To expand my question:
I am building a house with modern installations. I know that people who
view properties look at the kitchen and garden to make a decision. But
can they be convinced that a property is worth more because it has
quality materials?

At present I am trying to decide whether to use concrete or clay tiles
for the roof. Will estate agents, for instance, point out that if the
house has clay tiles they are going to stay looking good much longer
than the concrete tiles? If you tell the buyers, will it make any
difference to them?

Hi Peter, I think there are people out there who are prepared to pay
that bit extra for better quality materials, but you'll be limiting
your intended market for sale. Putting in a better kitchen or
sanitary fittings will definitely do the trick (although fitting a
£20K kitchen wont necessarily gain you £20K+ in the asking price, it
depends where you're building), these 2 rooms really sell a house.
I've just finished fully rennovating a run down bungalow, we had
enormous interest and sold it quickly, and I would say virtually all of
the viewers commented to us on the kitchen and bathroom photos the
estate agent had shown them, and couldn't wait to see those rooms in
the flesh - and weren't disappointed. This is dispite the property's
brickwork not being the prettiest (it was a 70's self build and we're
not sure if the guy had a spirit level (!) but it is all structurally
sound). It just depends on who your target market is - young family /
middle aged couple / elderly couple. Our market is for eldery
couples due to its location in the UK, and, after being wowed with the
kitchen and bathroom, were then interested in if there was anything
left that could break down or need servicing / maintaining when they
lived there.

As for whether you can get the estate agent to wax lyrical about the
benefits of clay tiles over cement ones, hmmm. We weren't sure they
would mention anything other than ...'and here is the kitchen' and
leave it at that! Good luck!

wrote:

To expand my question:
I am building a house with modern installations. I know that people who
view properties look at the kitchen and garden to make a decision. But
can they be convinced that a property is worth more because it has
quality materials?

At present I am trying to decide whether to use concrete or clay tiles
for the roof. Will estate agents, for instance, point out that if the
house has clay tiles they are going to stay looking good much longer
than the concrete tiles? If you tell the buyers, will it make any
difference to them?

The kitchen cabinet industry can answer this q for us. Look at kitchen
cabs from top to bottom: the top end ones are very nice quality in some
respects, but the same old crap chipboard under the surface. IOW buyers
care plenty about some things, and not a hoot about others. I suspect
the type of tiles would come under 'others' for 99% of buildings.

NT

wrote:
wrote:

To expand my question:
I am building a house with modern installations. I know that people who
view properties look at the kitchen and garden to make a decision. But
can they be convinced that a property is worth more because it has
quality materials?

At present I am trying to decide whether to use concrete or clay tiles
for the roof. Will estate agents, for instance, point out that if the
house has clay tiles they are going to stay looking good much longer
than the concrete tiles? If you tell the buyers, will it make any
difference to them?

The kitchen cabinet industry can answer this q for us. Look at kitchen
cabs from top to bottom: the top end ones are very nice quality in some
respects, but the same old crap chipboard under the surface. IOW buyers
care plenty about some things, and not a hoot about others. I suspect
the type of tiles would come under 'others' for 99% of buildings.

NT

I think waht counts is teh overall impression that this is a house of
type X, or type Y.

That is, a house that is generally rather good, with - say - some really
naff tiles on the roof, will have a potential owner adding the cost of a
re-roof to it.

OTOH an really naff house with good tiles won't increase value one iota.

I suppose what I am saying is that really bad single items lose value,
but to increase value you need to first eliminate the really bad things,
then move EVERYTHING up a notch.

as the standard advice when selling to fix really broken or awful
things, but don;t go mad..then just redecorate

On 17 Nov 2006 10:34:21 -0800 wrote :
I am building a house with modern installations. I know that people
who view properties look at the kitchen and garden to make a decision.
But can they be convinced that a property is worth more because it
has quality materials?

It would be nice to think so. But how many new housing estates have you
seen where the developer (K&B apart) has specified something better than
the minimum out of choice?

At present I am trying to decide whether to use concrete or clay tiles
for the roof. Will estate agents, for instance, point out that if the
house has clay tiles they are going to stay looking good much longer
than the concrete tiles? If you tell the buyers, will it make any
difference to them?

No. An astute buyer will know that the concrete tiles will probably last
longer: the 1930s Wates houses in New Malden all have their original
(the original) Marley tiles, whilst most similarly aged houses in
Tolworth which were built with clay tiles have been re-roofed

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk

Tony Bryer wrote:

No. An astute buyer will know that the concrete tiles will probably last
longer: the 1930s Wates houses in New Malden all have their original
(the original) Marley tiles, whilst most similarly aged houses in
Tolworth which were built with clay tiles have been re-roofed

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk

I have to say, this is interesting!

On 18 Nov 2006 13:43:23 -0800 wrote :
I have to say, this is interesting!

