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I am looking for homes in the Seattle area where saying that market is hot is an understatement. We saw a rambler that we liked. Its priced pretty high compared to the comps and my agent is saying it will still go higher. I was also told that ramblers dont gain in value as much as compared to 2 floor homes since it takes away the privacy aspect especially with kids. My kids are small and I am not super concerned about that but wondering what the experts think about resale value of ramblers. Its in an excellent school district so that is a plus. Any insights?
Everyone I know in Seattle area is looking for a rambler in great shape most are mid century. I and my brother are retired with house with upstairs bedrooms, my nephew has a disabled wife. We all want ramblers for 1 or 2 people no children for any of us. Boomers like us are tired of stairs or become afraid of falling. Builders don't want to build nice new ramblers since they can fit 2 floor homes on smaller lots they are cheaper to build and cheaper to heat. I hate going to the basement now no handrails and feel like I could fall and lay for days or weeks before anyone checked on me. Not buying with a lot of stairs ever again even if I need to build new construction myself. I still want new and nice just because I am old doesn't mean I want a house my age like I have now.
Ramblers are expensive to build so nobody builds them anymore in the Seattle area. According to our realtor this means the $ per sq. foot for a rambler is higher than the $ amount for a 2 story or 3 story house.
For somebody with mobility issues/disability a rambler would be worthwhile. Same for a retired couple who doesn't want stairs. For my family with young children a rambler is in no way attractive I want more square footage and dislike bedrooms being on the first floor. Many 2 story homes are now designed with a guest bedroom on the main floor so that takes care of the cannot climb stairs issue.
If the main attraction of this house is good schools and close to employers then it may be mainly attractive to families. Families need space so a 900 sq ft rambler isn't going to look attractive but a 2000 sq ft one might be ok. I grew up in a 1 bathroom rambler, we were all squished in there because it was the cheapest house on the block. So if cheap enough somebody will be desperate enough to buy it.
Smaller single floor houses are some of the hottest on the market right now. Millennials looking for their starter house want one as do the senior set looking to downsize.
who told you they don't gain in value like a 2-story?
that is the first I have ever heard of such a thing, but admittedly I'm not in your market.
not knowing the exact details of the rambler I can only say that in general, ramblers in Seattle and desirable suburbs are oftentimes sold as tear-downs for the land value, and these are perfectly livable ramblers not some place roof caved in or foundation cracked in half. Maybe that is why OP's realtor or whomever told him that
A ranch certainly has some merit in an earthquake prone part of the country.
Styles come and go. New houses are built on two levels because it's cheaper. If you think about it rationally, it's always going to be easier to live in a house where you're not lugging things up and down a flight of stairs. You can update an older ranch to look contemporary both inside and out.
You really have to stop thinking about your house as an investment and think about it as a place where you're pouring your discretionary income to improve your quality of life. You're buying into the town with a good school system and the amenities where the commute isn't killing you, it's a quiet lot, and with no trailer trash neighbors. Your quality of life isn't going to improve with a 2 floor new construction huge plastic box colonial in the Indian ghetto where all the tech workers are buying. You want the cheapest house in town that does that for you.
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