To upgrade or not to upgrade...That is the question

New home communities across the Myrtle Beach area have continued to become more customizable with their homes over the past few years.  Many of Myrtle Beach's top builders even now have "design centers" where you can visit and make your selections while viewing the different samples. You now customize almost any aspect of your new home.  It is important though that when making these choices that you do not let things get out of hand.

When building a new home you have a budget in mind before hand.  As you enter the design center to select options & upgrades, that budget sometimes goes out the window.  I refer to the visit to the design center as "a kid in the candy shop" mentality.  Everything looks wonderful and you want one of each.  However, you can easily more than double the price of your home with upgrades and also destroy your budget.  Recently, while working with a buyer, she had over $150,000 in upgrades & additions onto the home.  She was easily making her new home the "king of the hill" in the neighborhood.  However in her situation, she did not care. She is planning on living there for many years and wanted what she wanted.  Also, her budget was much higher than what was actually spent on the home.  

Below are the top 5 things I would suggest upgrading when building a new home in Myrtle Beach.  This list comes from dealing with hundreds of buyers locally and listening to their wants & desires when purchasing a new home.

• Upgrade the range hood to a microwave.  When buying a home, most people want a microwave in their home.  Normally this is only around $300.00 for a basic upgrade.  If not, you will need to purchase one for the counter in which you spend more money, and lose counter space!  Or, if you decide to do it later, you have a useless range hood that will inevitably end up collecting dust in the garage, or for sale at a neighborhood yard sale.

• Upgrade the range from coil top to smooth top.  The cleaning of the coil tops are difficult and make a mess.  You have to buy new drip pans almost annually because the old ones have become so discolored and dirty.  With a smooth top range, you can buy Ceramabryte and keep your range top looking like new all the time.

• Upgrade your carpet padding & actual carpet.  I always suggest paying the little bit extra for the highest grade padding available.  Also, I recommend upgrading your carpet at least one level.  The reason for upgrading the padding is that by doing so it will help the life of your carpet.  Also, it will make it easier on your feet while walking around your home.  The reason for upgrading the actual carpet is to increase its life.  Also, normally the higher grade carpet have less amounts of carpet fibers being released.  When I purchased my most recent home, I was not given the option of upgrading the carpet and every time I vacuum my home, I fill my Dyson vacuum with carpet fibers at least twice.

• Upgrade the paint on whole house.  If you do not like plain white walls and want continuity in your paint in your home, then pay for the whole house paint upgrade up front.  Normally the cost of upgrade is only a few hundred dollars instead of paying a painter afterwards a few thousand dollars to have it done.  Most builders will only allow you to pick one color for the whole home, so if you wish to have a lot of customization in your paint colors in every room, then this may not be for you.

• Upgrade the front exterior of your home.  Curb appeal is one of the most important things about a home.  Most builders allow you to customize the curb appeal of your home by choosing a brick or stucco front.  This is something that will make your home stand out from the other same models of your home in a community.

Be on the lookout for future updates where I will discuss options to avoid.  These will be the upgrades that either cost more than they are worth, or will never bring back the return that you invest for them.

To find more great tips about new homes in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, visit my blog.

For more information about Myrtle Beach Real Estate, call Jeremy Blanton or Dennis Blanton REALTORS® with Coldwell Banker Chicora Real Estate at (843) 222-9402. We can help you with all of your Myrtle Beach, SC and Horry County real estate needs.  Contact Us Today!