5 “Luxury” Home Upgrades That End Up Being Totally Annoying
Whether you are home shopping or considering adding new bells and whistles to your current pad, the fact is that some features aren’t worth the time, effort, or cost. We asked the experts for add-ons that you may think are a good investment but actually turn out to be pretty annoying (and costly in terms of your ROI!)—some may just surprise you:
Rain showerheads
Just say not to those fancy-schmancy rain showerheads. “They are just like rain but that means the water falls largely from gravity and this means there’s very little water pressure,” Derek Christian, owner of Handyman Connection in Blue Ash, Ohio says. “You’re just taking the same amount of water and putting it over a larger area which decreases pressure. We install these all of the time. Clients almost always complain about the water pressure and ask us to take them out.”
Fancy tubs
No matter the tub—jetted or soaker—Jacuzzi-style tubs just aren’t worth it. At all. Or so says Christian. “They almost never get used and we get paid to remove them all of the time,” he says. “They’re also super hard to clean and the jets can become moldy with time.”
Home gym
If you have a choice, swap the home gym for an at-home office, especially if you think you’re going to be the kind of person who uses the treadmill as a dumping ground for laundry. “Working from home is becoming more commonplace, so you’re better off devoting a serene place to work versus a place to go to sweat,” AJ Whitfield, a real estate agent at Villa Real Estate in Newport Beach, California, says.
Pools
A pool can seem glam—but before installing one, you’ll want to ascertain how often you’ll swim in the pool, the climate of the region you live in, and if you can handle all the associated maintenance costs and liability issues that can jack up your homeowners’ insurance. “Many clients simply see a pool as a money pit or a hazard,” says Whitfield. “I always say: If you’re going to install a pool, do it because you love it and are planning to stay in that house.”
Home theater
If you’re considering sinking big money into a home theater—complete with seating, sound system, and multiple screens—make sure it’s a room you’ll actually use, says Amy Owens, a real estate agent with Keller Williams in Montclair, New Jersey. “Just keep in mind that it’s entirely possible that if you go to sell your home, potential buyers will enter that home theater and only be able to imagine gutting it to turn into a home gym,” she says. “Anytime we make choices that are ‘specific’ in our home, we run the risk of selling to someone with entirely different taste.”