REALTOR® Roundtable: Does a house really need a fireplace?

May 2018 Insight: Fireplaces resource header

May 2018 Insight cover imageBY: NICOLE ARNOLD

Recently, NC REALTORS® Community Outreach Director Nicole Arnold posed a question to real estate professionals on the topic of fireplaces. This fun discussion on Facebook proved that even a small feature, like a fireplace, can cause a lot of debate and potentially impact a homebuyer’s decision to buy or not to buy a home.

Nicole Arnold: If you could design your ideal home for today’s market, would you include a fireplace or kill it?

Lolita Malave: I would have a fireplace in the dining room or master bedroom. The den would be the very last option.

Nicole Arnold: Interesting, Lolita. Yet most homes place the fireplace in the den or living room. Do you think house designers are realizing that this placement is a poor option? Are people tired of looking up so high at the TV over the fireplace?

Jeff Benfield: I would have a fireplace, but not in the center of the room.

Nicole Arnold: Jeff, I have a friend who is a teacher who complains that we all watch too much television and give the TV too much importance. She would like your design. I am seeing more corner fireplaces and some house layouts without fireplaces altogether, perhaps because of this sentiment.

Sandra O’Connor: You always have to have a fireplace.

Stacy Hiers: I’m not a fireplace fan, personally.

Nicole Arnold: Wow! There are two opposite opinions from REALTORS® with deep buyer-client experience. I can do without a fireplace because I am a lover of efficiency.

Marcia Bradford (Palm Beach REALTOR® and NC vacation homeowner): In your state, I’ve noticed that people really want fireplaces.

May 2018 Insight: Facebook GraphicNicole Rafferty: I love a fireplace!

Nicole Arnold: I am totally outnumbered on this. Tradition is winning in this unofficial fireplace survey.

Connie Corey: In our market, buyers like the fireplace and will hang the television over top. Some buyers still like the mantel area for portraits, art and so on. I don’t think the chimney is a big deal anymore.

Nicole Arnold: Connie, that is a big insight, and brings up a separate but related topic. What about chimneys? We live in an age where chimneys and fireplaces are not absolutely tied together. Does the ideal home need a chimney today? Losing the chimney could free up a small amount of square footage.

Maurice Brown, NC REALTORS® Partners Program Coordinator: A ventless natural gas fireplace is the way to go.

Nicole Arnold: I like the cost-savings of natural gas fireplaces, and they can heat up rooms very quickly.

Jeff: I have a ventless fireplace. Without a vent of some kind, the exhaust goes into the house. This isn’t good and can cause the fire alarms to go off once in a while.

Nicole Arnold: Good point, Jeff. So ventless, although pretty and seemingly convenient, may turn out to be inconvenient.

Nicole Rafferty: I have a vent on the side of the house for my natural gas fireplace. However, I would love to have a wood burning fireplace with a chimney.

Nicole Arnold: Real fireplaces provide authenticity that can’t be beat. But they can be really messy to clean up after. Nicole, you and I will go in together and buy a mountain home with a “real fireplace” and chimney for our families, okay?

Nicole Rafferty: I’m in!

Connie Corey: The exhaust for fireplaces needs to be where someone cannot get burned.

Nicole Arnold: Great point.

Connie Corey: I find that buyers would rather spend money on interiors than on a chimney.

Nicole Arnold: I see the logic of that sentiment, Connie. I’m trying to think of drawbacks to losing the chimney. I can’t think of any.

Marcia Bradford: Nicole, you have small children. How will Santa Claus get in the house?

Nicole Arnold: I did not see that argument coming, but now I realize that yes, small children may be very concerned that Old Saint Nick cannot come down through a chimney.

Maurice Brown: There are magic keys for that.

Nicole Arnold: Maurice, this is ingenious! So, now we know that you don’t need a chimney or a fireplace to have a modern home. But REALTORS® must listen to their clients to see if they want traditional options or if they can forget this amenity. REALTORS® have a hard job, trying to balance so many competing buyer desires. Thanks to all who participated in this roundtable discussion.

Facebook Reaction icons

If you have an idea that would make for a great discussion for a REALTOR® Roundtable, please contact Nicole Arnold. In the meantime, Nicole is researching a new trend in selling homes. Have you ever had a seller who installed cameras or activated nannycams in order to spy on potential buyers during an Open House? Let Nicole know what you think about this trend.


Filed Under: ,