Hot home trends, on sale or not

If you are considering a remodel or just freshening up your existing

house you may be debating the return on your remodeling dollars.

There are clearly some national trends that indicate where your money

is best spent for resale value. But then, there are also some things

that you just might want, not necessarily need, that should be added

to the list, as well.

The top of the list: updated wiring for the latest technology

trends. Families want high-tech everything -- high-speed Internet;

state-of-the-art lighting systems; security systems and in-house

audio equipment.

This most-asked-for feature is not surprising. Rewiring a home can

be expensive and messy. Upgrading an older home involves more than

just running new lines. In addition to the electrician, you will no

doubt have to have someone repair ceilings and walls and have a

painter cover up the work. It is no wonder home buyers want home

sellers to shoulder the burden.

The next request is a kitchen with high-end appliances. Sub-Zero

and Viking top the name brand list. Additional bells and whistles

include pot fillers over the stove; a built-in coffee station;

multiple dishwashers; multiple ovens; warming drawers; refrigeration

drawers; two-temperature water dispensers and heated floors -- no

kidding. And I thought I was a princess.

Counter-top materials are evolving, as well. It’s not a

granite-only world. Materials such as copper, cement and butcher’s

block are climbing the charts. Obviously, a little originality can’t

hurt.

More garage space, which can mean built-in car lifts, more space

for storage, work stations and racks for sports equipment, is on the

list. If you are rehabbing the garage, don’t forget the floors.

Epoxy-coated floors are just what the buyers want. Really.

Particularly in Southern California, the concept of the outdoor

room is big -- areas that include a fireplace or fire pit, a spa (at

least), a barbecue station that includes clean-up facilities and an

outdoor fridge, and plenty of seating and lounging opportunities ...

and apparently, a yard large enough to accommodate all of this.

Fourteen percent of potential buyers listed a home theater as a

desired feature. Wow. I thought that was a home tour house thing. I

guess I’m wrong.

My teenagers like to sit in the dark and watch movies, but I’m not

putting that on my wish list. I’m happy with an occasional Matthew

McConaughey film fest. And I’m usually folding laundry while I watch.

OK, if you have a home theater, it is possible that someone else

might be folding your laundry. Send them to my house.

A wine cellar ranked below home theater, but it’s still a desired

amenity. Here’s the twist, though: It doesn’t have to be a cellar, so

let’s call it an appropriately temperature-controlled wine storage

area.

Wine storage can be in a closet with a glass door in the dining

room, kitchen or anyplace you find to tuck it away. And maybe you’d

better not display your Two Buck Chuck bottles. Save that for the

fridge in the garage.

Built-in plasma televisions are a big hit. I think that is in

addition to the home theater, but I’m not sure. They are good space

savers, and if you don’t want to stare at the black screen when it’s

not on, there is a company that makes remote control roll-down art

canvases (including frames) to disguise the equipment. Of course, for

$7,000, you might want to look at that blank screen instead of

covering it up.

There you go -- the home hotties for 2003. So make your list and

check it twice. Reinvest in your home sweet home.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Thursdays.