I recently sold a property in Bridgeport and dropped by to see the new owner when they were moving in. It's a beautiful new home, with a mid-century modern feel and I'm sure will be absolutely beautiful when everything is in place. As I left, I drove around the corner and saw a home that I had shown many years ago. The lot was large, but the home was absolutely crazy. They had added on, and added on, and added on to the point that they had to put another 'front door' in to access the rest of the home. It became a game with my clients as we wandered through, with surprises around every corner. Obviously, they did not buy it. One home that clients wanted to see several years ago was small and cute on the outside, the inside needed some work, but the bathroom, oh the bathroom. It was small and the shower was obviously a DIY job and I'm pretty sure beer was involved somewhere. The shower took up the entire space across the back of the room, with pony walls (half walls) across the front and a center opening to access. The entire shower was done in tiny, 1-inch tiles with the shower head coming from the ceiling. No, this wasn't the modern rain shower type shower head, the typical adjustable one. But what made it really weird was that on each of the side walls, embedded in the tiles, were brass, water-hose spray nozzles, one on each side. One was placed higher on one side than the other and we finally figured out they were placed 'strategically' and that is all I'll say about that. I could almost hear the conversation. Wife: "Could we get a 'spa' shower?" Husband: "I got ya baby! Hold my beer" And there you have it, a bad remodel job. Often people, stuck inside their home because of cold weather decide to make some changes. If you think you want to make changes to your home, talk to a realtor. Most realtors don't mind talking your changes through and telling you what will and won't work. A home with a bad remodel job and/or a bad traffic flow can actually add stress to your life. When we built our little one bedroom, one bath home, I decided to put an antique claw foot tub in. it was great until it wasn't. I broke my kneecap and couldn't get in or out of that tub. My husband hurt his arm and had the same problem. So, after only 5 years, we had to pay a ton of money to have it removed and replaced with a walk-in shower. We are older and found out that a claw foot tub may look cool, but it isn't practical as we age. A good realtor can help you know what will and won't add value. While a good remodel job can actually add value, a bad job will actually lessen the value of your home. Many people think that since they aren't planning to move, they don't need to worry about it. But someone will, it may be your family, or even your spouse if you pass. I have had so many buyers go through a home and at first glance, they love it, only to come across something crazy like the 'spa' shower and walk away. Even though they could have remodeled and corrected the problem, bad design often sours the buyers on the home. While a contractor may advise you somewhat, they also want the work so they will often just do what you want. A realtor looks out for the overall value of the home. They don't mind advising you and often won't charge because they are hoping to develop a type of relationship with you where you will either refer friends and family to them or will eventually use their services. I have offered this service to many and actually even saved them money. One couple decided not to do the remodel after we talked because they were only planning to live in the home another year or so. The home had good flow and fit their needs, so spending a ton of money on it made no sense to them for such a short amount of time. A little paint and moving furniture filled their need for change and they were happy.
Give me a call and I'll be glad to talk to you about the changes you may want to make.
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