Murfreesboro building costs? (buying a house, neighborhood, buying)

[chester's]

We are sort of thinking about buying a house, but it is too small and I'd like to know if it's more cost efficient to get a house that is already built or add on to an existing small house(an upstairs would be included in the remodel)?

[wellkids]

You have to be really careful when doing additions. Can the neighborhood support the expansion? Have other homes had additions? Is it in a historical district where additions are frowned upon because they change the integrity of the home? Is it in an area where you can invest in an addition and still get your money back if you resell? If you are not confident about these things, then you should know that you may never get your investment back. You never want to be the biggest or best house in the neighborhood. Also, if you are not very familiar with the contractors and building costs in the area you can end up spending a lot more than you thought. I talk to people all the time that spend double their anticipated investment in home renovations or additions. Odds are that you will NOT get the addition built for what you estimate. Although additions can be an option, usually you come out better to just buy an existing home that you know is a solid investment and should increase in value.