What your Vintage Township home is worth

I'm Shelby Cotton, a REALTOR® with eXp Realty, LLC in Lubbock. I start with evidence. That means recent sales of homes like yours and the listings you'd compete with now. It also means homes that didn't sell, and the reasons they didn't.

Then I apply what I learned in architecture and subdivision planning. I look at how well the home's design delivers on the neighborhood's promise. How does the porch meet the street? How do the rooms flow? How does the rear of the home work with the alley and garage? Distinctive design adds value when it's executed well, and I'll tell you plainly where yours stands.

You'll get a value range with the reasoning laid out, and advice on what preparation would pay if you decide to sell.

Size and type. Cottage or custom sets the first comparison. Everything else adjusts within it.

Where the home sits. Facing a park, near the pool or on a quieter interior street. Each position appeals to a different buyer.

The front of the house. Every buyer who walks or drives by sees the porch, trim, paint and front landscaping before they see a single room.

Design and workmanship. Distinctive architecture is a selling point when it's well built and well kept. Worn or poorly executed details work against the price.

Livability behind the facade. How the rear entry, garage and kitchen connect matters to every buyer who'll come and go through the alley each day.

Owners of custom homes in Vintage Township often ask which of their features will show up in the price. The answer depends on whether a buyer would pay extra for the feature or would only accept it.

Features tied to how the home lives usually carry the most weight. A well-planned kitchen that connects to the living space, a main-floor bedroom, good storage and a porch deep enough to use all make a home easier to picture living in. Buyers tend to respond to those.

Highly personal choices carry less. A bold paint color, an unusual built-in or a room set up for one hobby may matter a great deal to you and very little to the next owner. They don't lower the value on their own, but buyers rarely pay extra for them.

Quality shows in both groups. Distinctive trim, windows and finishes that are well made and well kept support the price, and the same details in poor repair work against it.