Steve Payne
Six home improvements your customers are being warned away from
Canadian ContractorSwimming pools, overbuilding, over-landscaping the property, overly high-end upgrades, wall-to-wall carpeting and "invisible improvements" may not pay off when your client sells their property, according to this article.
Not that journalists always get it right (except those at Canadian Contractor, cough) but there’s an interesting article in today’s Globe and Mail about six types of home improvements that, supposedly, don’t increase the value of a home.
Here they are:
(1) Swimming pools
(2) Overbuilding for the neighbourhood
(3) Extensive landscaping
(4) High end upgrades
(5) Wall to wall carpeting
(6) “Invisible improvements”
We disagree with (4) and (6). In (4), it depends on your definition of “high end.” And in (6) the article refers to a house’s systems, including HVAC. If there was ever a category of upgrades that potential new home owners wanted to know about, it includes electrical, plumbing, ventilation, air conditioning. So what if they are “invisible.” It’s the real estate agent’s job to promote those upgrades professionally.
Read the full article here in the Globe and Mail.
Advertisement
Print this page
I would only agree with #3. But the rest is very important not only in my opinion but also the way I see with interior designers, staging consultants and realtors. I would understood if hardwood flooring or laminate would be placed there instead of wall to wall carpet. I just read their article and they says that carpet has health concerns. Chemicals and allergies… Completely false statement. Carpet in fact, is the only product that works like an air filter and filters most of the airborne particles and traps them until it’s vacuumed. In Toronto, still best the flooring (if do not leave in a condominium) is wall to wall carpet. Adapts to any live style. If you have a dog, you must have carpet. If you have stairs, you must have carpet. More and more people are complaining about foot fatigue from hardwood or laminate floors. Here are some int resting articles about carpet and benefits;
– New Carpet Adds Value and Other Tips for Quick Home Sales
http://goo.gl/lj3WtC
– Swedish Study Shows Carpet is Better for Your Feet
http://goo.gl/VY28Jc
– Good News About Carpet and Air Quality – Carpet Favours Respiratory Health
http://goo.gl/0yCBGr
– VIDEO CLIP Carpet and Indoor Air Quality
http://goo.gl/ral2Xn
– Clearing the Air about Asthma and Allergy
http://goo.gl/dEcU7T
Got tired… many more can be accessed at;
http://www.victoriousflooring.com/carpet-installation-repairs-blog/