Highly recommend this book for anyone involved, interested or intrigued by the housing industry.  House Lust: America's Obsession with our Homes by Daniel McGinn is an entertaining and easy read (those aspects of any book being important to me).  The premise of McGinn's study is the evolution of the American mindset wherein those things previously considered luxuries are becoming necessities - particularly regarding real estate and housing.

The book covers the growth of the average new American home - in square footage as well as features.  Case studies from across the country range to the

Somewhere during early conversations with almost every client, we are asked something to the effect of “Do you think we’ll build value with our proposed renovation?”

 

Naturally, I have had plenty of opportunity to build (what I think is) the proper response, which asks the homeowner to dig deeper regarding his or her definition of value.

 

From my perspective, there are essentially two types of value which one might consider, as one thinks about home improvements.  First, and obviously, is the increased potential real estate resale value as a result of improvements.  Second, is the intrinsic