My wife and I just became homeowners, and we’ve had fun giving friends and family the grand tour as they manage to stop by.
The thing that generally gets everyone’s attention in our home is the kitchen/great room. It’s about 800 square feet by itself. Lots of room, lots of storage, lots of open space. It has an island, a walk-in pantry off to the side, and it has a large french doors and floor-to-ceiling windows that open out to a large deck in the back that spans the width of the kitchen. It’s just one huge cooking and entertainment center.
So, what is the best marketable feature of where you live?
From a renter’s perspective, my place is almost all selling points. It’s quite large and unusually pretty, with lovely hardwood floors, high ceilings, arched doorways and crown molding. It’s got a good sized eat-in kitchen (albeit with an unfortunately small workspace), a second bedroom that’s actually bedroom-sized (as opposed to bed-sized), plenty of closet space, and washer/dryer hookups *in *the apartment.
Of course, the hardwood floors and ten-foot ceilings that seduce you in June kinda bite you in the ass in December, but area rugs and insulated curtains help a bit. And honestly, I love this place to death.
Our yard. It’s shaded by tall trees and very private, with an in-ground pool, a 2-tier koi pond, and beyond the fence, a huge, level grassy field for the kids to play in.
The neighborhood. My house “works” but it lacks features. However, the neighborhood is a cul-de-sac so there’s very little traffic. Lots of kids and old people (and me, a young single person), plenty of dogs, very nice neighbors and just a friendly atmosphere.
Maybe after this summer the selling point will be my awesome deck!
It’s in a pretty neighbourhood (border of San Marino) that’s still affordable. I’m within 2 miles of the Lake Street shopping area and down the street from a Vons if I need something quickly. My gym is around the corner, which incentivizes me going, there’s a tasty family run Thai place (also around the corner) and before they moved I lived near the Post Office. If it weren’t for the fact that I’m not sure where I’ll be in 2 years, I would have bought a condo across the street from where I currently live.
What, you think you’re better than me? Want to know what happened to the last person who thought she was better than me?? :mad:
For our house, the best selling point is the yard (it was one of the main reasons we bought the house ourselves). We’re at the end of a cul-de-sac so we have the big piece of pie-shaped yard – it’s twice as large as nearly every other yard in our area, and it’s almost all in the back yard. Also, the previous owners were gardeners so there are a bunch of mature fruit trees. Once we do some herculean landscaping, it’ll be quite nice out there.
We rent, but this is a nice apartment at a very resonable price given the size (1100 sq ft) and location (facing a very large park). Hardwood floors throughout, large kitchen (at the expense of a bedroom that was removed to add a larger closet to the remaining room and washer/dryer hookups), high ceilings, french doors between the two front rooms and into the dining room.
No parking, but parking is free on our street (as opposed to a 75$/year permit), we are close to 3 bus lines, all of which go to one of two metro lines, near a grocery store, pharmacy, SAQ, butcher, baker, and all kinds of other shopping on nearby streets.
Basically, I think it’s location is the best thing about it.
Maybe not; we don’t have that many old people. But we do have a neighborhood pool; we all pay dues and there are chili cookoffs, corn roasts, clambakes, etc.
Also, we just got new hardwood floors. Our roof, windows, and furnace/AC are pretty new, and we’ve remodeled the kitchen. We’ve done a lot for such a small house.
The short answer for the best selling point of my house would be the lake view.
The longer answer requires knowledge one would probably only have as a local – people with lake front land in my town pay a very high tax rate. Lots that don’t actually touch the lake drop down to a much more reasonable rate. Through some fortuitous (for me) town planning, there is a strip of park that runs along the shore in front of my house so my own lot is not actually touching the lake. The local response is “A lake view AND you’re not paying the lake tax!” Also, the parks department does a nice job of upkeep – it’s like having a free landscaping team.
Absolutely without question the family room / office area. The house is generally really nice, but the second level (it’s a four level backsplit) is unusually well done up for a semi-underground floor. Very attractive, bright, nicely laid out, and a lovely 2.5 peice bathroom. It was probably the single largest reason we chose this house as opposed to the others we’d looked at.
I’m moving at the end of the month if my new house closes.
The best feature of the new house IMO is the neighborhood: A curving boulevard-like street of well-kept 1930s and 40s cottages and bungalows, none alike but all pretty; nice yards; big leafy trees that march along next to the sidewalks. It’s got curb-appeal in spades, baby. (The inside, where I’ll actually have to live, is pretty okay too.)
The best feature of the apartment I’m currently in is that there are less than three weeks until I get to move out of it.
Man, would I love a lanai. Between the 'skeeters and bees, and constantly cleaning leaves out of the pool, sometimes I think it’s not even worth the effort.
We have a great room as well (about half the size of Asimovian’s) which we created by knocking out some walls. It has a stained concrete floor which people rave about. The house is on five acres including a pond (with fish!). Interstate 55 is two minutes away. Excellent schools including elementary, middle, high, and community college are also within 5 minutes’ drive. There is a new shopping center at the Interstate exit.
The lot is about 2 acres, wooded, and up against the forest preserve. We also have a pretty cool looking fireplace. We also have horse stables under the garage, but you have to be a certain kind of buyer to appreciate that.
We live centrally in Tucson. I can walk within 5 minutes to a grocery store, florist, hardware store, haircut place, a park, video rental, ice cream, 3 coffee shops, and more restaurants than I can count.
But it’s a real neighborhood, with houses, large yards, lots of kids playing, folks gardening and walking the dog.
And it’s less than a mile from the largest hospital in town, and the University of Arizona.
Location. Older neighborhood, big trees, every kind of service you can imagine within a short distance. Bus service, rapid transit, shopping, the university, medical clinics, two hospitals, banks, schools for all ages, churches, and if you go up the hill just a block or two you get a million dollar view of the Rocky Mountains. I love it here.
I love it here.