Finished Basements
or Unfinished -- Points to Consider
Having a basement is commonplace in most parts of the country, and even
where it is not so standard, such as in California and parts of the Southwestern
United States, you will occasionally find a home with a basement. Most
newly built homes come with the basement unfinished. In many cases it
stays that way. If you have an unfinished area, downstairs or anywhere
else in the house, you might be considering whether to get going and finish
it. There's no doubt that it adds a lot of usable space and most of the
time the cost would not overcome the cost of moving. On the other hand,
if you are buying a home, you might be tempted to think you can save money
by buying unfinished and doing the work yourself. We'll take a critical
look at that situation.
Finishing a basement can be very expensive, and you're not likely to
get back the money you spent when it comes time to sell the house. In
fact, according to a Remodeling Magazine tabulation, paying to finish
a basement will only get you about 75% return at resale. The bottom line
is that you'll lose money if you buy a house with an unfinished basement
and finishing it later.
The way it turns out, then, is that when you are looking for a home,
it's good to find a house that has the basement finished. It's the other
side of the analysis that says it doesn't pay for the seller to spend
make the investment on the job. When you have the advantage of being the
buyer, you are getting a bargain because of the way that works out.
Besides saving cost and the hassle of doing a considerable project, which
are significant considerations in and of themselves, there are other reasons
for choosing a home with the basement finishing completed. Unfinished,
unused basements get wet and can build up mold and mildew. They can turn
into very unpleasant places to be, and can even become unhealthful.
Basements are naturally temperature controlled. They stay warm in the
winter and cool in the summer, which means that you'll spend less on heating
and air conditioning if you spend time downstairs.
A usable basement provides additional living space. Gone are the days
when basements were only places to store junk. A finished basement can
provide space for extra bedrooms, game rooms, a hobby room, a living room,
or places to exercise. Another good thing about having a basement is that
it can make a perfect apartment or suite for an older family member or
for an adult child who has returned home.
If you live in a place where tornadoes are a fact of life, the basement
can be a good place to take shelter from severe weather. The need to go
downstairs with a tornado approaching can be frightening for a child,
and a comfortable and familiar atmosphere can help ease anxieties and
make the experience better for the entire family.
So when you buy your next piece of real estate, do yourself a favor and
look for a home with a finished basement. Take advantage of someone else
having done all the work -- you can enjoy the benefits of their labor.
Content made available by the top Highlands
Ranch real estate professionals in Colorado, Automated Homefinder.
Buyer's Agent a better choice!
The Listing Agent, unless specifically disclosed
otherwise, represents the seller in any transaction for the sale of
a home. It is that
Agent's fiduciary duty to protect the
seller's position at all times. No matter what they tell you their
loyalty will lie with their selling clients. That is why you want an
agent with experience like Gary
Ward to represent YOUR interest as a buyers agent when buying
a home.
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