Ask:
When you make a change to your home do you make those changes with re-sale value in mind, or do you make those changes with you and how you live in mind? Do you put in granite because you like it or because future buyers will see it as a plus? How about that fireplace? Or that hardwood floor??
Most of the shows that are about re-doing your home really focus on the long term resale value you will get. What you can do for little money now but will be highly desired items for when you sell in the future.
Our family usually makes changes geared more toward what works best for us, what we like, and don't really consider resale.
Which route do you normally take??
Answer:
For me!
I'm paying for the change and I'm paying for the house. I want to enjoy it while I live here.
When we repainted the interior of my previous house my sister kept harping on how I should use neutral colors for 'resale etc'. When we tore out the lawn in the backyard, my sister went on and on about how a buyer won't like that. You know what? The people who bought our house LOVE IT exactly the way it was. They even offered to buy all our furniture because everything matched so well (it was a little spooky how much they wanted to take over our lives, actually.)
That said, I do take resale into consideration. I do try to keep up on the trends in home design. However, it is sort of like clothing fashion. If mini-skirts don't look good on my body, I'm not going to buy them. If granite is not a material I like having in my house, then I'm not buying it.
Answer:
Yep. What she said. I do it for me, but if I do too much of an upgrade, I don't expect to get it back at resale time - only a part of it. (It could be a turnoff, too, but that's why you have to do it for you, but not be silly about it.)
Answer:
I plan on dying in my house, so anything I do revolves around my feelings about it. With that said, I don't want to ruin my house's value, so I'm not going to do crazy things to it either.
Answer:
Funny you brought this up...We started redoing things (taking down the wall paper that was up when we moved in 3 years ago, etc) b/c we were thinking in terms of re-sale, BUT then we started picking colors we liked, so it turned into a 'for us' kind of thing. Now we're getting the house the way we want it and don't want to move just yet.
The yard? now, that's for us, but it certainly doesn't hurt the re-sale value! DH prides himself on the lawn and I like to plant flowers (just to kill them with my black thumb a few months later ).
I guess it's a little of both.....
Answer:
Because we move so often, we always keep in mind we're only here / there for 3 years MAX so yes, we do keep the resale value in mind ~ forefront actually. However, it is nice to finally call a place home for once in awhile so the renovations are to our liking too. Take for example our kitchen. The previous owners put all new tile flooring in. I am not a huge fan of it, however, we will keep the flooring and update the counter tops, cabinet doors, and back splashes to match its neutral appeal. There is no point in us investing more money into the flooring...however, dh is playing with the idea of knocking out the wall that joins the kitchen to the dining room and if we do do that, then yes we would have to redo the floors so it's all one solid texture.
Answer:
For us!!!