IIRC Redland now give a 100 year guarantee on their concrete roof
tiles.

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk

wrote in message
oups.com...
To expand my question:
I am building a house with modern installations. I know that people who
view properties look at the kitchen and garden to make a decision. But
can they be convinced that a property is worth more because it has
quality materials?

At present I am trying to decide whether to use concrete or clay tiles
for the roof. Will estate agents, for instance, point out that if the
house has clay tiles they are going to stay looking good much longer
than the concrete tiles? If you tell the buyers, will it make any
difference to them?

Timegoesby or Mr Fowler did a list of points that sell a house. Both appear
to be in the house game. Do a Google.

Thanks for the replies. In the end I lost my argument for clay tiles: I
wanted these and my wife wanted concrete. The main factor turned out to
be that the clay tiles were going to be some £1400 more expensive for
a questionable benefit.

wrote:
Thanks for the replies. In the end I lost my argument for clay tiles: I
wanted these and my wife wanted concrete. The main factor turned out to
be that the clay tiles were going to be some £1400 more expensive for
a questionable benefit.

IME, the argument would usually have gone the other way - definitely
more money for a prettier appearance ;-)

To refer back to your original question, no estate agent would point
out anything as trivial (in their eyes) as the nature of the roof on a
property, just that it had a new roof. If you're lucky.

--
"Smash forehead on keyboard to continue"

"John Laird" wrote in message
ups.com...
wrote:
Thanks for the replies. In the end I lost my argument for clay tiles: I
wanted these and my wife wanted concrete. The main factor turned out to
be that the clay tiles were going to be some £1400 more expensive for
a questionable benefit.

IME, the argument would usually have gone the other way - definitely
more money for a prettier appearance ;-)


They do look better. And it will add to the kerb appeal. Those points which
the buyer sees and feels yet can't identify. Others being high quality
electrical fittings and door handles.

Doctor Drivel wrote:
"John Laird" wrote in message
ups.com...
wrote:
Thanks for the replies. In the end I lost my argument for clay tiles: I
wanted these and my wife wanted concrete. The main factor turned out to
be that the clay tiles were going to be some £1400 more expensive for
a questionable benefit.

IME, the argument would usually have gone the other way - definitely
more money for a prettier appearance ;-)


They do look better. And it will add to the kerb appeal. Those points which
the buyer sees and feels yet can't identify. Others being high quality
electrical fittings and door handles.

I must be an atypical buyer. The house I have just bought has an awful
mix of electrical fittings, lousy door handles and doors, and could do
with a complete redecoration throughout (admittedly this is more
difficult to see when it is full of furniture). Location and house
style and a more indefinable feeling of "yes I could live here" were
paramount.

I pay little attention to these makeover shows on telly, to which I
suspect you are paying too much lip-service. It may be that in a
strong market and an area where there are umpteen near-identical houses
on sale that you do have to focus on the "why buy mine" question, but
in general that is not true. I did not view one single property where
the vendors had been clearly slavishly following Ann Maurice's lashings
of cream paint advice. Not one. Most people had tidied up a bit,
mind.

--
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease"

"John Laird" wrote in message
oups.com...
Doctor Drivel wrote:
"John Laird" wrote in message
ups.com...
wrote:
Thanks for the replies. In the end I lost my argument for clay tiles: I
wanted these and my wife wanted concrete. The main factor turned out to
be that the clay tiles were going to be some £1400 more expensive for
a questionable benefit.

IME, the argument would usually have gone the other way - definitely
more money for a prettier appearance ;-)


They do look better. And it will add to the kerb appeal. Those points
which
the buyer sees and feels yet can't identify. Others being high quality
electrical fittings and door handles.

I must be an atypical buyer. The house I have just bought has an awful
mix of electrical fittings, lousy door handles and doors, and could do
with a complete redecoration throughout (admittedly this is more
difficult to see when it is full of furniture). Location and house
style and a more indefinable feeling of "yes I could live here" were
paramount.

Ah yes, me too (so not atypical), walked in the front door and thought "I
like this house, I could live happily here". Most things are fixable, a lack
of good feeling isn't - list of bad things same as yours. Didn't even have
garage or loft (loft conversion). Do have very nice 12'10 shed/workshop now
though and the very healthy urge to de-clutter!

(you can add the word "fatal" after "a" in your sig - I prefer that version
) )
--
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease"

The message .com
from "John Laird" contains these words:

I did not view one single property where
the vendors had been clearly slavishly following Ann Maurice's lashings
of cream paint advice.

We weren't interested in the decor - amused by it possibly, but not
deterred from buying the house. Cabbage patterned carpets, one wall in
the livingroom pink, black curtains with gold flowers, wallpaper in the
kitchen had pictures of garlic, pepper mills and chianti bottles. The
kitchen was out of the ark.
None of it relevant as we were intending to take it all out and
redecorate anyway.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.