Want to show off your place?
HGTV's Bang for Your Buck show is looking for Baltimore-area homeowners to feature -- specifically folks with a "great room" renovated within the last three years.
Show publicists say they'll show three similar renovations and let experts to opine about the impact on home value.
If you're interested, send photos of the room and a request for an application to BSchledewitz@highnoonentertainment.com. (Quickly, the organizers say, because they intend to tape soon.)
While we're on the subject ... Buyers and agents: Are you noticing any renovation (or in-need-of-renovation) trends? What works? What doesn't? Do you prefer sellers to fix up their homes or would you rather see homes as-is with a lower price?
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Comments
I looked at a house in Towson recently. Among other problems, it has an in-ground pool in crumbling condition, surrounded by a giant concrete slab patio that is subsiding down a sloped landscape. The interior is in poor condition (kitchen literally falling apart) and the roof needs a lot of work as well. I would have to go through the place with a few contractors to even begin to figure out how much it is likely to cost to fix it up, and even then I wouldn't be sure. I doubt if the owners would be willing to accept a price that discounts fully for the cost of the fixup, the time and carrying costs while the fixup happens, and the risk factor associated with such a substantial fixup. I would actually prefer a house as-is, if I could get a sufficient discount, because I'm experienced with renovations and actually enjoy them. But I think sellers tend to discount by the cost of the fixup only, and don't include the carrying costs and risk factor cost associated with major fixups (and HGTV shows about fixer-uppers have that problem as well).
Posted by: Michele | May 14, 2009 7:32 AM