carpets professionally cleaned before moving in. They also might be conscious of health hazards due to allergens that gather in carpets. These thoughts and more will cross the minds of home buyers making their decisions. If you have good flooring, show it off. You’re much better off with hardwood flooring that can be topped with area rugs or carpeted over later if the home buyer chooses to do so.
It’s a bedroom, not a zoo.
Be careful to avoid making structural changes like adding built- in cages or aquariums. This is an example of “improvements” detracting from the value of your home because unless you find another Dr. Doolittle to purchase the home, you are going to have to convert it back to normal before anyone else will buy it. The same goes for other highly personalized conversions such as a cold pantry or wine cellar. Potential buyers may view these personal extravagances as expensive projects to undo or instead make it part of the deal that you undo them yourself.
Where’s the garage?
If it looks like a garage, potential home buyers are expecting it to be a garage. If they walk in and find that it’s been completely changed into something else that can no longer have a car stored in it, they won’t be too excited. Home buyers enjoy not having hail damage their vehicles, not cleaning off ice or snow on winter mornings, not leaving their car at the mercy of night-time pranksters — or worse. Instead of a “man cave,” you will find greater success with a real garage. That does not mean that you cannot create that family room, theater, or gym in your garage. You can — if you set it up in such
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