Out Of Date Real Estate
By Kirsten Hawkins, Fri Dec 9th

As with any other possession, whether it's clothing or cars,there are trends in real estate that come and go. These trendseventually make their way down through the levels of homeownership, and mark a property as "clearly hot" or "clearlynot." If you're planning on selling or buying, it might be wiseto take a look at current "out" trends such as these.

First of all, swimming pools? Not such a big deal anymore. Morehome buyers today are thrilled with a huge backyard, and not asthrilled with the fact that it's taken up by a huge tiled pool.Although once the symbol of opulent luxury, a swimming pool inthe backyard nowadays tends to label your property. It makes itsuitable for a certain type of buyer- and the right buyer mayvery well pay big bucks for it- but it can take away from thegeneral market appeal of a home. Today's family wants a big yardwith lots of potential for landscaping, jungle gyms, or gardens;and an inset swimming pool removes that potential.

Another trend that is suddenly disappearing from the market isthe age-old trend of bay windows. These high-maintenancewindows, while beautiful from both inside and out, can be anegative on today's market. That doesn't mean having one willlower your property value, but if you're considering installingone, you might want to think again. The more glass in a window,the more likely it is to break, be broken into, and leak warmair during the cold months. If you have a bay window, make sureit's properly sealed and has good insulation, and try to plateit with the heaviest glass you can afford.

Another "trend" on its way out, although it's so old it canhardly be called a trend, is carpeting. Home owners today areconscious of the fact that carpet styles come and go, but woodfloors will always remain. Carpeted rooms require moremaintenance than wood floors, and cost more money; a carpetwears out and goes out of style much more quickly than a woodfloor. If your house has carpet over floors that you'd just assoon not expose, installing wood floors for the sake of higherproperty value can be a tremendous expense. In that case, theshrewd home seller may simply choose to re-carpet. If you gothis direction, make sure to pick a durable carpet that wearswell and doesn't adhere to any particular style.

Whether

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you're buying, selling, or building, the best advice isto keep an eye open for what's popular today, and use thosetrends as starting points when it comes to making decisionsabout your house. Each property is different, and each homeowner has his own sense of style. In the end, regardless oftrends, it all boils down to what works for the home, as well asfor the people living inside it.

About the author:Kirsten Hawkins is a real estate expert from Nashville, TN.Visit http://www.king-of-real-estate.com/ for more informationon real estate, mortgages, and finding the house of your dream.