I came across an article this morning (published in November) that caught my eye and led me to write this blog. The article titled “Five Paint Colors That Will Increase the Value of Your Home” only addresses paint color but brought to mind some of the pitfalls that we try to warn customers against so that they do not make costly mistakes. West Coast Builders is a custom home builder in the truest sense – we will build your home to your specifications and your taste BUT we try to give advice to “future-proof” our customer’s investment.
This advice is given without ego and is not always taken but we like to make the information available and let our customers decide if it suits them.
1. Location, location, location!
The view is one of the most important elements in the resale value of your home. We advise customers to take full advantage of the natural view that their home has. This means placing the home on the lot in a way that maximizes the rear view of the house from as many rooms as possible, especially the great room and kitchen.
If you have a small amount of lake view on your rectangular lot, then angle the house so that you can look out towards the widest portion of that water view. If you have an unsightly neighbor across the canal, then angle your home and use landscaping to screen them out. Many people will buy a house or lot solely based on the view so make the most of yours!
2. One way to make sure that your house is appealing is to be mindful throughout the construction and decorating process that it is cohesive from inside to out and top to bottom.
A timeless and consistent design has colors and finishes that flow from room to room. Your home will seem more spacious and timeless and that will reap large rewards in resale.
For example:
Also, try to use paint that is the same color or in the same color family from room to room. If you like a warm neutral off-white in your great room but want something more soothing in the master bedroom, then use a color from the same page in the paint fan book; this assures that you have a coordinating color and the paint will not be jarring as you pass from one part of the house to another.
Try to stay with similar lighting finishes in rooms that are within your sight line.
If you have chrome in the kitchen and chrome or stainless steel in the dining/great room, it will look better than chrome in one room, brass in another and stainless steel in a third.
Treating each room as an individual space instead of as part of the whole may lead to your home looking incongruous and discordant and the reason may not be obvious. The finish of your lights as well as the color of the light they emit should be consistent. Lighting is a powerful albeit subtle tool that you can use to craft a truly well designed house.
3. Outdoor living is key in Florida!
Make sure that your pool and/or spa is large enough to be usable and has enough lanai space around it that you can comfortably lounge or entertain. This sounds like obvious advice, but you may be surprised at the homes now on the market that have a lanai that is virtually unusable because of the layout. We typically deal with ¼ acre lots here in Charlotte County and so we have creative and thoughtful ways to build a house that is the size you need without sacrificing your outdoor living space.
4. You DO need a large garage.
Some customers think that it is a waste of money to build a large (3+ car garage) garage because they do not have a workshop or collect cars and do not need the space. However, we caution them that the minimum size garage most people are building now is a 3 car garage so if you sell your house you will be competing with houses that do have that “extra” space. Storage is a premium in Florida because we cannot have basements and our attic space is limited so the garage becomes the main storage for your car, boat supplies, fishing equipment, toys, holiday decorations, etc. A large garage makes your house competitive in a future real estate market whereas a smaller one will be an obstacle to overcome with potential buyers.
5. Even if you are not a “techie” making your home as smart as possible will help you in day-to-day life as well as increase the value of your home.
Make your house compatible with technology that is popular now and can support new things that are coming our way; this includes Wi-Fi controllable lights, air conditioning, garage, security systems and more. Spending the money to ensure that your home is “connected” will yield a return in the future but also makes life more pleasant now. No more leaving sets of keys with neighbors and friends! Now you can give out a specific code to friends, cleaning ladies, or plumbers and electricians that may need to gain access when you are not there!
Finally, 2020 taught us to plan for surprises! Your home is an investment that needs to be protected in the short and long term. These tips ensure that you will be able to take advantage of the full value of your home if you need to sell and enjoy every day you are there.
All the Best,
Ana