Toronto real estate agents have seen it all when it comes to interesting, cool, and weird features in homes. It’s our job to sell a home no matter what it has in it, but sometimes it can be hard to explain to a homeowner that buyers just don’t care or appreciate the huge amount of money they just dropped on a home theatre. Many of the cool and fun rooms that rack up the pins on Pinterest just don’t translate into dollars when selling a home. These 7 items might be cool, but since they don’t add home value buyers just don’t care about them.
- 1.Home Theatre
Having a room dedicated solely to watching media might sound fancy and cool, but most buyers view it as a waste of space. These days thanks to streaming people can watch movies and TV shows from anywhere. They don’t need home theatres taking up space.
- 2.Swimming Pools
Home pools are great in places like California and Florida, but up here in Canada they’re unusable for more than half of the year. That means they’re seen as burdens rather than assets to buyers.
- 3.Game Rooms
Game rooms might seem like fun, but what happens if the new buyer doesn’t have a pool table or doesn’t enjoy entertaining? The space is viewed as useless to them. Having flex space is viewed as far more valuable so consider making your game room appear more versatile.
- 4. Garage Conversions
Garage space is already so rare and valuable in Toronto that buyers really look down on anyone that converts that space. Who wants to spend half an hour on a cold winter morning digging out their car? Skip the expensive garage conversion; people would just rather park their car in there.
- 5. Extensive Landscaping
There is a fine balance when it comes to landscaping. You want to do enough so that your home has nice curb appeal, but don’t do too much because buyers won’t appreciate the costs that go into it. People would rather have a nicely mowed backyard than a professionally landscaped garden.
- 6. Dedicated Library
Rooms like offices and dens are appealing to buyers because they’re rooms that can be used for multiple purposes. Maybe as a home office or maybe as a guest bedroom or a playroom for kids. A dedicated library with built-in bookshelves is far less desirable unless the buyer is a huge bookworm.
- 7. Home Gym
Home gyms sound nice, but most buyers won’t enjoy them. Even if they’re big into fitness, many people prefer to leave the home to exercise to avoid distractions. A lot of people in the GTA also don’t have their own gym equipment, so expect buyers to simply view home gyms as a sweaty wasted room.
Conclusion
Some of these interesting features might be appealing to buyers and some will turn off buyers, but if it doesn’t add home value chances are buyers just won’t care. Don’t expect them to shell out extra money for a room they don’t have a purpose for. If you want more real estate tips, feel free to contact me!
