Would the addition of a model railroad increase or decrease the value of a house? I asked my dad but he did not answer so i am asking here. [:D]
I suspect it would make no difference. A friend of mine purchased a house with a full basement model RR. He was not a MRR and had no interest in the RR. It all got torn out and turned into basement shelving. I would think that a MRR that occupies a bedroom, would more likely decrease the value, unless the seller was willing to remove and put the room back to rights for a buyer that was not interested. The chances of finding a MRR willing to pay a premium for an installed layout in a house would be slim in my opinion.
I would think that in the majority of cases, it would decrease the value of a house. If the buyer were not interested in model railroading, he would just tear it out, as Simon pointed out. If the buyer were already a model railroader, he’d have his own layout to move into the basement, and would not likely care for someone else’s work, unless he could envision mating the two layouts. It might appeal to the person who is just getting started in model railroading or who wants to get into the hobby. Also, any potential buyer would be thinking that the value of the layout is being added to the price of the house and may not be willing to pay for it. In any case, it would narrow the field of potential buyers. It’s sort of like having an in-ground swimming pool in your back yard. It’s an expensive item, adds to the selling price of the house, but appeals to only a limited market. In any case, as Simon pointed out, a layout in a bedroom would be bad. A person buying a three bedroom home expects to find three bedrooms.
If I were not a model railroader, and were house shopping, I would probably not consider purchasing a house with a layout in it because that would just be an additional expense for me to tear it out and haul it all away.
I have a large G-scale layout in my back yard. If I were to place my house on the market, potential buyers would probably be turned off by it and I would have to remove it in order to sell the house, unless someone came along who really wanted one and liked what I have built.
I would never buy a house with a swimming pool because of the expense of keeping one clean, the requirement that it be fenced (state law in Arizona), and the increased liability insurance. The water to fill one in the desert is also becoming a big issue.
Koi ponds are become quite popular here in SE Arizona. If I were house-hunting and the realtor touted the fact that the house had a Koi pond, I probably wouldn’t even want to look at it because of the increased cost of keeping one clean and stocked. Cranes and herons, both protected species here, are feasting on Koi and it’s illegal for the owners to do anything about it.
The Seller put in an imported marble entryway for $20,000 and thinks it adds value. The Buyers are thinking to themsellves, "It’s going to cost $5,000 to jack hammer up this ugly stuff and put down something we like.
Anything personal left by the Seller is usually a negative.
Any improvements up to a certain amount are never usually recovered, but you may sell your house sooner , so do you want your house on the market fo 73 days or 9 days? I agree with all of the above.
There are some improvements that will add to the value of the house: dual-pane windows, central heat & air, insulation, upgraded wiring, etcetera–things that are of use to anyone, regardless of aesthetic preferences, and would not have to be torn out by someone who disagreed with aesthetic choices. Things that really add value are things that add to the overall good condition of the house, and make things more convenient for the buyer–if your roof is trashed, repairing your roof before you sell the house will get you a better price than if you didn’t.
So no, unless you happen to find a very lazy model railroader who shares your tastes in scale and theme, a model railroad won’t add to the value of the house.
That being said, it could be a good idea to have an “exit strategy” in mind when you do move–how will you repair the damage to the walls, etc., that your layout does if and when you move? You don’t have to avoid such things entirely–but one should be mindful of such choices when you build a layout.
I saw a cartoon some time ago where a realtor was showing a couple through an empty house. There were holes here and there through the walls. The caption read “The former owner was a model railroader”. [:D]
I’ve seen a few ads in model magazines for homes with built in model railroads. Never did hear if they sold or not.
Bob Boudreau
I remember seeing an ad for a house in Florida that touted the railroad. 3 rail as I remember. It was on the market a long time, don’t remember it selling - one of the ads started getting a little whiney.
I think you would have trouble finding someone who wants a layout, but doesn’t want to build it, and likes yours and and is in the market for a house in the size/price range of yours. Unlike a swimming pool which will put a lot of people off but still appeal to a fair number of people, a model railroad will probably put off everyone.
