I usually just lurk here, but wanted to chime in on this one. We bought 18 months ago, and like (I'd guess) 99% of TV buyers after staying here and researching we had a list of what we wanted, including location, style/age of house, upgrades already done, amount of bond paid, etc.
I am not sure why posters here tend to question whether any OP went through the above thought process before buying? Do people really have dozens of new neighbors who say "darn, I wish I had thought of where the stores/power lines/noise/etc. were before I bought this house"? Or "holy cow, I did not realize the outstanding bond was THAT much"? Or for that matter - when doing upgrades - do people have neighbors who dislike their "setup" but decide to do a dozen upgrades anyways? Of COURSE you've thought this through and are happy enough to tackle your list with your current house.
Anyways, it's clear you have a home you love and wish to make it your own. After looking at dozens of houses, we were lucky to find pre-owned with the vast majority of what we wanted - but of course the remaining wish-list items we have since addressed added up to big bucks. But we knew that before we purchased.
If our neighborhood "vibe" did not match our desires, we would have been happy enough but would not have done further upgrades. But our neighborhood is great. Do we expect to "get our money back" on our upgrades should we decide to sell? Likely not, at least not a huge percent if we sell in the next five years. We DO however get enjoyment and use out of the improvements in the meantime, which is why we spent the money.
Your published experiences will help more than one reader. So thanks for posting.
Go for it, enjoy it, seems you enjoy the upgrade process and I hope you can sit back and enjoy the end results even more.
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