Thursday, July 27, 2006

An eye toward resale

Anna asks: Isn't it hard to have to keep decorating with an eye towards what would be best for resale etc on each house? To not make it "your own"?

Yes and no! I might like to invest more time and money in long-term gardening projects, but don't. Every buyer we've ever had has let the gardens go completely. (And yes, I do drive by from time to time to see what plants survived!) At one house, they even mowed down a huge berm planted with bulbs and evergreens--end-of-season clearance shrubs I watered with my own sweat, digging them in August. The irony is that the whole bed required no maintenance for them!

On the other hand, my decorating style has been improved by showing our houses. After all, who doesn't have second thoughts about selling their home once it's in show-ready condition? Why not enjoy that feeling all year round? I've grown to love clutter-free living and a color scheme that flows from room to room.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes we have made extra fixes at the last minute to sell our homes and thought how odd is this?...why didn't we do this before and enjoy it ourselfs! Also we have driven by homes we had lovingly redone to find trees and plants tossed...but have also seen patio additions etc added that really added to the homes apeal. It is a mixed bag. I once was invited into a home I had sold and was amazed at how the new owners had converted my home to theirs ...projects I had never even dreamed of but could have done too!
Your comments today were helpful... as usual! Another winner!

Anonymous said...

I have seen this happen, too. There was a newly-built house that sold in our little town a few years ago that the first owners had BEAUTIFULLY landscaped. I was shocked to drive by one day and see that the new owners had ripped EVERYTHING out,and I mean all the slate, the trees, the perrennials, everything, and then stuck a few yucky-looking shrubs in a straight line across tha front of the house. I thought that it looked terrible, and I will never understand why people would do something like that. So I think you're right in saying that, unless you're pretty sure it's your "forever house", just do the basics, or whatever is pretty reasonable on the budget, and save the rest for your own place later, when it won't be ripped out a year or two later!
Susan in Illinois

Carrie J said...

We have lived in our home for almost 19 years. We are considering a move within the next 3 years. I am still having a problem deciding exactly what we should and shouldn't do. Our problem is that there is a chance we may end up staying, even though we really want to move. So we are trying to make the decision to undertake a few projects, such as an addition (do we add just a bath and closets or the complete master suite we really want) Something has to be done one way or another. We have completly remodeled otherwise and now have to start depersonalizing if we are going to move. Thanks for the info on the landscaping. It makes the decision to do any major work much easier. I won't be doing anything drastic.
Carrie