Once upon a time in a land far away, homes were built with the basic essentials, four walls and a roof. Then came multiple rooms, multiple levels, indoor plumbing and electricity. Man's creativity also added shag green carpeting, trash compactors, heated tile flooring, lazy Susan cabinets ... the list goes on and on.
Houses can last several decades if they are taken care of and in many cases, hundreds of years. So when a buyer goes out house hunting, they will most likely be subjected to what was innovative and "cool" when the home was built. The problem is, what was fashionable then is most likely "oh my gosh, what were they thinking" now.
A home I recently sold had one of those "cool" 1970's features that I call a fashion runway. Many homes were being built with a sunken living room, but if you had an elevated runway, the whole house would be sunken ... IMAGINE THAT!!
In the first photo, the front entry deposits you onto said runway where you can step down to the left into the formal living room, to the right into the formal dining area, or you can proceed forward and step down into the hallway that will take you to the bedrooms or the kitchen depending on which way you turn.
The first time I entered a home with this particular floor plan, I felt like I was teetering on a tight rope even though the runway was about 5 feet wide. For some reason, drop-offs on both sides without a railing gives a person a false sense of security.
The buyers didn't like this cool 70's feature, but it didn't keep them from buying the place. The solution? Remove the runway and lower the front door. The second photo shows the runway removed, the door lowered and tile replacing the carpet in the formal dining room.
Don't let an outdated fashion keep you from buying the otherwise perfect house! Let your agent help you visualize what you might be able to do to remedy a current "fashion flaw" in the design of the home you are attracted to.
A runway? Whose crazy idea was that!
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