Does a fireplace add value to a house?
478089
Yes it does, but it also increases you property insurance. PHB
1105731
Personally, I would use some of it for home improvements, but you would be wise to leave at least half of it in the bank.  If you're starting a family, you might want it as an extra cushion in case something happens.  It would be a good idea to add to it as frequently as you can.
939842
Do you mean a furnace in your own home?  That is not deductible currently.  however, if you make a large gain on the sale of the home ($500,000 if you are married filing jointly or $250,000 otherwise) it can form part of the basis.\n\nIf you are talking about rental property or in a property you use for business purposes it is a depreciable asset.
556429
If you are planning on expanding your property, i wouldn't buy it since it cannot be built on. But, if you are just wanting it to be your property and are keeping the woods, or extending your back yard, go for it. In closing costs, they would be lower than purchasing the house because the lot would have a far lower tax amount and I don't think it would need insurance. Of course, Title company fees and Realtor fees would be the same. They will give you documents with your title papers that will tell you what the taxes will be on the property and they will be separate from your taxes on your home because taxes are charged per lot unless they are surveyed together.
399065
Ask your local fire deparment. Each room is different dependent upon square footage and floor reinforcement.
1097118
A historic interest would only add value to a property if buyers found that historic interest valuable. \n\nI doubt that typical buyers of real estate in California would attribute any siginificant value to property in Hornitos. \n\nSorry, but you really need another angle.
792655
There has actually been a fair amount of scientific research into this question, and there are some reasonably reliable answers to it.  A number of studies I have seen agree that major home improvements will not repay themselves when it comes time to sell.  Improvements that will repay themselves are mostly cosmetic:  a complete paint job inside and out; new carpeting; landscaping; repairing anything that is broken or obviously worn.  These improvements will pay off with a profit and are recommended.  Upgrading to modern windows also will pay off at resale.  All other major upgrades will probably not pay for themselves in full.  However, kitchen and bath remodelings have been shown to repay almost in full at resale, and if they will bring you enjoyment in the meantime, they are worth considering.  For more details, check out the two articles in the source box, below.
668674
Unfortunately, use of wood does not necessarily mean it will give you a cool "climate" inside the house. If you are familiar with the log houses here in the United States, log houses give us a feeling of warmth, not coolness. Which is one of the reasons why log houses can be seen more often in places where the climate is cold or freezing. Besides, log houses are able to keep the warmth inside from escaping during the cold season.\n\nAlso, you might be picturing wooden houses in resort areas like the Carribean where houses are near the beach or the ocean. The reason why they look or feel "cool" is because the houses are made in such a way that there are lot of windows where a gentle breeze may get into the house and out the other window. In other words, there is wind circulation. Without the breeze, they are hotter than ever.\n\nMy experience tells me that if you want to use wood for the exterior, you must use kiln dried wood so that the wood has a lesser tendency to warp or be bent out of shape. Also, it is a necessity to use pressure treated wood or weather treated especially if the wood is more often exposed to the elements (rain and sun and rain and sun).\n\nI believe that wood transmits more heat into the interior of the house if you do not have insulation.If this is available in Bangalore, then use insulation. If not, I suggest you use stone because the interior face of the stone is cooler even if it is warm or humid outside. It takes longer for stone to transmit heat into the interior face of the building than wood because stone is denser than wood. One thing about stone is that if the weather is cold outside, it has a tendency to transmit the cold into the interior of the building unless there is a barrier or some kind of insulation to protect the cold from being transmitted into the building. But in Bangalore, I guess, you want to feel refreshed than warm.\n\nRemember that stone is part of the earth and is therefore natural. Try to use stones which are available around the area so that it may blend with your surroundings. Wood is natural too but when they are cut, they look like it came out of the factory.\n\nIf you insist on using wood, the only way to make the interior "cool" is to select an interior paint that makes you feel "cool" like light greens, beige, dirty or dull whites and a host of other neutral colors. By the way, mechanical air conditioning would also make the interior "physically cool".
