Finding your dream home can beget a lot of questions as you weigh out different homes' designs, amenities, and more. To provide a professional perspective to these questions, our new "This or That" series features top real estate agents from different markets and their preferences for home attributes. Enjoy part one of this insightful and entertaining series below, featuring NYC Agent Daniella Schlisser and Greenwich, Connecticut Agent Rob Johnson.
City views or water/nature views?
Schlisser: Nature. I’m an urbanite through and through but for me, living with views upon nature, PARTICULARLY when living in a “concrete jungle," is deeply pleasing and soothing.
Johnson: Water all day long. It is ever-changing with nature and weather, and there is the added advantage of knowing nobody is ever going to build on it!
Which should you remodel first: kitchen or bathroom(s)?
Schlisser: Don’t make me choose! Either needing renovation feels equally urgent, so I’d say whichever is in lesser condition is first on the face-lift line.
Johnson: Kitchen - it’s a higher job BUT more impactful for future buyers and also happens to be at the beginning of the tour - first impressions last!
Swimming Pool or Tennis Court?
Schlisser: Swimming pool, hands-down. Personally, I’d surely use a tennis court more but for those who like to cool off, and those of us who don’t are outnumbered, a pool is game changing.
Johnson: Swimming Pool - more utility and better for resale. A lot of clients who have invested in tennis courts tend to not use them as much as they think.
Walk-In Closet or More Storage?
Schlisser: Who needs storage if you have a good walk-in-closet?
Johnson: A sexy walk-in closet is a hit with women and men alike!
Luxury Finishes or Spacious Rooms?
72.jpeg)
Schlisser: Spacious rooms. And then when you’ve saved up, you finish them luxuriously.
Johnson: Luxury finishes - especially if consistent throughout the home.
Wine Cellar or Home Gym?
Schlisser: Home gym...with a wine fridge. That’s what I have in Sag Harbor. I can see my wine fridge from my Peloton. It’s deeply inspiring! :)
Johnson : A gym (especially with natural light) has more utility and better for resale. Wine cellars are very individual to people’s tastes/needs.
Jacuzzi Tub or Rainfall Shower?
Schlisser: Jacuzzi tub. It’s very hard to drink wine under a rainfall shower. I've tried
Johnson: Both can run in to the arena of cheesy, but I think I’d take the shower.
Home Theater or Outdoor Entertainment Area?
Schlisser: Home theater. Bugs. Enough said.
Johnson: Outdoor entertainment - creates a ‘summer room’ and valuable to buyers (especially from the city). TVs have become so affordable on a large scale that movie rooms are slightly less popular.
Home with a History or New Construction?
Schlisser: I can sell both enthusiastically, but I’m charmed by and live in a prewar.
Johnson: New Construction, if it's very good quality. Homes with a history can be great if they have architectural integrity.
High Ceilings or Exposed Beams?
Schlisser: Both at the same time! The best.
Johnson: Not even close - high ceilings! You can add beams if you want them.
Pre-war Character or Post-war Minimalist?
Schlisser: I have an authentic appreciation for both, but I’m more charmed by prewar. It’s probably because I’m prewar myself!
Johnson: Prewar. I like the idea of minimalist, but I don’t think it would work for me in practice.