Vaulted ceilings and other types of optional features can have an effect on the appraised value of your home. The home appraisal process begins when an appraiser determines the base value of your home based on factors such as its size, age, location and the materials used to build it. Having calculated a base value, the appraiser takes into account features such as vaulted ceilings before completing the valuation process. A vaulted ceiling usually will add value, but it depends on the style of your home.
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Vaulted ceilings can add value if they are appropriate to the home's age, style and character. The overall condition of the home has the most impact on value, however, so vaulted ceilings will not offset the harm done by structural problems.
Benefits of Vaulted Ceilings
Vaulted ceilings can add value to your home. Rooms with vaulted ceilings tend to have larger windows, which means that natural light can more easily fill the room. Rooms with vaulted ceilings have more space, helping to keep them from feeling cramped. During summer months, large windows coupled with extended daylight hours result in reduced energy consumption because you do not have to rely so heavily on artificial lighting.
However, in warm climates, rooms with vaulted ceilings and large windows heat up more quickly than rooms with smaller windows, which means you may have to make more use of your air conditioner. Regardless of the energy costs, vaulted ceilings generally add value to a home.
Size of Your Home
Real estate appraisers normally determine the square footage of a home by measuring the exterior of the building. If a home has two floors, the appraiser may just calculate the living space as being twice the size of the ground floor's dimensions. If you have a two-story home with vaulted ceilings, you actually have less usable square footage than someone with an identically sized home that does not have vaulted ceilings.
Nevertheless, appraisers typically do not deduct the square footage you sacrificed when you chose to install vaulted ceilings. This means that in terms of usable square footage, homes with vaulted ceilings normally cost more than homes without vaulted ceilings.
Vaulted Ceiling Appraisal
Vaulted ceilings are just one of the amenities that can add value to your home and the real estate appraiser finishes the appraisal process by comparing your home with similarly sized properties in the surrounding area. Despite the vaulted ceilings, your home may appraise for less than nearby homes with standard ceilings if those homes have other amenities that add value, such as kitchen upgrades or swimming pools. Furthermore, the overall condition of your home impacts its value so vaulted ceilings will not offset the harm done to your property value by leaking pipes, faulty electrics or structural damage.
Things to Consider
Styles change over the course of time and while vaulted ceilings have been popular in recent decades, vaulted ceilings may become less fashionable in the future. Furthermore, the appraised value of your home represents an estimate about its worth, but when you sell your home you have to negotiate a sale price with the buyer. Some people prefer standard ceilings, which means vaulted ceilings may cause your home to lose value in the eyes of certain buyers.