Researching the practicality of your dreams is a good idea
Published Date 9/18/2018
It can be a case of be-careful-what-you-wish-for. You may have pined for years over a large yard, a butler’s pantry, or living in a century-old house, but once you have it, somehow the thrill is gone.
Reality checks can especially hit during the home-buying process. That huge backyard will stop being the golf green you dreamed of after you find out how often you have to maintain it or pay for that privilege. That house with a history might present costly repairs, with problems hidden behind the walls no inspector may have had access to. That’s why doing some due diligence by questioning others who have these amenities might be a wise move.
In a recent article in Realtor.com, writer Jennifer Kelly Geddes lists a few features homebuyers dream of but often end up regretting having after they occupy the home awhile.
While the idea of a wine cellar brings thoughts of curating a collection of bottles containing the fruit of the vine and certainly looks impressive, you may come to realize that most wines not only don't need cellaring, but keeping them in a separate area or room can become inconvenient, also forcing you to watch humidity and temperature levels. An under-counter wine fridge may be more practical.
And how about that dream spa in the basement? At first, you picture yourself using it every day, of course. Geddes recounts one homebuyer’s experience, saying her spa had only been used all of three times because (1) she rarely had the time to use it, and (2) the spa engine sounded like a train engine, robbing her of a relaxing experience.
Open floor plans are still all the rage. But homeowners who buy homes with expansive room combinations can find them annoying as well. While your spouse is watching a movie on the flat-screen TV mounted over your fireplace, you find he keeps turning up the volume because of kitchen noise. Either that or he complains about having to pause the movie until the dish-rattling ends.
While wood-burning fireplaces or stoves tend to be focal points of many living areas and add quaintness, many a homeowner finds they don’t use them all that often. Building a fire requires a regular supply of wood as well as patience. Although we don’t see fireplaces disappearing any time soon from the American home, homebuyers might want to consider opting for gas logs or gorgeous picture-framed electric varieties instead.
And those huge hedges that made the property look so stately? Their lush green nature and the privacy they offer may become eclipsed by the amount of trimming and weeding they require.
As we mentioned in another article, you may also buy a house primarily for your kids, forcing you to move further away from what once was the heart of your activities as well as loved ones who could easily visit. As with anything else, it’s wise to weigh out the pros and cons of these huge decisions regarding both location and amenities in the home you buy.
Source: Realtor.com, TBWS
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