Forever or Transitional?

Not once have I walked into a home and thought “I could just move right in and wouldn’t have to change a thing!” Every one of us puts our own special touches on where we live, whether it's intentional or not. Special touches such as paint colors, artwork, furnishings and décor make our home what we like, but certainly do not appeal to everyone.

We can determine if a home is a “forever” home or if it’s just a “transitional” home. People that have their forever homes put a lot of effort into the finishes, and there are always unique, sometimes quirky, aspects that make it theirs. Some of those unique aspects can be smart investments or some can be detrimental to resale value. However, if it’s your forever home, you don’t care about resale value, so it can be as unique as you want, right? On the flip-side, if you don’t plan on staying in that home forever, you shouldn’t do something too crazy because it makes it harder to sell.

Smart things that people do with their forever homes are things such as spending money on quality finishes such as high end cabinetry, trim and wood flooring or energy efficient window coverings. These are all smart investments because if you did decide that maybe you wanted to sell your forever home, you would get a return on that investment. Real estate agents love advertising these features when listing homes because these are investments that people do not just splurge on if they are trying to fix it up enough to make it look appealing.

Then, there are the quirky, unique things that maybe aren’t as smart of an investment, but still make your forever home yours. For example, one home I visited had a closet that was transformed into a fish tank. These homeowners had cut a rectangular opening in the wall, framed it with glass and created a huge, built-in fish tank. The storage space of the closet then became the water filtration system, the actual tank, and all the paraphernalia that it took to keep the tank running. That’s not exactly something you do with the thought that you’re increasing the home’s value for resale. In fact, a potential buyer may walk in and think of the money they would have to spend to convert that back to a closet.

That being said, whenever you are looking to replace cabinets, countertops or change any interior finishes, you need to ask yourself if this is going to be your forever home and you can choose whatever you want, or if this is a transitional home and it will need to appeal to potential buyers. This makes a big difference in how wild patterned your countertops may be or which paint color you pick for your cabinets versus maybe going with a more neutral stain color.

Are you going to spend the money on those more energy-efficient window coverings, which over time will pay for themselves with energy cost savings? Or will you pick a less expensive option because you won’t be in the house long enough to reap the financial savings?

These are all the decisions that can affect how unique your forever dream home may be or how to make that transitional one appealing to someone else looking to buy their future dream home.

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