Clark has great news for you if you’ve been considering a renovation or improvement on your home. You are about to have much more negotiating power when renovating or adding on to your home. So, doing improvements is going to be a much better deal. For years, renovators and contractors have been too busy to handle all of the requests out there. Some would often fail to call back or offer services because they were so busy. And, because of the demand, prices were high. But that time is over. Aside from a tiny number of cities, home prices aren’t going up anymore, and borrowing against homes has decreased. So contractors and renovators aren’t as busy anymore, and it’s a great time to renovate. Just be careful. When you hire someone to do a renovation on your home, you’re stuck with them for a while. So, you must screen them thoroughly and check references. Talk to at least five people that have used a certain contractor. Also, if you have work done on a home you already own, be mindful of lien laws. You have to get a release from the contractor that says he or she will pay a subcontractor as part of the deal. If you don’t get a release and that doesn’t happen, supply companies and subcontractors can place liens on your house.