There are certain things home buyers take for granted, including central heating and air, functional plumbing, and electricity. If a home lacks any of these the value goes down drastically. However, value is not affected when these are present, even if you were to spend thousands on the best in the industry. You may get some bonus points for more efficient and environmentally friendly equipment, but not much else. This goes also for buying new gutters. On the other hand, improvements on necessities such as new siding or a new roof will often yield a higher return than the more important but unseen repairs to electricity, piping, or central heating and air. While you’re living in your house, enjoy yourself. Make yourself comfortable. You have a right to be happy. Just do not break the bank whenmaking improvements if you are doing it to increase appraisal or sale value. Making your money back is not guaranteed, and inmany cases the risk of loss is great. It is not easy to strike a balance between what makes you happy and what will make the buyer happy, because ultimately, it is very subjective. What you like and what the potential buyers like will differ, but you can do your best to avoid over-personalizing to helpmake the sale. After all, every buyer needs a place to call home, because we all know, there’s no place like it. • • •
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