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From: marks@yogi.DEC
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Need advice on bidding on a house...
Message-ID: <627@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 1-Oct-85 14:54:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.627
Posted: Tue Oct  1 14:54:37 1985
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>  	    improvements make for a high appreciation rate, and others 
> 	    actually detract from the value of a house, such
> 	    as, for instance, an inground swimming pool)
> 
>>Why is this the case?  It seems counter-intuitive to me.
 
And so it might be, on the West Coast.  I forgot about the global nature
of this network, mea culpa.  In the Northeast, where the outdoor
swimming season is 3 months in a good year, a pool is more an expensive
liability than otherwise, and realtors tend to agree that putting in
an extra fire place or renovating a kitchen will bring a much larger
return when you sell the house.  Pools are expensive to maintain
properly, and you simply can't use them that much here.  Also, people
are spending more on heating utilities in this climate, and more on
insulation and other weatherizing costs.  Of course, even here, there
are exceptions to the rule, and in the most exclusive neighborhoods
there are beautiful pools that add to the resale price of a house.

R.M. from Boston