upgrade or improve their homes. Also about one in five said they would “definitely use” their rebate cash for a home improvement. The study was conducted earlier this month by Johns Manville (JM), a building products manufacturer, and Opinion Research Corp., a market research firm.

“The federal government is hoping that Americans will spend these checks and help stimulate the nation’s economy, and this survey confirms that many Americans are prepared to do that, at least when it comes to their homes,” said Wayne Russum, senior vice president of Opinion Research Corp.

Among the people who said that they don’t plan to use their ‘gubment’ check for a home improvement, the most common plan was to put it in the bank (45 percent), paying down debt (40 percent), taking a vacation (14 percent), purchasing a luxury item (9 percent), or something else (5 percent).

The rebates are a result of a Congressional bill to encourage consumer spending in the face of a slumping economy and housing market. The checks started to arrive in taxpayers’ bank accounts on Monday. Single taxpayers with annual adjusted gross income of less than $75,000 qualify, as do joint filers making less than $150,000.

So what kind of home improvement jobs are people reporting? Here is what the report said:

• household upgrades,
• including landscaping (23 percent)
• upgrade of the bathroom (13 percent)
• kitchen (12 percent)
• improving their homes’ energy efficiency
• including adding attic insulation (9 percent)
• caulking or sealing (4 percent)
• or installing energy efficient light bulbs (4 percent); or painting a room (10 percent).

The survey’s other key findings included:

• Homeowners between the ages of 25 and 34 were most likely to consider using the rebate checks for a home improvement (33 percent); homeowners older than 65 were least likely (20 percent).
• Homeowners in the West were most likely to use their rebate check for a home improvement (27 percent); homeowners in the South were least likely (22 percent).
• The most common reasons cited for pursuing a home improvement project with the rebate money were comfort (34 percent), aesthetics (17 percent), environmental impact (15 percent), resale (13 percent), and return on investment (8 percent).
• Among all respondents, 31 percent of homeowners said they are planning to start a home improvement project during May, which is National Home Improvement Month.