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Home improvements that aren't worth it
There are plenty of threads on upgrades that you should get on your new home. This isn't one of those threads.
Many of us bought a pre-owned home that we otherwise love but have upgrades that just aren't worth it. My list includes: Built in vacuum. While it is nice, it is I just don't use it that much as I thought I would. Even with a self storing hose. My wife doesn't vacuum much, she is indifferent. Vented gas fireplace. It's nice for a few weeks this time of year but the cost could be better allocated elsewhere. |
Agree about the vacuum. Have robot that sweeps and mops. Don’t have to be home, and return to dock, charging, then resume vacuum and mop. Keep old vacuum to get dirt out of the multi track sliders
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Agree with Central Vac. Disagree with fireplace because we like the ambience they give off when used.
I would put Crown Moulding on the list of useless upgrades. It makes a place look too formal, too "up north" and too "old people live here." Same with dark heavy furniture. I don't care how Thomasville, Ethan Allen, or custom it is, dark heavy furniture looks too "up north" too formal, and too "old people." IMHO. |
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I would maybe add “storm doors” - Everyone had them back in Colorado, not sure how important they are here in Florida.
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Palm Trees in Yards Live oaks |
Definitely Crown Molding
Crown molding and painted driveways for me. What a waste. They wanted 10k when we built our house for crown throughout.
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I totally agree on the palm trees. I wish my neighbors would get rid of theirs. |
Robot lawn mower. I think my neighbors paid over $2000.
My neighbors lawn looks like crap. It cuts too short and sometimes misses spots, but they supposedly can't leave it normal height like everyone else since St Augustine grass is too thick that it can get stuck so it runs every couple of days. So you have the 3 adjoining lawns all the same height but theirs is 2" shorter. I pay $80/month and my lawn looks normal and they run a trimmer around my landscaping beds each time they cut. |
Lipstick on a pig!
All cosmetic upgrades. No matter what you do or how much you spend, your house will still be a cookie cutter copy of all the other houses & will still look pretty much the same as all the rest. You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig.
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Several Interior designers have taught me this rule of thumb: bring color into a room through fabric, art work, and accessories. Always keep walls and flooring neutral and the same color throughout the home. I agree with Palm Trees. They need constant maintenance. |
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Stacked stone landscaping, granite countertops, murals on walls, swimming pools in backyards
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Wow!
I use my pool EVERY day all summer. I can have my coffee in the morning, cocktail in the evening, and know who has been in it..and how clean it is. When my pool was 86 degrees in the summer we took a temperature gun to the neighborhood pool…and it was 102 degrees. So totally disagree with that one.
Many of us actually cook here…so our upgraded kitchens are important! So..the only one I agree with here is the murals! Quote:
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It’s all relative to what you can afford.
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Decorate and upgrade to what YOU like, not what some HGTV flavor-of-the-month trend says is “in”.
I got a kick out of “Fresh FL decor”. I think beachy-boaty themed homes in pastels are an absolute cliche, but to each their own. |
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Granite countertops are becoming dated, quartz is the trend now, although it will change. But an upgrade to the kitchen is a great vestment, the kitchen is the first thing you see when you walk into a house. |
Crown molding, and painted driveways. I like screens on the windows to get fresh air in the house.
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not do
Got with a painted driveway I would never pay for that BUT painted garage oh yah that's great
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Granite countertops when nothing wrong with old ones. Tile floors, Loud, slick, and hard on bare feet.:cryin2:
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Or keep up with jones.:) |
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In terms of resale value, I don't think any upgrades are worth it because you will not recover the cost. If you are lucky, you will get back half of what you paid. I haven't done a single upgrade to my house. But when I sell it, I will price it correctly, and I think it will sell very quickly because it will be the lowest price in the neighborhood. In hindsight, I wish I had replaced the flooring before I moved in. Also, if you replace the flooring, I recommend using the same flooring throughout the house, and no carpet.
When you buy a house, make sure that it has a 2-car garage and a golf cart garage. That is something that is difficult to upgrade. There are some 3-bedroom houses in my neighborhood that have a 1.5-car garage. Those people are constantly juggling their vehicles. |
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Do it after much cheaper
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Tiny backyard "swimming" pools.
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I am very happy with the crown moulding no carpeting, paver driveway and walkway and our palm trees. I feel my house looks finished. I find the plain cement driveways to be an eyesore. |
Upgrades
When we looked at homes in TV, we saw so many had not been updated. They looked old and tired. We quickly looked past those and eventually bought a new home that we added things to after the sale. We love our crown molding as it makes the living areas look finished. We put in closet organizer shelving and enclosed our lanai to make a sunroom for additional square footage. Haven't regretted any of that. Each year we do some kind of upgrade to our house to keep it current. Last year we took out all the carpeting and installed hardwood flooring so now all floors are hard surface. We've freshened our landscaping twice over the 12 years we've lived here. Not all the upgrades will increase the price of the house, BUT it will make our house more competitive in the marketplace. (I was a realtor for many years)
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I have had central vac with hide away hose since 2009 and love it. Four years ago I bought two robotic vacs because I have rescue dogs, I only have area rugs and use the robotic vac every other day and love them. I still use the central vac on occasion. I also have had a non vented propane fireplace since 2009 and love it on mornings like today to take the chill out of the air. I would do both again. That's my experience and I am a bachelor!
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