Buy Smart with Brick: Timeless Value and Style (Part 1)
The truth is – you will never stop benefiting from the inherent value and beauty of a brick home. In reality though, it’s so easy to be distracted from the most important consideration when home buying: protecting your investment!
Modern finishes, new appliances and cool features create real excitement for home buyers. Just think about the HGTV hype that has homeowners salivating over DIY interior design and demanding ‘updated’ now and not later. But, in real estate terms (i.e. investments), these contemporary touches are often trendy, might be masking other shortfalls of the property and, ultimately, are distracting home buyers from more fundamental and financially important considerations.
Let’s step back and think about how you can choose to buy smart and protect the biggest investment of your life.
Make a Timeless Investment
These days you would be hard pressed to find an investment that is guaranteed to grow in value – unless you are buying gold bars. But, seriously, please consider your home an investment – an asset that is valuated in the market.
Resale Value is Higher
Because brick homes offer more durablity, strength and resiliency over time, they have a much higher resale value versus vinyl siding or synthetic stucco. Many real estate sources cite higher resale values of brick homes in the 6 – 8% range. When the additional cost to build with brick is only about 2 – 4% over vinyl, why wouldn’t you choose this guaranteed return?
Operating Costs are Lower
A brick home actually saves you money over time – so you can put more toward your investment.
According to the Masonry Advisory Council*, brick homes save homeowners on heating/cooling, exterior maintenance and insurance costs. So even with a higher starting cost, when you tally up the additional expenses of non-brick homes, your brick home will still cost less over the long term, mortgage included.
Is Anything More Timeless than Brick?
The nature of brick makes age somewhat irrelevant. Even very, very old brick homes maintain value because the aesthetic is unchanged. Brick has a unique way of preserving our history due to its inherent qualities. This historical “value” (some might call it love) remains unchanged over decades, even centuries – a very long time for an investment to last.
Choose a Timeless Style
Another major consideration for making a smart home investment is ensuring long-term appeal. What a challenge to step back and consider when you are choosing for yourself – a very personal experience. But as life carries on, circumstances
change for many reasons (relocation for work, moving closer to family, downsizing, etc.); what a relief at selling time that your home has aesthetic appeal to others.
New or old, brick homes have timeless beauty. Choosing a classic exterior isn’t boring; it’s a perfect palette for customization! Think about all of the changeable accents that let you add personality and contemporary touches – door color, shutters, landscaping, outdoor spaces, shingle style and color. You need to maintain these features anyway – why not customize your brick home this way?
While we can always find buyers who love historical or colonial charm, brick can be contemporary in many ways for those who prefer modern. Manufacturers now offer broad color and style ranges, including longer lengths which create exciting opportunities for new home design.
And ask any interior designer – brick is hot. Incorporating natural materials is a staple of both commercial and residential interior design. With the shift to greener choices and sustainable building, this ‘trend’ has become mainstream and brick is certainly part of this family of popular materials. Consider how you can incorporate brick into your interior layout!
The truth is – it’s not a style sacrifice to go with brick. You will come out on top in terms of investment and aesthetic appeal.
* Masonry Advisory Council https://www.maconline.org/tech/rescost2004lr.pdf