Design Your Home With Resale in Mind
[et_pb_section fb_built="1" admin_label="section" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="||21px|||" da_disable_devices="off|off|off" locked="off" global_colors_info="{}" da_is_popup="off" da_exit_intent="off" da_has_close="on" da_alt_close="off" da_dark_close="off" da_not_modal="on" da_is_singular="off" da_with_loader="off" da_has_shadow="on"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" _builder_version="4.16" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat" custom_padding="||13px|||" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text admin_label="Title" module_class="chronospro-heading green-heading" _builder_version="4.23.1" header_text_align="left" header_2_text_align="left" header_2_text_color="#727272" module_alignment="left" custom_margin="||||false|false" hover_enabled="0" border_style="solid" locked="off" global_colors_info="{}" sticky_enabled="0"]Design Your Home With Resale in Mind Resale Value Considerations in Custom Home Buildings Who thinks about resale value when building a custom home? While it may seem odd for a person who’s building a new home to think about selling it, it’s important to address what you want and what the market wants even in the initial planning stages. If you’re not careful, you may design your dream home and find that no one else will buy it later![/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src="https://media-upload-livingstone.s3.amazonaws.com/img/20231129143016/Youtube_Thumbnails_For_Project_Features-4.png" title_text="Home design" _builder_version="4.23.1" _module_preset="default" hover_enabled="0" global_colors_info="{}" alt="Home design" sticky_enabled="0"][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label="Title" module_class="chronospro-heading green-heading" _builder_version="4.23.1" header_text_align="left" header_2_text_align="left" header_2_text_color="#727272" module_alignment="left" custom_margin="||||false|false" custom_padding="25px|||||" hover_enabled="0" border_style="solid" locked="off" global_colors_info="{}" sticky_enabled="0"]Designing For A Broader Market Most people who build custom homes are financially sound. For the most part, they are able to build beautiful, quality homes because they’ve been making good financial decisions for many years. As you go through your design process, be certain you get wise counsel from your builder, architect, designer, and possibly a real estate salesperson to be sure you’re not building a home that only your family will like. Balance your wants and needs for the home of your dreams with potential market appeal for future resale. You are probably not building your dream home as a spec home (a home without an end buyer before construction begins, generally built with an intended profit), so be careful not to include design features that are not what the broad market is asking for. An experienced builder will guide you through the design process and help protect your investment. Once you have the facts, it’s your responsibility to make your own design decisions. If you proceed to design and build a home that only appeals to a very narrow market, then at least you are aware of that (and the consequences) in the early stages of the design process. Sometimes homes linger on the market for a long time because a homeowner made design decisions without taking into account the long- term resale effects. How Long Are You Going to Live Here? If you ask someone who is ready to build a new home, they will often tell you that “This is the last home I will ever build. They will have to bury me in the back yard.” Recent surveys show that most people live in their home an average of five years, and you’re probably not much different. You may be thinking, but this really is going to be my last home. And if it is, that’s great. But you may want to consider the reality of averages. Susan took more than a year to design her new home for her family, only to discover she was way over budget. She also realized that by the time she completed her home construction, all but one of her five children would be away at college, and she had designed bedrooms for each of them! Reality finally dawned on her—within a few short years, she and her husband would be empty-nesters. Designing her home for a family of seven thinking this would be her home for the rest of her life didn’t fit the reality of Susan’s imminent transition to a home for two. Strike a Balance in Design When designing your custom home, first design for your immediate needs. Second, take into account what market conditions will allow for your particular home design. Third, give strong consideration to how long you may live in your home. Susan may shift gears and design a home that’s perfect for her family’s needs for the next five to seven years, with a plan to downsize at that time. With this more realistic outlook, she may give additional consideration to the resale value of her choices. Don’t make the mistake of over-designing a home that may become obsolete for your family within a short period of time. It’s always a good idea to consider designing your home for Aging- In-Place. Good Aging-In-Place considerations will include an elevator (or shaft), curbless showers, wider doorways, lever door handles, and an extra emphasis on lighting to name a few. This will allow you to live in the home as long as you want or provide better resale-ability should you choose to sell your home in the future. BOTTOM LINE Find the balance between what you want and what the market wants. Be realistic about your short term and long term needs and how long you will live in your home then design accordingly. -Sean Sullivan [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built="1"Read More
Asheville Builder & Interior Designer: A Marriage Of Give And Take Ideas Yields Award Winning Results
Being part of a great team can yield wonderful results. No one knows this better than Sean Sullivan, owner of Living Stone Construction, and Laura Sullivan, owner of ID.ology Interior Design, both located in the Asheville area. Not only do Sean and Laura sometimes work together on the same projects – they’re a team off the job site, as well. This happily married couple has managed to strike a great balance that has led to exceptional accomplishments. One such accomplishment is The Rockcliff home – an award-winning Asheville project on which Living Stone Construction served as the builder and ID.ology served as the interior design firm. North Carolina Design talked to Sean and Laura to find out more about this spectacular home, and how their solid teamwork helped them achieve award-winning results.
