Oct 14 2008
Tri-state area renovation firm, MyHome, LLC, is helping area homeowners avert moving costs by adding home additions and extensions to accommodate growing families instead of selling for ever-plummeting prices. MyHome is advising more and more clients who visit their Bergen County, NJ showroom about how a simple addition can transform a cramped home into a spacious haven.
This past year's housing and consumer credit crises has convinced more and more New Jersey homeowners to stay put in their current homes rather than moving to a new location and risk loosing thousands of dollars.
"A lot of our clients are deciding that it's a much better long-term investment to remodel their homes than sell right now," says MyHome CEO Yoel Piotraut. "Housing prices all over Northern New Jersey are falling. Nobody really wants to sell their home for less than they paid."
A good portion of the remodeling work that clients are requesting at MyHome involves additions and extensions. Why? Growing families are simply running out of space and finding themselves caught in a too-small home.
"An addition can make all the difference," notes MyHome President Mayan Metzler. "If you have a second or third child--or even decide you need a home office--things can get really crowded really quickly. And an addition is ultimately much cheaper than selling your home, especially in today's market"
Popular additions and extensions involve expanding an existing room like a kitchen, living area or bathroom, adding another bedroom, or adding a sunroom or solarium.
"Kitchen extensions are probably our most popular requests," says Piotraut. "Everybody gathers in the kitchen, not just for meals but for meal preparation, a cup of coffee after dinner, or even to read the paper on Sunday morning. Having a kitchen large enough to accommodate a large table becomes very important to a lot of New Jersey homeowners."
Solariums are also quite popular. These glass rooms permit homeowners to enjoy the great outdoors all year long and add much-needed sitting room or a quiet area for reading and study.