House on top of an incline

[LoveBeingMommy]

Originally Posted by Marc Paolella

1) Difficult to landscape, and difficult to maintain landscaping, difficult to mow the lawn, difficult to rake the leaves, difficult to blow the snow.
2) Difficult to drive up the driveway, especially in the snow.
3) Difficult and cumbersome to remove snow and ice.
4) Somewhat dangerous to walk on as far as twisting ankles or slipping. Easy for young kids to fall down.
5) Erosion is always a problem on a steep hill after heavy rains. Things wash away and gullies always form.
6) Difficult for guests to park on a hilly driveway
7) Difficult to install sprinklers, sheds, fences, etc

None of these make life on a hill impossible, just annoying. The general buying public favors a flat lot because it's just easier to live on and maintain. A large proportion of buyers I have worked with over the years simply bail on a listing when we drive up and there is a steep driveway. They don't even want to see the house, a steep driveway is a non-starter for many buyers.

Some people also like living on a hill because of the view and "above it all" feeling. However, it is a negative factor for the vast majority of buyers and will make the house more difficult to resell, and at a lower price than a similar home on a much more favored flat lot.

By the way, multiply all the problems above by 2 or 3 for a steep downward slope. It is hard to give away those homes. Add water moving towards the house and flooding the basement to all the concerns above.

This response was extremely helpful. Thank you very, very much!

[captne76]

I would still go for it, all those negatives are positives to me!

[marc515]

We have a home with a steep incline towards the street in the front. While shoveling is a little tricky at times, the good part is the front is in the sun most of the day, and our driveway clears up real fast for the most part.