Smart Home Selling Tips
With today’s changing housing market, home-buying opportunities are tremendous. Interest rates are low, prices are competitive, and many builders are offering fantastic incentives and financing options. But what if you have to sell your current home first? These tips will help you get your home sold and on the road to moving into your own new home of your dreams. We have these homes for sale here! First, be realistic when setting a price. You may not be able to sell your home for what it could have sold for a few years back, but don’t be tempted to wait until prices have gone back again. It’s always better to trade up in a buyer’s market. For example, say your home value has dropped 10 percent from $300,000 to $270,000. A move-up home selling for $500,000 in the past has also dropped 10 percent in value, and now sells at $450,000. If you sold your home today for $270,000 and purchased the larger house for $450,000, the difference in price would be $180,000. But if you waited to recoup the 10 percent value on your home and sold it at $300,000, chances are that same move-up home would also move up in price to at least $500,000. That’s a $200,000 price difference between the two homes. So by selling today, you would actually save $20,000. The price you set for your home is obviously the key factor in many buyers’ minds. But don’t forget that presentation is crucial. The potential buyer needs to be able to see themselves living in your home. Keep personal items like photographs to a minimum. Address any clutter and either donate items to charity, throw them out or organize them neatly. Organize all of your closet spaces and kitchen cabinets. Clean off kitchen countertops and pack up small knickknacks. Your house will appear neater and you’ll also get a head start on packing up for your own move. Remove furniture that blocks walkways or windows. Leave just enough furniture to showcase the room’s purpose. Rent a storage unit if you have to. A home that is too empty can appear lifeless, so if you’ve already packed your furniture, consider hiring a staging company that will rent you some for a short time period. Do a thorough cleaning of your home. Wash your windows inside and out, wipe down baseboards and clear out cobwebs from ceiling corners and closets. Make any minor repairs. Even small touches count. Hang fresh towels in the bathrooms and kitchen. Set the dining room table, and buy fresh flowers for vases throughout the home. Turn on all your lights during the open house to highlight the home’s amenities. Finally, don’t forget the first impression: curb appeal. Make certain that your house number can be read from the street and remember to keep your sidewalks clear and your lawn mowed. Trim shrubs and trees and if possible, plant some flowers. Selling your home doesn’t have to be a headache. With a little preparation, your home will be sold before you know it and you’ll be settling into your new home. Sean Sullivan is an Accredited Master Builder and past president of the Asheville HBA. He is currently the First VP of the NCHBA. His firm, Living Stone Construction, is mission motivated and value driven to meet the budget of any client. To learn more LSC, you can visit them at their new website www.livingstoneconstruction.com. Source – www.NAHB.orgIntroduction to The Living Stone Difference
We chose Living Stone because of Sean but we love Living Stone because of their team. Molly, Matt, Pam, John, Frank, Laura and our main man Mike! Mike drives our home’s construction, can answer any question at a level you can understand and is a pleasure to work with. Laura organizes and improves all of our design decisions, gives us inspiration and keeps everything on track. Sean, it is a credit to you that you have surrounded yourself with so many truly good people. We are having a ball! Jim Jones
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