What are buyers looking for? From mundane to gadgets.

November 20, 2008

Just today I came across an ad for a garage lift (Garage Lift) showing how you can park two cars in a single car garage with the help of a nifty lift that tucks one car away in the basement. Supposedly saves you money from building an additional garage…Knowing my luck, I’d crush the car on top trying to get mine out from the basement! I can see where it might be a valuable addition to homes with a tight footprint in high cost areas, but for most of us with the luxury of ample lot space, a double car garage is the much more easy alternative!

Kitchens and baths are still extremely important. Kitchens that can double as a living space are incredibly popular. It’s difficult to cram party goers into an 8x8 foot space while you finish up cooking the appetizers. Updated appliances make cooking easy and fast. I built a new home a few years ago and I wouldn’t trade my Advantium microwave/halogen oven for anything – same goes for my induction cook top. Having set fire to my previous kitchen I appreciate the fact that nothing will burn on the cook top! However, guests who bring over a ceramic saucepan with their potluck are a little bemused as to why my stove doesn’t work for them but it works for me – “Magic!” I say.

Buyers are looking for bright, inviting kitchens, with plenty of space for all the gadgets they’ve accumulated over the years. Many cooks drool over walk in pantries and space for a matching fridge and freezer. Solid surface counters are still one of the most desirable features, but now there are other options such as composite granite, cork, stainless steel to choose from. Islands are starting to look like furniture and freezer, refrigerator and warming drawers still remain popular, and are even migrating out of the kitchen into other areas of the house. I wish I’d gone with a warming drawer instead of a heated towel rack in my bathroom – the rack only warms the section of the towel it touches. Hardly worth turning on in the morning. And talking of bathrooms - over 50% of Japenese now have some kind of water washing toilets. Charmin beware. You can find these nifty toilet seats on Amazon for less than $500 - it's worth watching the promotional videos! (Toto Washlet)

Many buyers appreciate good lighting – from well designed artificial light to energy efficient windows that let in sun and open the home to views. Other improvements are integrated sound, ipod docks and of course, home theaters. With motorized screens, projector lifts and darkening shades, it is possible to combine a living space with a home theater with a flip of a button. During the day, a formal living room – by night a ground shaking cinema showing the latest Indiana Jones movie!

As of 11/22/09 the Chris French RePage is ranked at 2,090 with 70 points.
The monthly top RePage owner will receive a cash prize. Help this agent by bookmarking this site and posting it to blogs and other Web pages and encourage others to visit.

Local Information for Monroe, LA

Latitude: 32.510343 -- Longitude: -92.094895

Other Area Cities: Monroe West Monroe

Enter our Photo Sweepstakes and Win $200 for your Monroe photos!

To see random photos for other cities Click Here.

Submit your photos of Monroe and become eligible to win $200. Click Here for details.

The city of Monroe is the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. It is the principal city of and is included in the Monroe, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Monroe-Bastrop, Louisiana Combined Statistical Area. A As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107. Monroe is the home of the University of Louisiana at Monroe (formerly known as Northeast Lousiana University). It also houses the headquarters of CenturyTel Communications, the eighth largest telecommunications provider in the nation. Monroe is situated on the Ouachita River and continues to serve as the population center and distribution outlet for the surrounding farming community. Monroe and the neighboring town of West Monroe (pop. 13,250), which sits just across the Ouachita River, are often referred to as the Twin Cities of northeast Louisiana. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

Louisiana 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	Monroe	Louisiana	United States
Population	53,107	4,468,976	281,421,906
Median age	29.1	34	35.3
Median age for Male	26.4	32.6	34
Median age for Female	31.3	35.3	36.5
Households	19,421	1,656,053	105,480,101
Household population	49,401	4,333,011	273,643,273
Average household size	2.54	2.62	2.59
Families	12,157	1,156,438	71,787,347
Average family size	3.26	3.16	3.14
Housing units	21,278	1,847,181	115,904,641
Occupied units	19,421	1,656,053	105,480,101
Vacant units	1,857	191,128	10,424,540

Visit US Census