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A couple of the houses I've seen in my search don't have fireplaces. This actually suits me as I've rarely used the fireplace in my previous homes, this is one less thing to clean/possibly have to repair, etc. A fireplace might be nice if the heating system died, but this isn't Alaska or even Minnesota, so I think we could get by. I also plan to stay in my next home hopefully forever, so I'd be 95% happy with no fireplace as I'm buying a house for me to enjoy, not to satisfy potential future buyers. But I know fireplaces are one of the things most buyers think they want to have. So I'm curious and ask the question above. Thanks.
Personally, I prefer NOT to have a fireplace. And I'm in Idaho, where it does get fairly cold in the winter. Even if you do have one, you are going to have some people who only want a gas fireplace, or only want a wood burner. You just can't please everyone.
amazingly sushi, there are a lot of folks like you. It is sometime requested, sometimes a mandate, and sometimes not even thought of. if you love the home, I would NOT allow the lack of a fireplace to determine whether I purchase or not. : ) but again that is local. if you are on the ski slopes of Colorado, methinks you might need a fireplace : )
I would not buy a house without one, even though we don't use ours a whole lot. I remember looking at a house before we bought this one that had a "faux" fireplace. Beautiful stone mantel and everything. But found out you couldn't burn anything in it. No logs or gas, it was simply a facade. It was a foreclosure and we didn't realize until the second showing that it was a fake. We chose not to make an offer because of that very reason. And I really liked that house....
Its funny, I think I wouldn't buy a house without one, but after spending $4K to repair mine this past year I may have to reconsider that in my next home!
As a buyer, I don't care one way or the other. We have never used the fireplace in any of the homes we have rented. If I see a house I really like and the fireplace adds more to the charm, then great. If I really liked a house and it didn't have a fireplace, I wouldn't care. I think that certain fireplaces and mantles can add a lot to a home's appearance, but if there is a really ugly fireplace in a home, then I would rather just not have fireplace. In short, a fireplace is not a deal breaker for me. Then again, I am in California, so it never gets horribly cold - I think I am freezing when it's 60 degrees out.
I have no use for a fireplace - though the vented gas one in my house has some honest to goodness utility for taking the chill off of ONE room. Anyway - maybe a good compromise is to find a set up where a fireplace *could* be added if that was a showstopper for a buyer.
My fireplaces have usually been between two windows in a perfect location for the television - --- Now let me tell you about that stupid TV alcove above the fireplace I hate. Designing a house for ever changing electronics is about as dumb as you can get.
My fireplaces have usually been between two windows in a perfect location for the television - --- Now let me tell you about that stupid TV alcove above the fireplace I hate. Designing a house for ever changing electronics is about as dumb as you can get.
Ah yes, most of the cookie-cutter houses around here have those. I agree, its dumb - what if I don't choose to have a 999-inch screen TV? And putting it in such a focal location assumes that all buyers feel that a television is the most important item in a room.
But attractive, built-in bookcases? You might reel me in.
In Seattle, fireplaces are a huge help for getting through the drab gray winters... not because it's super cold here, but just because the days are so depressing without a little warmth and color in the evenings. I grew up with a wood-burning stove in the living room, so I am partial to them. However, seeing as we are looking for houses in the city (as opposed to 2 acres in the woods, where I grew up), we would be delighted to find a place with a gas fireplace already installed. We've seen lots of wood-burning ones, though, and as long as the rest of the house is hooked up to gas, it's pretty simple to convert it over. I would much, much rather have a cozy fireplace as the focal point of a living room than having space for a TV (which we don't watch, anyway). I would look for a finished basement or den for TV-watching and such... not essential. But a fireplace, yes.
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with no fireplace as I'm buying a house for me to enjoy, not to satisfy potential future buyers. But I know fireplaces are one of the things most buyers think they want to have. So I'm curious and ask the question above. Thanks.
--- Now let me tell you about that stupid TV alcove above the fireplace I hate. Designing a house for ever changing electronics is about as dumb as you can get.
