It's easy to fall in love with certain features of a home, but to find out that those same features, in the long run, are your least favorite. Here are a few common ‘extras' and a quick assessment of their relative values.
Against: In-floor heating systems are still considered a luxury, and can add a fair bit to the value of a home. They are new, and potential long-term issues have not been entirely worked out. A handful of people also are leery about the prospect of piping a significant amount of water throughout their cherished home for fear of potential leakage. All relatively minor concerns. Assessment: Find someone with in-floor heating who doesn't love it. I dare you.
For: A 2004 4-state NAR study found that having a pool increased property values from 8 to 15%. The idea of kicking back all summer with a piña colada, sitting next to the lapping water with friends can be quite attractive. And rightfully so. Against: Safety issues have not been blown out of proportion by the media. Pool deaths happen all the time, there's no getting around that fact. Pools are expensive to maintain, even without hiring a pool cleaner, and are a lot of work. As beautiful as a pool can be when it is maintained properly, it can be an eyesore if it is not. A pool tends to negate having any significant usable space for a backyard. Am I missing anything? Assessment: The issues involved with owning a pool can be overcome, and many people enjoy having a pool very much. You just have to want one really badly for it to be worthwhile. For: Kitchens are finally being designed with maximum utility in mind. When shopping for a home, focus on the kitchen - it is where you will likely spend a great deal of your time, and the room in which every party tends to congregate. Before you fall in love with that Kohler faucet, however, analyze the kitchen's layout from a purely utilitarian standpoint. Is the magic triangle of sink-stove-fridge arranged conveniently? Are cabinets and other storage in logical places? Is there sufficient light? And most importantly, is this a space you will feel comfortable and happy in? Don't underestimate the importance of a functional and attractive kitchen. Against: Be careful not to fall in love with the impermanent fixtures in a kitchen. While those glass-front, backlit uppers may brilliantly display the seller's Royal Daulton bone china, will your mixed collection of garage sale Melmac have the same effect? Likewise, if your idea of cooking is heating up last night's pizza, perhaps space would be better used elsewhere.
For: Having the right setup for a particular activity can be inspiring. Having a single power tool in each room of your house and each corner of the garage and shed is not exactly the ideal situation for building that crib you started on for your daughter and are determined to finish before the birth of you granddaughter. Likewise, if you have the latest elliptical trainer and weight set in a room next to your bedroom with a 12 foot plasma TV facing it, perhaps you will find that six-pack after all. Against: If you can't make a dovetail joint, all of the tools in the world will not give you that knowledge. If you haven't lifted anything heavier than a handful of pork rinds in the last decade, a workout room will likely soon become just a TV room with uncomfortable seating. Unreasonable expectations usually develop into unreasonable decisions. Assessment: Your home should inspire you and will, to a certain extent, dictate your lifestyle. Be rational in your decisions, however, and aim for versatility rather than rooms that are locked in to a particular use that may not be as useful in the future.
With all of your dream home features, try to let reason prevail (or at least get a word in edgewise). You may absolutely worship the tumbled marble rainforest shower with the heated towel rack, but it will be of little comfort every morning and night when you are cursing the home's lack of closet space. It is often the most boring attributes of a home that will give you the most pleasure. Now, off to luxuriate in my rainforest shower. I had to take out the bedroom to install it, but that's okay, I don't mind sleeping in the kitchen . . . for more see www.danshapirorealestate.net
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