2018 was a wonderful year for our team, and we’d like to thank you for the business you’ve given us—we couldn’t be where we are without you. This holiday season, we hope you’re able to spend plenty of time with family, friends and loved ones. May this new year bring you and your family joy and prosperity. We look forward to continuing to meet your real estate needs in 2019 and beyond. Happy Holidays!
People say renovating is actually a nightmare—it’s painful and difficult. Well, so is moving; there’s no real easy way out. So if your home has run out of space, you have two options: build on or expand your existing home or move to another.
Now, many of you like your neighborhoods, and if you live in Arlington and want to stay here, let’s explore the option of expanding your home.
You’ll need to make sure that when expanding the existing footprint of your home, it’s still within county allowances, that it meets setback requirements, and that your property can carry the additional weight added to your home. But the most important thing to pay attention to is the cost. You don’t need to have the most expensive house in the neighborhood; when it comes time to sell, you’ll see that you made a mistake by sinking too much money into it. If you’re spending $200,000 on a $1 million home, that’s fine, but if the house is worth $500,000 and you spend $250,000 on it, that may not be the smartest move.
You also need to figure out if expanding your house will actually fix your long-term problem. If you’re planning to have three more kids, adding one bathroom might not solve the issue, so you might want to look at purchasing a larger property. It really depends on your personal needs.
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You also need to figure out if expanding your house will actually fix your long-term problem.
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Building a custom home is very expensive; if we can find you a house that’s already been built in an established neighborhood, that will probably be the better option. There’s a lot of development in Loudoun County, but like a lot places in the area, it’s very tight.
Additions to homes are, of course, fine, as long as we can support and document evidence so that we can recoup your money when it comes time to sell.
Hopefully this information was valuable for those of you thinking about building additions on your home or moving to a larger home altogether. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be glad to hear from you.
