added value to property

PasturesNew

I deliberately am not interested in houses that have been extended. Any extensions (if I wanted them) probably wouldn't be the way I'd have done them.

It can be better to leave things as they are. Give others the idea that they can add any value. Or make their own extensions and get them how they want them, thereby gaining their own value.

WTF?_2

PasturesNew wrote: »

I deliberately am not interested in houses that have been extended. Any extensions (if I wanted them) probably wouldn't be the way I'd have done them.

It can be better to leave things as they are. Give others the idea that they can add any value. Or make their own extensions and get them how they want them, thereby gaining their own value.

If I was going to live in an urban area my ideal home would be a large untouched 3-bed detatched with a big garden (especially around the back) and large garage in a nice area.

I'd put in a basement to use as home cinema/bar and convert the attic into two large singles/small doubles and a bathroom.

The middle floor would see the smaller bedroom go, to be amalgamated with the master bedroom to produce a big en-suite and dressing room.

I'd also add a big ground floor extension out the back, with a partial glass roof, for use as an open plan kitchen/diner.

Solar heating tubes and PV panels on the roof with a freestanding wind turbine at the bottom of the garden. Maximum insulation all around and low-power consumption LED and CF lighting. Rainwater collection Would put in a ground water pump if I could get away with it.

Vegetable patches in the garden and a greenhouse.

Small multigym, rowing and cycling machines in the back of garage.


I'm not asking for much

JonnyBravo

PasturesNew wrote: »

I deliberately am not interested in houses that have been extended. Any extensions (if I wanted them) probably wouldn't be the way I'd have done them.

It can be better to leave things as they are. Give others the idea that they can add any value. Or make their own extensions and get them how they want them, thereby gaining their own value.

Ok so you're not interested. Doesn't mean that one can't add value to a house by not doing it (your original claim)

JonnyBravo

!!!!!!? wrote: »

If I was going to live in an urban area my ideal home would be a large untouched 3-bed detatched with a big garden (especially around the back) and large garage in a nice area.

I'd put in a basement to use as home cinema/bar and convert the attic into two large singles/small doubles and a bathroom.

The middle floor would see the smaller bedroom go, to be amalgamated with the master bedroom to produce a big en-suite and dressing room.

I'd also add a big ground floor extension out the back, with a partial glass roof, for use as an open plan kitchen/diner.

Solar heating tubes and PV panels on the roof with a freestanding wind turbine at the bottom of the garden. Maximum insulation all around and low-power consumption LED and CF lighting. Rainwater collection Would put in a ground water pump if I could get away with it.

Vegetable patches in the garden and a greenhouse.

Small multigym, rowing and cycling machines in the back of garage.


I'm not asking for much

ahh now we see why you've not bought yet...... Mr Abramovich isn't selling his shed just at the moment.....

PasturesNew

I just want an open plan kitchen/living area, doors into a neat conservatory with doors into a small, maintenance free back garden area that is south-facing and not overlooked.

Probably 2 bedrooms, just because 1s are harder to find. Separate/detached, good-sized garage with driveway for 2-3 cars.

Multi-fuel burner, gas central heating, double glazing.

Sorted.

WTF?_2

JonnyBravo wrote: »

ahh now we see why you've not bought yet...... Mr Abramovich isn't selling his shed just at the moment.....

Well, better than aspiring to a bog standard 3-bed semi I reckon.

And you can do all the extending and improving over a decade or two.

Oliveru

Considering you bought at the top of the market I think adding 5 or 10% value to your property is the least of your worries. In 5 years time you will see people buying similar properties to yours for at least half the price and you will be angry that you spent so much/ bought at the top of the market.

Lolliloo

im not trying to add value to the house as its losing value now

even before the house price crash we said we were looking for a property that had potential to have value added.
we didnt take out a 125% mortgage we put money down on it so Im not trying to dig myself out of any holes here. The reason why we got our house for £6k cheaper is because we were FTB and in a position to move quickly so we put a cheeky offer in and it got accepted. The previous owners had already had a sale on the house fall through so it held up their chain. So the point I suppose I was making in my OP was that although prices are falling - to date we havent made a loss if we were to get it valued now!!

As for the 'cash machine comment' Im not naive I want to put my money into something that isnt going to bite me on the !!! in years to come and so the sensible option for me (rather than to squander my money) is to put it into the house and hopefully make a return on any investments I make in the future. Granted - nothing is risk free. I could put money into the house and prices plummet and Id make a loss but like I said, Id only squander my money elsewhere anyway!!

And Im not discounting my house as a home - by improving it Im making it more homely for me and anyone else that might have it in the future, which is also important to me personally. I cant deny that if it makes me money I wont be chuffed though.

We did buy it at the top end of the market but when we bought it I didnt anticipate that we'd sell in the immediate future. Hopefully by the time we outgrow our home (in many years to come) the market will have levelled back out again.

Whilst we have money Id like to improve the house - so adding value is something id like to do but over a long-term scale. Not to develop the property and stick it straight back on the market iyswim?

johnny_storm

Why dont you spend money that in the long term could add value and save you money? Like making sure you have loads of insulation, have a very efficent boiler, a solar panel etc

With soaring fuel prices I think improvements like this could pay in the long term.

m00m00

make the improvements that you want, to add value to your life.

if they also add value to the house in the long run, it's a bonus.