Home with Views ~ Homes with a panoramic of the mountains and lakes always sell at a premium above similar homes without the view here in the Sierras. However, if a view is important to you buy it mostly for your own pleasure and not as an investment. You may place a considerable dollar value on the view and future buyers will also.
~ Even though most real estate value is usually concentrated in the building, the lot is important as well. It should be as level as possible, considering the winter weather we endure. Assuming the property is in a typical neighborhood, such as Tahoe Donner the lot should be easy to access both in winter and summer.
Do not purchase an extensively landscaped property unless that is exactly what you desire. You would normally pay a premium for that maybe which you ought to be able to recover when you sell. You can always improve the landscaping during your ownership by improving the grass and adding native plants.
~ In each residential neighborhood in the Sierras, houses will vary in size and rooms, as many of the homes are custom. If resale value is an important consideration you might consider not buying the largest in the neighborhood. When determining market value, the homes nearest to yours are most important. If most of the nearby houses are smaller than your house, they can act as a pull on appreciation.
On the other hand if you buy a medium house for the area the larger homes can help push up your value. Buying what you require in a more prestigious neighborhood may provide more financial reward than getting what you desire in a less desirable neighborhood.
~ Three and four bedroom houses are the most popular among homebuyers and if you can stay in that array you will have more potential buyers when it comes time to resell.
There should always be at least two bathrooms in a house, preferably at least two and a half. One bathroom with a place to wash up for day-to-day visitors, one for the master bedroom, and at least one to be shared by the other bedrooms.
~ Family activity centers on the kitchen so this can be the most important room of the house. Open concept living is especially important to most buyers in our area - everyone wants to be ‘together'. The dining area should be located adjacent to the kitchen.
There should be easy access to the back yard and deck areas as there will be occasions for barbecues and outdoor entertaining. Also consider that it should be a short walk between the garages to the kitchen so hauling groceries in from the car does not become a horrendous chore.
~ The only room where you absolutely have to have a fireplace is the family room. A fireplace in the other rooms may be nice and you pay extra for it and this is a good investment in this area.
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