Value Of Garage Space vs. Laundry Space In The South - Realtor.com

Q: My husband and I recently moved to Augusta, GA and are looking to purchase our first home. We are likely to be moving out of the area in 5-7 years though, so resale value will be equally important to the home?s function. Ideally, I would love to have a large laundry room with at least enough room for washer, dryer, laundry sink, and area to fold clothes. However, it seems no matter how big the house is, the laundry areas are seldom bigger than a closet. New construction is booming here and is surprisingly affordable, so I?m thinking we could work with a builder to create said space. My thought is to take one of the available ready-to-build floorplans and, in place of a 2-car garage, create a one car garage and a large laundry room. That way the laundry area would be between the kitchen and garage and would multifunction as mudroom, laundry, craft room, and extra pantry storage. My question is would this hurt resale value? I know most people in the area don?t park in their garage and simply use it for storage. We honestly could live without one completely. However, most new homes have a two-car garage and I don?t know if buyers will appreciate the tradeoff. It might be important to note, that I would pursue a floorplan with a side entry garage/driveway, so the change from a 2 to 1-car garage won?t affect the facade of the house. I?d consider extending the garage to have both the large laundry area and a two-car garage, but I fear modifying the floorplan that much would cause costs to skyrocket, especially when trying to make the extra jut-out of space aesthetically pleasing. Perhaps I could do the one-car garage and add a nice carport that connected the garage and back patio? This would then double as parking or extra covered patio space depending on how the buyer chose to use it. What is your advice in terms of resale value and appeal to future buyers? Thanks so much for any help you can give!
?Anonymous, Augusta, GA

A: Instead of taking a 2-car down to a 1-car, try finding a semi custom or custom home builder than can ?bump out? the garage to create a 4 or 6 foot by 20 foot extension across the width of the garage and then custom build the new larger laundry room there. This would actually increase your resale value, instead of reducing it by taking a 2-car to a 1-car, and give you the larger laundry room for not a lot of money.
Lou Sansevero is a Realtor? with Atchley International Realty in Lakewood Ranch, FL.

A: Thinking of your future buyer, do you want to please Mrs. Buyer or Mr. Buyer? She might appreciate the laundry and he the garage. The laundry will add to your square footage of living area since it will be under air. My experience has taught me, though, that the 2-car garage, however unused it may become, is initially sought by buyers. Sort of like that jetted tub that is prized by buyers until Mrs. Buyer goes to clean it. If you come across that buyer who is particular about his car and needs to house it indoors, why lose him? My advice would be to make the most of a small laundry and keep your home salable in a 5-7 year turnaround.
Jackie Davis is a Realtor? with American Realty & Inv., ERA in Inverness, FL.

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Source: http://www.realtor.com/blogs/2012/09/25/what-is-the-value-of-garage-space-vs-laundry-space-in-the-south/

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