Fireplaces Sell Your Home
Whether they're used or not, fireplaces offer a focal point
Houses with fireplaces have a stronger pull for buyers than homes without them. One reason is decorative. Whether they work or not, fireplaces provide a focal point for the room or even the whole house. They exude warmth. They provide a sense of hearth and home.
Another is utilitarian. Although fireplaces no longer are the only source of heat in most houses, they provide a welcome alternative during storms that can knock out service for days.
The fireplace has been standard in new construction for at least 15 years, if not more. What has changed is not the size of the fireplace, but the number of fireplaces and their locations.
The concept of fireplaces has changed. The shift from masonry to prefab designer boxes has put fireplaces in bathrooms, dining rooms and bedrooms, as well as living rooms and family rooms. Fireplaces can be seen on walls of entertainment rooms and below big-screen televisions. The increase in locations results from advances in technology: development of gas fireplaces and the ability to vent them through a wall to the outside without a masonry chimney, and the use of flexible pipe for bringing the gas to the units.
Right now, it's about 50-50 wood versus gas, with wood in the living room and gas anywhere else.
Take precautionary measures whether you have a wood burning or gas fireplace: be sure the flue is open, never leave the fire burning when you aren't in the room and make certain that you shut it down when you go to sleep for the night.
Written by : LARRY BALLARD, Broker/Owner, Total Solutions Realty, LLC.Serving the needs of the Naperville, Plainfield & Oswego areas