Enjoy
Paul
I think it would all depend if a MRR layout is considered a fixture in a house. Any Realtors out there who could answer?
If so, then a buyer needs to consider if it’s an “improvement” to the property when purchasing. If not, then the owner is responsible for removing it prior to the sale.
Of course anything could also be put into the terms and conditions of the sale regarding the disposition of the layout. But I would suspect that most layout owners in this position would be more interested in salvaging as much on the layout as possible for the new layout in the next house.
The last house we sold I asked the buter if they would like me to leave the layout, (nt the rolling stock, buildings and such) just the track and the senery I had done, he had 2 small boys, but he wanted no part of it so I took it all down, I guess if you have no interest in it it would not help
First off, I’m not a realtor, but I can tell you from experience that a model railroad is a big negative when selling a home. Doesn’t really matter if layout is in the basement, garage or spare bedroom. Best advice I can give is to have the layout removed and all repairs to walls, floor, etc, repaired before showing the home. I’ve been down this path a couple of times. To show what I mean, I was stationed in El Centro, Ca back in the 60’s and puchased a home there with a completely finished room built in the back yard, with carpeting and air conditioning, about 16X16 ft size. Perfect for my “hobby room”. Had a 5X9 N scale layout going, frame work type table on saw horses in the room (anticapated moving). Guess what, people were turned off because of trains in that room. My idea to sell a home is to be completely moved out (not always possible) and all repairs done before showing it. Ken
My assumption is always that the railroad needs to be taken down and hauled out, like furniture. If it is attached to a wall or fixed to the floor, I guess it could be considered a part of the house, but that is probably at the buyer’s whim. When we sold our last place, I tore out the railroad I had started (benchwork, subroadbed, not much more). It was in an unused, unfinished part of the basement. The buyer had no interest in it, other than she was somewhat curious about how it would have matured into a model railroad. But, her realtor was an O-scale modeler and he was quite happy to find another modeler, albeit an N-scale modeler. So, it was of no value, but it didn’t hurt in my case.
I would think that in general, it would decrease the value of the home, or at least make it harder to sell.
But it is sort of like having a pool and trying to sell a home. If someone really wanted a pool, they would be excited that your home had a pool. If they had no interest in a pool, they aren’t going to consider purchasing the home.
I think that, in general, real estate will always sell… It just may take a little longer for the right buyer to come along.
current trend here in Toronto , where we have a very active real estate market , is to declutter the house when showing it for sale . there are people who make a living professionally decluttering houses , they remove excess furniture , family photos , knick-knacks , pretty much anything personal , while still making the rooms appealing . i’m sure the 1st thing they’d get rid of is a model railroad .
as an example , the people across the street recently sold their house after having a crew in to clear out excess stuff . they listed the house at $579,000 ( a new high on our street) had over 200 people visit during the weekend open house (they went away for the weekend) and when the offers where done , sold for $637,000 .
It will definetly DECREASE the value of the house…I just went through that…I just bought a new home just a little over a year ago and my old house had a small layout in a bedroom…the first thing the realtor did was ask me if the trainset stays and suggested that i tear it down and repaint the walls before she showed it to anyone…I was planning on doing that anyway, but she was very concerned about it “staying”
I’ve admired many layouts, but can’t imagine wanting to move into a house that already had one, except possibly outdoors with gardens, paths. Then I’d want to get some G scale to run on it. Most people would still probably want to make it into walking or bicyle paths if the gardens were nice. I think you’d have to be a train fan who also liked gardens. If you didn’t want the gardens, you’d rather have grass to mow.
If I saw a house with a nice train room, I’d rather have it empty for my space.
Ask yourself this question, would you as a MR’r want to buy someone else’s layout or build your own. As the above posts have said a Layout is not a selling feature.
If it was, do you think you would get fair market value for it? Hardly.
It’s probably something none of us think of “what will happen if I move?” All I can say is “What a MESS!”
Fergie
Here in LA I can get 300k for my garbage cans[wow] Regardless, I would think it wouldn’t have much, if any impact on the market value, the value lays in what non hobby activity the space can be devoted to. Nuff said[soapbox]