330 Homes Summer 2022

w e l c o m e

by COLIN BAKER

a s u p p l e m e n t t o A k r o n L i f e m a g a z i n e

ADDING VALUE Home renovation projects can strengthen your assets as we deal with inflation.

Pub l i she r COL I N BAKER cbaker@bakermediagroup.com Cr e a t i ve D i r e c t o r WI LL I AM L . TECKMYER I I I wteckmyer@bakermediagroup.com Mana g i ng Ed i t o r KELLY PETRYSZYN kpet ryszyn@bakermediagroup.com As s i s t an t Ed i t o r ALEXANDRA SOBCZAK asobczak@bakermediagroup.com Gr aph i c De s i gne r TYLAR CALHOUN tsut ton@bakermediagroup.com

M ost of us have felt the effects of inflation. It seems to be a common topic of conversation among friends, like complaining about the Cleveland Browns or Guardians. Once you start feeling the pinch at the gas pump and in the gro cery checkout line, it’s easy to start looking at home improve ment projects and think, Maybe I should wait — for some things at least. Obviously, if you have water pouring from the ceiling you should put down this maga zine and call a plumber. For me, inflation or no inflation, I have a rule: I don’t fix electri cal, and I don’t do plumbing or roofing. Everything else I’ll give a try. It doesn’t always work, and I have had to call a few people to fix my mistakes. As someone who has built race cars, I think that gives me the experience and know-how to fix anything. That isn’t true of course, but that’s what I tell myself. The double whammy many are experiencing is that the cost of borrowing money has greatly increased. To slow inflation, the Federal Reserve has and will likely continue to raise interest rates. We are most likely headed into an economy we haven’t seen since the 1970s, which was a difficult time. The good news is that if you own a home, it’s now worth a lot more, especially if you have an updated space. In this issue of 330 Homes , get a look inside a Richfield home remodeled to a more open and modern space,

a renovated colorful ranch in Fairlawn, a yard remodel that complements a historic Hudson home and more. Having an asset like a home is a great way to protect yourself from inflation because assets appreciate while the dollar is worth less. Investing in that asset is one of the best payoffs you can have, because not only do you get to realize the increase in value, but you get to enjoy the improvement of your property along the way. I could go on and on about the economy. I’m not sure why, but I’m somewhat of an economics nerd. I wish my college economics teacher could see me now. Maybe he would revisit the B he gave me. As an amateur stab at forecast ing, I think there will be supply chain relief in the future that will help some of the material costs go down. I also think that inter est rates will continue to go up until inflation gets under control. I can’t see interest rates getting back to where they were in the 1970s because borrowing makes the world go around. I could be horribly wrong. I hope I am. You might be thinking, Do I wait on buying or on a big home improvement project? That is your call, and everyone has their reasons. But it can help add value to your home and help you enjoy it, which is important. Maybe this issue of 330 Homes can inspire you and help you decide what to tackle next.

Con t r i bu t i ng Wr i t e r s BRENDAN BAKER MI CHAEL N I ED LYNNE THOMPSON

Pho t og r aphe r TYLAR CALHOUN

Sa l e s BUNNY LACEY STEVE TYSON BEN D I COLA sales@bakermediagroup.com

C i r cu l a t i on circulat ion@bakermediagroup.com 330-253-0056, ext . 104

Ed i t o r i a l I n t e r n LONDON GREEN

summer 2022 | volume 4 | issue 2

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