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This makes no sense to me. We need more information on why you would spend all this money to install something of such little value in a house you are moving from ??
This makes no sense to me. We need more information on why you would spend all this money to install something of such little value in a house you are moving from ??
Well, since most of you ignored my question and ragged on me about why we'd do such a silly thing as build an elevator - - - -
We've been trying to sell this house since 2008 - just when the market collapsed. We've lowered the original asking price by $200K. We put on a two-story addition because it had only a tiny dining room and tiny office upstairs. There's no place to add a bedroom downstairs because of the homeowners association building envelope and the shape of the property. It was our realtor who made the suggestion about the elevator because almost all the lookers said they wanted a downstairs master. (When we bought this house neither of us had ever lived in a two-story house so we were too stupid to know what problems it could cause.) We're on three acres and most people here are retired and/or don't have children living here.
We'll absorb the cost of the elevator, just like we did the addition. I walk with a cane and the stairs get harder and harder to navigate all the time. All I want to do is get out of this place and move back home to Oklahoma where the land is flat. We could afford to have two houses but then we'd still have to pay to maintain this place and I don't ever want to come back to the state of Washington after we leave.
People weren't ragging on you they are trying to help you with the little amount of info you gave. Good luck selling your home. It is a tough market out there.
I really would not add the elevator. It is unfortunate that in this economy that you have not been able to sell your home, but I would lower the price again before I would put more money into it. Good luck.
It was our realtor who made the suggestion about the elevator because almost all the lookers said they wanted a downstairs master. (When we bought this house neither of us had ever lived in a two-story house so we were too stupid to know what problems it could cause.) We're on three acres and most people here are retired and/or don't have children living here.
We'll absorb the cost of the elevator, just like we did the addition. I walk with a cane and the stairs get harder and harder to navigate all the time. All I want to do is get out of this place and move back home to Oklahoma where the land is flat. We could afford to have two houses but then we'd still have to pay to maintain this place and I don't ever want to come back to the state of Washington after we leave.
I think your realtor gave you bad advice. If you want to sell your house quickly, sell it cheaper than what you listed it for. Nobody is going to want a house like that with an elevator. Maybe someone who is disabled but I doubt your house is handicapped accessible with ramps, handicapped bathrooms, etc.
I don't think adding an elevator will please the people who want a downstairs master bedroom. Though some of them may be saying that because they have trouble navigating stairs, I would venture to guess that the separation between the master and the rest of the bedrooms is what most are really looking for. Adding an elevator will not do anything to provide this separation and would likely be viewed as an added expense for prospective buyers (maintenance, repairs, and even cost of removal). If a buyer comes along that really likes the home but wants to remove the elevator for safety/maintenance/aesthetic reasons, it might actually devalue the home.
My late grandmother actually added an elevator to her home but her situation was entirely different. She was not planning on moving ever again and was having mobility issues because her town home was three levels. When my mom had to sell it after her death, she didn't have any issues with the elevator. Since town homes are quite popular with older folks who prefer no exterior maintenance, it wasn't really a problem. However, that is very different from adding an elevator as a selling feature of a home. The market for such an improvement is very, very limited.
Is there some other place in your home you could improve with that money you want to use for the elevator? Dated bathrooms, less than stellar kitchen, old windows? There are many other places you can spend money that will have a much greater effect on the marketability of the home.
In our last house, someone had enclosed the porch really eliminating a view from one of the windows in the living room and built in a wooden shelves with a sort of trimmed area around it. A lot of people did like that. You might be able to put lighting of some kind there or lighting behind stained glass? It is hard to visualize exactly what you are talking about doing though. Have you noticed if others have done this? Maybe the realtor could ask someone that put in an elevator like she is suggesting to let you take a look? You have my sympathy on being stuck like you are and I have been there until just very recently. It is a feeling of hopelessness and you get kind of desperate for ideas. I hope you get a buyer soon.
I think your realtor gave you bad advice. If you want to sell your house quickly, sell it cheaper than what you listed it for. Nobody is going to want a house like that with an elevator. Maybe someone who is disabled but I doubt your house is handicapped accessible with ramps, handicapped bathrooms, etc.
exactly. That is bad advice imo. I would first knock the price of the house down so that someone CAN install an elevator if THEY want to. Otherwise that is a very risky investment.
However, I obviously don't live in that area or know the home climate but it seems like sketchy advice to me.
Last edited by Sunbather; 12-17-2012 at 02:58 PM..
Going few steps up and down seems to be a chore? Consider it a small exercise.
Except you have a health issues, there is no need of elevator for two story home.
If you need help with the stairs, there are other, less radical solutions to consider...
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