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!

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Local Information for Albertville, AL

Latitude: 34.265362 -- Longitude: -86.211261

Other Area Cities: Boaz Guntersville Albertville

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As of the census of 2000, there were 17,247 people, 6,566 households, and 4,615 families residing in the city. The population density was 256.6/km² (664.6/mi²). There were 7,090 housing units at an average density of 105.5/km² (273.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.15% White, 2.05% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 9.78% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. 16.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 6,566 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

Alabama 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	Albertville	Alabama	United States
Population	17,247	4,447,100	281,421,906
Median age	34	35.8	35.3
Median age for Male	31.6	34.4	34
Median age for Female	36.4	37.2	36.5
Households	6,566	1,737,080	105,480,101
Household population	17,020	4,332,380	273,643,273
Average household size	2.59	2.49	2.59
Families	4,617	1,215,968	71,787,347
Average family size	3.08	3.01	3.14
Housing units	7,090	1,963,711	115,904,641
Occupied units	6,566	1,737,080	105,480,101
Vacant units	524	226,631	10,424,540

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