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Saw some show on HGTV and there was a women who made high quality improvements to her home. By high quality, I'm talking about the type of improvements that are rarely ever seen but improve the overall quality of the home itself. Things like insulation, improved plumbing (high quality, low energy water heating), improved electrical system, and many other very good improvements. She was having trouble selling her home because she didn't have a garage. If homes were built with quality materials and built for function first and style second then today's homes would be built to last. Instead it appears most people want a home based upon it's "style" or "appearance" or having the latest "fad" design product. My mom is one of these style people. While my dad was working in one city, she went to another city to buy a home because he was going to be transferred to that city. When I went to visit she asked me to look over the home she was now living in and tell her what I thought. I started my inspection in the attic and worked my way down to the concrete foundation. She was surprised by what her inspector missed. Missed the roof leak resulting in mold growth in the attic, missed the wiring that was about to completely burn up (family friend electrician replaced the wiring for them), and the crack in the concrete foundation. They ended up selling the home and moving within a few years. This current home needs a new roof but is well built. About the only electrical problem they had was a loose wire in one electrical outlet. Attic needs modern insulation and they can't burn wood in the fire place due to deterioration of the chimney (that's no big deal in south Louisiana) so they installed an electric fireplace in it's opening. Foundation and frame is in good shape and was well built. In other words it was built in a time when quality workmanship was a value instead of superficial beauty.
I agree - it's very sad. I had a builder recently tell me that for new homes (at least in my area), a builder can sell it at a loss or near loss because they make all their money on the selling the lots. That means cheap materials, cheap labor, cutting corners, and slapping cheap beige paint on the wall to make people swoon. It's very sad.
I cannot tell you how frequently buyers have been wowed by Pottery Barn colors, smashing trendy kitchens and ultra baths and completely ignore deteriorating and or shoddy windows, siding, roofs and aged or cheap mechanicals. It's all about " the look".
I see serious hundreds of properties a year. I see plenty of 10-15 year old, former trendy kitchens and baths that look very dated and the sellers never did get around to the basics.
Each home in my own sub division, now 40+ years old, was built with slate floors in the foyer and P/R. The majority of owners, over time, replaced the slate with all sorts of things ranging from stone or ceramic tile to marble to hardwoords. Now the rage is to replace the replacement flooring with timeless and tasteful slate. Everything old is new, again.
Everything new has a shelf life with an expiration date.
I agree that all of the improvements she made were very good and she should definitely include those improvements in the MLS listing description. However, I don't see a garage as being an example of style, appearance, or fad. Garages are very important to most people. In Minnesota where I live it is huge improvement to your quality of life to have a roof to put over your car. Have you ever tried scraping ice off a car's windshield when it's -10 and snowing? If you haven't you never want to, trust me. I don't know where this home was being sold but if it was in a cold winter state it doesn't surprise me at all. I would not even consider a home if it didn't have at least a 2 car garage and that is what I limited my search to when I went through the home search process.
I don't remember where it was either. I do know this was a very old classic home. I prefer a classic kitchen that has a timeless look. Timeless look doesn't "wow" buyers but a timeless look means you won't be spending a fortune to get rid a fad design. Stainless steel or white appliances are popular for a very good reason. They work with any color you paint your kitchen. Colorful rooms are good because it's so cheap and easy to change. Laminate counter tops are fine with me because it's not expensive to change and you don't have to add extra support or lower the counter to take granite. Hard wood floors look good but can be a big pain to keep up especially if you treat them like cheap plastic type flooring. Some of the popular lighting is horrible lighting. They're decorative only and are sometimes so dim you can't even eat by them let alone read a book or newspaper. Check the ceiling fan lights like at Lowes or Home Depot. My mom bought one of these. I tease her by turning on the ceiling fan light and holding up a newspaper trying to read by them. My ceiling fan has decorative clear bell light covers which allows me to use low wattage bulbs and still have enough light to eat or read by. There is no frosted or antique glass type light covers in my entire home. All light fixtures have clear globes and low wattage bulbs. Stainless steel kitchen sink is much more important than decorative style. Plants in the yard should be choosen wisely. Some plants have deep roots that will find water or sewage pipes and those roots will crack the pipe to get to the water inside. Find where your electrical line runs and avoid planting any tree or shrubbery in that area. Proper landscaping will add value to your home and lower your utilities. I wish it would be possible to lay out a home according to a compass points and regional weather in order to reduce utilities. What works in south Louisiana won't work in Arizona or the Great Lakes area. When I selected my lot for my mobile home, I picked one so that my AC condensor unit is on the east side of my home. That way it'll be in the shade in the afternoon. Since there's no trees, my roof is always in the sun no matter how I place my home. yes, most of my windows face the afternoon sun but I have heat reflective window tint, solar screens, and double (but not insulated) windows.
I wouldn't buy a home without a garage. Period. I consider that as important as the upgrades we put into our house: Extra insulation, a radiant barrier in the roof, river rock instead of mulch (ie never needs replacement/turning), a gas water heater and dryer (much more efficient than electric!), tile throughout a lot of the house, the list goes on.
I agree with slig that a garage is not a trendy thing it's a functional thing. Not having one is a huge detriment.
I agree. This house did not have a garage when I closed on it on July 2nd, but it has one now; the house originally had a garage that was turned into a game room in the 1960s, so it was pretty simple to convert it back. Luckily I have a friend who is a contractor and I did some of the work myself with help from other friends, so the entire job cost $1550. A friend and I installed the garage door opener ourselves. That price includes materials (including the garage door opener itself). It would have cost other people a lot more if they did not get friend prices and were not willing to do some of the hard work themselves. As for me I am not afraid of sweating. Not at all! It's good exercise.
Whoever said slate floors are making a comeback is right, I am seeing them everywhere. I am still shopping for a good slate to match the new wallpaper that is going up in my foyer. Whatever flooring was in there originally was replaced with brand new vinyl. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.
Saw some show on HGTV and there was a women who made high quality improvements to her home. By high quality, I'm talking about the type of improvements that are rarely ever seen but improve the overall quality of the home itself. Things like insulation, improved plumbing (high quality, low energy water heating), improved electrical system, and many other very good improvements. She was having trouble selling her home because she didn't have a garage. If homes were built with quality materials and built for function first and style second then today's homes would be built to last. Instead it appears most people want a home based upon it's "style" or "appearance" or having the latest "fad" design product. My mom is one of these style people. While my dad was working in one city, she went to another city to buy a home because he was going to be transferred to that city. When I went to visit she asked me to look over the home she was now living in and tell her what I thought. I started my inspection in the attic and worked my way down to the concrete foundation. She was surprised by what her inspector missed. Missed the roof leak resulting in mold growth in the attic, missed the wiring that was about to completely burn up (family friend electrician replaced the wiring for them), and the crack in the concrete foundation. They ended up selling the home and moving within a few years. This current home needs a new roof but is well built. About the only electrical problem they had was a loose wire in one electrical outlet. Attic needs modern insulation and they can't burn wood in the fire place due to deterioration of the chimney (that's no big deal in south Louisiana) so they installed an electric fireplace in it's opening. Foundation and frame is in good shape and was well built. In other words it was built in a time when quality workmanship was a value instead of superficial beauty.
A garage, which your example property does NOT have, is a matter of FUNCTION, not style. As you said, it's that lack of a garage that's keeping the property from selling.
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