Are renos for resale or for you?

Many of us are renovating these days and all we ever hear homeowners and designers talking about is resale, resale, resale! So, should you have resale in mind when you renovate or should you just assess how you live and create a space that works for the needs of you and your family? It’s hard to tell.

In this corner-Resale
Many of us feel transient these days with a changing economy and changing lives we feel as though the next step is always around the corner.  Ask most homeowners how long they intend to stay in their current abode and the majority will hesitate to commit for longer than 5 years.  So resale must be a consideration.  Right?  Well, there are some items that probably should be avoided to retain the resale value of a home.  Reducing the number of bedrooms or bathrooms seems like the biggest real estate no no, and we have all been told how important kitchens and bathrooms are to the value of our homes.    Spending your design dollars here to make sure these areas function to their fullest potential and selecting the best finishes you can afford will always reap resale rewards.

And in this corner – Make it for you
As much as resale will be important one day, you live in this home now, and unless your plan was to sell it quickly for a profit, isn’t that the most important thing?  You need a home that works for you and your family, it should function for your lifestyle and you should enjoy living in it.  Some will take this to an extreme.  We’ve seen a three bedroom home turned into one bedroom with a huge walk in closet and a large master bath, while this would make some gasp others love the idea of a “master retreat”.  It’s all very personal.

All this may be confusing but we think that there is one golden rule to be learned from all these examples.  While you are considering a renovation remember that the resale of a well designed home with beautiful and thoughtfully selected finishes will always be easy.  There may be some serious soul searching involved in deciding what is best for you and your home when it comes time to renovate, you need to thoroughly asses your wants, needs and goals when taking on such an important and expensive endeavour.  The designers here at Sealy can help you to consider all of these issues and come up with not only a beautiful design but also a functional one.

Good design will allow a home to function for a multitude of inhabitants and ensure that someone will always want to buy your home when you are ready to move on.