Advice on Choosing Options for New Homes | As you select options for the new house you are buying today, which ones will make it stand out from the pack when you eventually sell it? When asked this question with regard to a midmarket, midpriced single family house, Coldwell Banker real estate agents in California, Texas, Illinois and Florida were remarkably consistent in their responses, differing only in specific detail.
The courting of potential buyers begins the moment the agent starts down your street with prospects in tow, and first impressions count, all the agents said. In other words, plan on upgrading the front elevation. Depending on where you live, this can mean a partial or full brick front, but all over the country, front porches seem to be a good bet. "It gives a lot of character to a house and adds curb appeal, even if you never use it," said Los Angeles realtor Peter Chirchick.
In Northern Florida, an elevation upgrade will nearly always make your house stand out from others on the block because most buyers there elect to spend their option money on items that enhance the interior and get whatever front the builder offers as standard, observed Jacksonville realtor Michael Taylor.
Lot choice is also important, and cheaper is not better. If a builder offers a discount on a lot, there's a good reason. "Typically if a builder discounts a lot, it's at a busy intersection [or has some other negative]. It will always be worth less, and it will be harder to sell on resale," noted Chicago-area realtor Sherry Gatti.
In many parts of the country, the builder's "landscaping package" amounts to a few bushes, a tiny tree and sod. In Florida, many builders include considerably more than that; even so, Taylor advises his buyers to get the landscaping upgrade which often has as many as 32 decorative trees and bushes.
Once inside the house, the next spot where first impressions count is the entry foyer. A two-storied space here will make a small house look bigger; at the very least, a hardwood floor should be installed. "A hard surface such as hardwood, tile or stone wears better than carpet, looks better, and it will delineate the entry in a very open plan house," Chirchick said.
Carrying the hardwood flooring through to the kitchen and breakfast area and even the family room is almost expected, and buyers will pay more for it, all the agents said. Vinyl flooring for the kitchen, even an expensive upgraded one that won't tear and is easy to maintain, is still considered inferior. As Houston agent Irby Rozelle put it, "Sheet vinyl is not really acceptable." In California and Florida, tile in the foyer, kitchen and other heavily trafficked areas is on a par with hardwood, but the tiles should be the larger 12 by 12-inch size. These are more resistant to cracking and with fewer grout lines, they're easier to maintain, explained Miami agent Nancy Klock Corey.
If you're leaning towards tile, though, avoid ones with a customized pattern as these will immediately attract negative attention. "The first thing a buyer will say is 'this tile doesn't go with a thing I have'," Chirchick said. "Gaudy customized tiles can be a deal breaker," Corey added.
Though all builders offer many carpet choices, expensive upgrades are not cost effective, the agents said. "In four to five years, the next buyer won't keep the carpet, no matter what it is," Chirchick noted.
All the agents recommended kitchen cabinets with raised panel doors. Additional features such as larger 42-inch wall cabinets, a planning desk and roll out trays in the base cabinets "wow people," Chirchick added. For a midmarket house in Southern California, Florida, and Texas, Formica is definitely declasse - "no way anyone will look at it," Chirchick said. Corian or slab granite (not the lower priced granite tiles) would be expected, but in the Chicago area, Corian is not offered as an option for midmarket houses, Gatti noted.
A triple sink with one deep well for washing large pots, one normal depth sink and a third shallow one for a disposal is another upgrade that buyers will notice, Chirchick said. If you entertain a lot, a second dishwasher and a stove with extra burners will be useful while you are in the house and will also impress future buyers, he added.
As for kitchen colors, all the agents favored lighter colors for counters, floors and cabinets because these make the space appear to be larger.
Which extras to get for a master bathroom depends on where you live. In the Los Angeles area, whirlpool jets were not important but a large soaking tub is a "great upgrade," while in the Chicago area the jets would be a plus, and Miami buyers want a bidet.
Once past the foyer, kitchen, and master bath, the next thing midmarket buyers focus on is space, and most will chose square footage over other options, the agents said. In the Jacksonville market, this would be a bonus room over a garage that could be a fourth bedroom. In Houston, builders offer attics; in Chicago, basements. In both of these cases, the space needn't be finished but it must have plumbing rough-ins for a future bathroom. Gatti also suggested smaller additions that enhance the basic house such as a box bay window or a four-foot family room extension.
Most buyers do not have three cars, but a three-car garage when offered is "absolutely a better idea," Chirchick said. The space for the third car will be used as storage, especially in Florida and California where houses do not have basements. "A third car garage will make money for sellers; a house with a 3-car garage will go quicker and for more money," Taylor said.
In the benign climates of California and Florida, people spend a lot of time outside, and buyers expect a rear deck or patio and a built-in barbecue. Even in Chicago where people can use outdoor areas only about half the year, "decks are hot," Gatti said.
By��Katherine Salant
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