I saw a house the other day with a remarkable little wine cellar and it got me thinking… to what extent can you personalize your home before a potential buyer will be unwilling to compensate you for your expense?

I thought this wine cellar was an ingenious use of a coat closet that would alternatively contain clutter (this is Arizona after all, what do we need with a coat closet?). Come to think of it I’ve seen a car load of treatments for pointless spaces lately, whether practical or otherwise, that have caught my attention. Everything from cedar-lined storage to an electronics-charging docking drawer, an outdoor pizza oven (for which I would happily hand over my first born), and most recently countertop warmers…. COUNTERTOP WARMERS really???

I know when we’re remodeling our homes we tend to be drawn to those gadgets and gizmos that, in our dreams we really, really WANT (don’t lie to me… I’ve been there) because customarily a home is already equipped with everything we NEED. But let’s be realistic. Unless we’re practically on death’s door we are not likely to spend the rest of our life in that house.

All I’m saying is use your head. Anything that is custom will only be desirable to a select few. That’s generally understood but most (not all) custom features still command a percentage of their value. It may be incomprehensible to some, but not everyone is going to want to reimburse you for that outdoor pizza oven.  And almost no one will pay for the countertop warmers. You’d better really, really want them.