1066429
If it's the lowest on the street, then that says you need some major "curb appeal".  \nThe value of real estate is established by the value of the property to who is looking to buy, not who is selling, a concept most people don't readily grasp.  \nThe most important thing to selling a home is that the buyer is ALWAYS a woman.  I am not saying the buyer won't be a man, quite the contrary, it is the woman who decides she want's a particular home, and the man buys it.  \nSo, make your home a very fine line balance to the woman side and edge.  It must be tasteful, it must offer the woman an opportunity to have the nicest house in the neighborhood.  It must offer the perfect size closets and a well balanced kitchen.  \nFor the man to succumb and buy the house the yard must be maintained, the last thing he wants to do is yard work.  All the yard work should consist of is mowing and trimming, the landscaping should already be done.  And don't forget a garage, but it doesn't have to be all pretty, just clean and practical. \nOn average, for every 1000.00 spent in improvements, a seller can reap a potiential 5000.00 profit.  This depends of course on the market area and improvements done.  \nFor example, putting in dual pane windows throughout the home can cost about 10k,  However, by putting them in, provided your market is stable you can realize a price increase of about 25k vs no dual panes.  Don't panic here, even if your market is not a "seller market" right now, this is a cyclical investment and will always come around in your favor, so sometimes even with "curb appeal" you may have to be patient.  \nA cautionary suggestion:  Having a home priced to low, could deter possible buyers; "something must be wrong with that house, it's so cheap by comparison"\nHappy selling....
791429
Like any antiques or collectable, it is worth what someone is willing to pay..;in order to get an idea, I would suggest visiting a good firearms expert and requesting a valuation;
1083007
I recommend getting a Jacuzzi bathtub put in (If you own your home).  It will add value to your house, and the best ones only cost about $1,300 at the Home Depot.  A good spa will cost around $6,000 and it won't add any value to your home if it is above ground.  Spend the 6K on remodeling your bathroom - it will add like 15K to your home, plus it is cheaper to operate since you don't need an electric heater to heat the water, just run the hot water.  Saves money, adds value to your home, easier to maintain, no pesty mosquitoes or bugs like with an outdoor spa.
120453
If you intend to sell it, I would get the rezone done yourself and reap the benefits.  A developer is going to say that there is risk with any rezone request, it may or may not go through, blah, blah, so I'm not going to pay top dollar for your property.  You are in a much better negotiating position if you already have the rezone done.  \n\nHowever, be aware that single family homes are non-conforming uses in many commercial zones.  Some cities and counties DO NOT have rebuild allowances for non-conforming uses if your house is destroyed, damaged, or rendered unihabitable.  So, if you rezone your property and then your house burns down, you won't be able to get a permit to build another house since single family residences aren't an allowed use on commercially zoned property.  If your community is like that, you won't be able to get conventional financing for it ever again.  You can get financing, it will just cost you.  If it were me, I would be very sure that I am going to sell before I got that rezone done.
1121357
No all you need is the correct amount money that is listed next to the room you want to build. The better the room the more it cost.
80273
if it was sold near then, as long as it was sold for near market value, then you will know. You can also apply the trend in your market to the house. This new website has a more information link and you can look at a chart of the value back quite a ways.\n\nYou will need comparables that sold then and what state the house was in too. It is by no means an exact science.\n\nhttp://www.zillow.com
176114
No.  The gas fireplace will ventilate more than a forced air furnace.
1058348
Financially speaking, a house will usually appreciate in value.  Of course, beachfront property is always hard on the wallet for upkeep, but then a car requires insurance gas and repairs too. A car, especially in the luxury range, will usually depreciate greatly over the first several years.  \nFor example a 2003 Mercedes 500 SL was almost 90 k when new.  Now it is worth around 60 K.  I suppose that if you have the money that's OK, but to me, it's like burning a few 100 dollar bills every week.\nOn the other hand, hurricane season is coming and it is supposed to be hard on the east coast.  Insurance will probably cost you a bundle, but at least you won't be getting any speeding tickets.
85232
No.  It is a personal use vacation home.  The good of selling your home is the gain on primary residences are not taxed...the bad is losses are not deductible.