Sweat Equity

Two years ago Paul & Heather Asencio decided to give up apartment and condo living in New York City and invest in a 1930s brick home in the suburbs. Their days of calling the "super" every time something went wrong were officially over. The house was in great shape overall but the big problem is the single car garage. It's filled with lawn and garden equipment, toys, junk and a refrigerator left from the previous owners. The inability to get a car in the garage could affect resale value since on-street parking isn't allowed overnight and there's only room for two cars in the driveway right now. Paul and Heather think they can tackle upgrading the garage on their own. They're willing to put about $8,000 into the project and hope they'll see a return of at least that much when it comes time to sell.