To Sell or Not to Sell
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (May 13, 2024) — We love our homes. They are cozy, organized (or perfectly unorganized) just the way we like, and full of our most important possessions, our family. That’s certainly the rose-colored glasses point of view, but the platonic side of our homes is that they are serious business.
Our homes are significant investments that require constant tender love and care to keep them in excellent working condition. And the longer we live in our homes, they will need updating. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when it makes sense to put a project into motion.
If you’ve been living in your home for 10, 15 or more years, it’s probably time to consider updating the big ones, the kitchen and the bathrooms. These significant projects will need updating long before other living areas within your home because they typically date themselves due to the selection of installed materials (color, style, trends at the time of installation) and the daily wear and tear they have received over the years.
So, maybe now is the time to remove that wall between the kitchen and family room to finally enjoy that Mount Diablo View that has been hidden since you’ve moved in. Or potentially add a second sink in the primary bathroom, or maybe even add a second or third bathroom. It’s fun to consider new designs and completely reimagine a living space you’ve taken for granted for so many years. A new design means that you will have control over the new look and layout, but also potentially live in a construction site for the next six to 12 months, depending on the scope of your project.
A remodel or an addition certainly has a long list of benefits, but, wouldn’t it be so much easier to just move into a new home that has exactly what you want?
House hunting
Such a fantastic design sport. It’s incredibly interesting to see what everyone else is doing with their homes: the layout of their kitchens and the storage within, designs for the primary and secondary bathrooms, the designs and sizes of different backyards and in general, what amenities do homes on the market have that your house does not have? House hunting is a great way to narrow down what your house amenity wish list should be. One question to ask yourself is if you do decide not to move, will the remodel or addition be able to give you what you want?
The idea of moving can be equally as exciting as it is daunting. The financial aspect is certainly one to consider, but also the physical. The more years you’ve lived in your current home, the more stuff you have accumulated. Packing up the garage alone could take weeks, months! And then comes the sentimental part of moving. Do you really want to leave your most favorite neighbor? Or your best friends that live exactly two blocks away? What about the dog park that is also two blocks away. The neighborhood bar, the park, or that fantastic community trail loop that equals exactly 5.9 miles, which you walk religiously every Saturday and Sunday. The idea of moving into a new house is very exciting, but the idea of starting from scratch might feel intimidating.
Wouldn’t it be so much easier if you just stayed put and hired a contractor to help you improve the living spaces you have issues with?
To sell or not to sell
To sell or not to sell; this is a question that many home owners will eventually face. Is there a right answer? I don’t think either option is good or bad, but rather, just choices. The idea of a remodel or an addition is incredibly exciting! New building materials, a new floor plan, a new way of how you interact with your living space, sounds incredibly romantic. But moving into a new house also sounds exciting. Becoming part of a new community or neighborhood, using your existing furnishings in a new way, and tailoring the way you live in a new space that hopefully gives you the experiences, and the needed space, you were missing.
Jennifer Leischer is the owner of J. Designs Interior Design based in Clayton. Contact her with questions, comments and suggestions at jenna@j-designs.com
Jennifer Leischer
Jennifer Leischer is the owner of J. Designs Interior Design based in Clayton, CA. Combining a public relations degree from California State University, Chico, with further studies in design and interior architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, Jennifer began her career as an interior designer in 1998, working for various firms in San Francisco and Orinda, and Denver, Colorado. She describes every designing moment, throughout her career, as a wonderful tutorial about the importance of relationships, open communication, and getting down to the basics of functional, yet stylish, living spaces.