Hellobee Boards

I think it depends on the kind of house you buy and if the location supports the upgrades.

If you put a lot of money into your house, you risk being the nicest house on the block. Which is nice, until you're trying to sell and recoup your costs and no one wants to pay you the amount you want because the neighboring houses are smaller/dumpier/whatever. We saw house after house like this and I am sure it is no surprise to the owners why their houses are still on the market!

I agree with most of them.

I dont agree with the garage one. Having a nice garage is a big plus for us. I like where it can still be used as a garage (not a playroom..etc..) but having it nice, drywalled and with some great built ins is a huge bonus.

I don't totally agree with their pool "don't." A pool is pretty important in my area, but recouping the full cost isn't likely, so a lot of people seem to think that a tiny pool is fine. (Umm, no. I want to be able to swim in it if I have to maintain it!)

As to their "do" list, I don't care for SS appliances or granite, personally. Almost none of the kitchen renovations I've seen have raised the value of the house in my view, but that's mostly because there isn't any coherence between the style of the houses around here and the kitchen designs that are currently popular. Also, I would not view a built-in speaker system favorably. That would just be one more thing I'd have to rip out.

@honeybear: I agree with the default "ss and granite". We own a 1940s bungalow and a modern kitchen would look really strange in the house. I think as long as a kitchen is "updated", in good shape and looks nice, we're in business.

We're keeping the original cabinets and white subway tiling for ours. Just de-pinking it.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: tell me more about the solar panels to heat the pool!

Our heater is busted and we don't think we need to replace it with another gas unit.

@zippylef: I also don't agree with the built in sprinkler system and the built in speakers. I'm not a fan of either.

I really do agree with most of the don'ts. A pool was an automatic no when we were looking for houses. I like the idea of a pool, but I don't want to take care of it, and I could never live with myself if a neighborhood child slipped into the gate and had an accident in it.

The light fixture I could see as well b/c it makes a very small space look smaller. A person who couldn't see past that might not want the work of replacing it (even though it's a simple fix).

I agree with the first four do's. I would love solar panels - out here they would definitely be helpful. I don't agree with the speakers. That's a little weird to me.

I guess I pretty much agree with the don'ts. A pool here is completely hit or miss. But we have a pool already, so if/when we sell, we'll see whether it helps or hinders.

I agree with almost all of them. Kitchens, bathrooms and no carpeting (or, minimal carpeting) were at the top of our list. I also agree with the "green" upgrades; I would be willing to pay more for a home with alternative energy sources as it's going to decrease my utility bills over time (and I'll come out ahead by spending a little more upfront, if I plan to stay in the house for a long time). Double pane windows are definitely something we looked for, again because 1) windows are expensive! and 2) double panes save $$$!

A pool and built-in speakers are "no's" on my list, but we live in northern new england, so an outdoor pool (heated or not) isn't very useful or common.

Well, we did #1, #2, and #5, and #4 is in the works for this fall, so I agree with this list, haha! DH always says how a pool devalues your house (up here in the northeast) but I agree with @littlek: that there are some areas where it's expected.

@zippylef: I can't wait to put white subway tile in (the kitchen I don't own yet...)! Good move.