Being one of Long Islands top Contractor Manager I know lots of homeowners think they are putting personal touches on their homes when they decide to remodel or decorate. But some of those personal touches mean they ruining their chances of resale. Home buyers today prefer cookie-cutter homes. It's hard to sell a unique home because there is a limited pool of buyers who want to buy a unique home. Weird homes don't sell.
How to Ruin Your Home
My old neighbor comes from a big family who loves to entertain. On top of that, she runs a daycare out of her home. She thought nothing of adding several kitchens over the years. When she came to me to sell her home, we had to cut her price by half because nobody wanted to buy a home with 3 kitchens. Here are other ways to turn a regular home into a unique home that won't sell:
* Convert the garage - Honestly, I can't say I've ever seen a garage conversion that was done well. But beyond that, people want to park in the garage. OK, maybe my husband doesn't care, but others want to use the garage for the purpose it was intended. Many garage conversions require a permit. To get a permit, you might have to raise the foundation or put in windows. Those types of improvements are expensive to reverse.
* Build an unpopular room addition. My neighbor added a room that was 30 x 30 feet to use as her daycare center. It also contained a kitchen and a laundry room. It fit a specific purpose that no other first-time home buyer wanted. The room addition also consumed a huge portion of her back yard, thereby reducing space where children could play. If you're planning an addition, why not enlarge a smaller space such as a kitchen or a family room? Make it a space that people will actually use.
* Remove period detailing to modernize a classic homeIf you have an older home and remove the details that make it a classic home, you may have destroyed the home's character. Buyer gravitate to an older home vs. a new home not necessarily for its age but for its vintage characteristics. You may turn off potential home buyers for a Victorian home, for example, by installing cherry cabinets and granite counters in the kitchen.
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* Make your home the biggest on the block learned the hard way what happens when you buy a home that is 8,600 square feet in a neighborhood of 3,000-square-foot homes. It didn't dawn on me that the home had been on the market for more than a year when I bought it, but it sure hit home when I tried to sell it. The rule of location, location, location applies. People want to live in conforming neighborhoods of similar homes.
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* Redesign the interior layout by removing all the walls Buyers like an open floor plan but if they wanted to live in a loft, they will buy a loft, not a home without walls. For that same reason, domes are difficult to sell in areas without any other domes nearby. Remember, conforming homes make up the bulk of the marketplace.
Turn a three-bedroom home into a one-bedroom home The majority of home buyers need at minimum a two-bedroom home and a family needs three bedrooms. Many older people need an extra bedroom for grandchildren or guests. Instead of buying your unique home and converting it back, it's easier to buy a home that fits their needs.
* Remove the bathtub by removing the bathtub, you're removing an essential element in a home. While you may prefer a walk-in shower, it's very difficult to bathe a baby in the shower. Notwithstanding, there are a lot of people who prefer to soak in a tub. Don't do any plumbing renovations without speaking with a professional
* Add multiple levels A split-level home is one thing, but a home in which the dining room is a step-down, the master a step-up, the den a step-down, the guest bath a step-up, it's all too confusing, and it destroys the natural flow. It chops up the layout. North Shore Contractor Management can discuss flow and needs for layout consultation
* Use outdated or inferior building materials! Just because your uncle Louie got a good deal on laminate flooring that looks like the real thing but isn't is no reason to install cheap flooring throughout your home. Over the years, the panels might separate, lift or crack. If you're spending the money to remodel, buy materials that will stand the test of time.
* Pave the yard with blacktop or cementIn some cities such as Sacramento, it's against city building codes to pave your front yard, but that doesn't stop homeowners from turning their yards into parking lots. Some owners rip out lawns in back and turn the back yard into a concrete playground, thinking they are adding a low maintenance or green feature.
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