Top Seven Upgrades That Pay Off on Resale

It's a fact of life that even though you love your house NOW, there's no telling the future.  Maybe it's a great job offer, maybe it's personal.  Whatever the reason, keeping resale in mind when you're building is just good business sense.  Here's some of our tips on paying that extra dollar for things that are really worth it.

1. Custom Painting.  White walls never show off your trim and interior details to their fullest potential.  Painted or stained trim is meant to be a contrast.  Don't let it blend into your blah walls.  
2. Deck or screen porch.  It's becoming close to necessity for most buyers to have an area to escape into the outdoors (without trudging down into your backyard).  It's still a nice enough upgrade where it's a bonus and not required, but if you can put that extra money into it now, it saves you from doubling the cost to install it later (usually right before resale).
3. Adding the exterior finishes.  It might be stucco accents, or more stone, or maybe a trellis or board and batton.  Whatever your preference is, it's usually the final touch that most builders or buyers miss.  It can make the difference in the house that everyone drives by, or the house that people remember.
4. The fireplace.  Admit it, you probably don't use your fireplace as much as you thought you would.  However, it's the type of thing that can alienate a potential buyer.  It's better to put it in now, and maybe go with the less expensive option on the surround.
5. Finishing the lower level.  This is a big one.  It'll never be as cheap as it is during building to finish off your basement.  Most often, people think that they'll do it piece by piece...and then it comes down to the week before listing your house and the husband is trying to throw in carpet.  Do it now, and actually USE it while you're living in the house!
6. Updated selections.  Everyone wants to save a buck, but sometimes getting less expensive finishes just aren't worth the penny pinching.  If it makes your house look outdated or simple, people will move right past it.  When it comes to smaller trim or hollow core doors, if it's not an extensive savings, it might not be worth it.
7. The good windows.  Every builder or supplier has a cheap window that you know they wouldn't put in their own house.  Try to skip past that one and at least get the next step up so you're not looking at a window replacement after five years.

Rustic Fireplace Mantels

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...are becoming focal points in some of our new homes here at CCH of Waunakee. Check out this fireplace surround in our 2014 Westbridge Parade house! This mantel was made from a reclaimed American Chestnut beam, shipped from Virginia. 

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What You Should Know About: What Buyers Look For in a Listing

Trying to sell your current home and upgrade to a new home?  Here are 5 secret reasons buyers hate homes and will shy away from your listing.

There can be a thin line between love and hate when it comes to buyers’ responses to properties. Even if the home seems like a great fit on paper, sometimes there are issues that cause a reaction among buyers. Here are some common issues and how you and your realtor can help you to deal with them.

1. The neighbors freak them out.

No matter how beautifully a home is or how it is staged, there’s a factor that will always be beyond your control: the neighbors. Whether it’s their junky property, scary pets, or just plain bizarre behavior, would-be neighbors can quickly (and irreversibly) turn off prospective buyers. As soon as they start envisioning the years of bitter battles over tree roots and worse, buyers will see turning down a property as dodging a bullet.

2. They’ve heard rumors.

Before buyers commit to a property, they want to be sure about what they’re buying. That means they want to know if the area is about to be rezoned or otherwise transformed by new building and development. Sometimes rumors can be just that. You and your realtor can get ahead of the chatter by including current information about any proposals in the online listing or by marketing the home to buyers who would be excited about the possible developments. If a home has a truly checkered past, neutralize buyer concerns by offering them upgrades that seem likely to create a money-saving fresh slate for the next residents.

3. It’s not what they expected.

If a buyer is excited to see an authentic Victorian but the interior has been completely gutted and modernized, they’re going to be disappointed. Your listing agent may be able to silence the haters with honest information about the positive improvements made to your home.

4. Their furniture won’t fit.

It’s sounds crazy, but it’s true -- Some buyers will turn down a property because their furniture won’t fit, either in size or style. Clean, subtle home staging is the best defense against this issue. More importantly, home decluttering—can help buyers better visualize the home with their own furnishings.

5. They’re worried about competition.

The home-buying process can be so emotional that it’s natural for buyers to want to avoid unnecessary heartbreak. While a bidding war sounds great to you as a seller, the fear of competition is why some prospective buyers shy away from properties in a hot market. Listing agents can help keep competition fears from ruining good offers keeping buyer’s agents up-to-date on plans for accepting offers and what the competition level truly is.

What You Should Know About: Rainwater & Groundwater

Spring is the season for possible flooding due to temperature rise and melting snow. While all of our homes are built with sump pumps, exterior foundation coating, and drain tile, the source of most basement moisture sources is rainwater & groundwater. See below information from the City of Madison Engineering Dept for some valuable information heading into spring:

Rainwater and Groundwater

In a one-inch rain, 1,250 gallons of water fall on the roof of a 2,000-square-foot house. Without proper grading, gutters, and downspouts, some of this water flows into the basement. The below-grade water table can also rise due to flooding or seasonal site conditions. This is why drain tile systems are recommended around basement walls even in sandy or gravel soils.

Under normal conditions basements are designed to be dry (if somewhat damp/humid) spaces. In large part humidity is unavoidable because the concrete used to construct basements is a porous material and will allow water/ moisture to pass through it at a very slow rate. New construction is designed to avoid serious, free flowing water problems in many ways, including: provision of sump pumps, exterior basement coatings and extensive tile/pipe drainage systems surrounding the foundation. Generally even these new homes need to have a dehumidifier operating in these spaces to keep humidity levels within the recommend range. Generally the recommended humidity level for basements is between 40% and 50%. If basement moisture is allowed to reach 60%, the basement will likely have a musty smell.

If you currently live in an older home, please see link below for additional information of what to watch for:

https://www.cityofmadison.com/.../BaseDrainGuide.pdf‎ 

And please remember to keep your sump pump plugged in at all times!

Our Events: Dream Home Showcase

It was great to see some of our current and past customers at the tradeshow this past weekend.  We are also excited to start relationships with the new clients we met!

Many thanks to our friends at the Waunakee Tribune for featuring us in the paper on Friday!

See here for our mention: Dream Home Showcase

Our Homeowners: Marketing CCH in Hawaii

Many thanks to our friends Fred and Debbie for carrying our logo all the way to Hawaii!  We wish them the very best of vacations...they deserve it!

New Design : Barn Door

I thought this was and interesting new twist on the barn door.

(via Colossal)