I don't know if we have a real estate agent on the board or someone that's from your area, but I think you'd get the best answer from a real estate agent that has personal knowledge of your area.

I would ask a good real estate agent who would know the specifics of your area and how these features or lack thereof will effect your home value. I think that you will get your money's worth out of the shutters but not the tub. If you think you will love the tub, get it for your own enjoyment. If you are getting it to add value then I would skip it.

You might want to post this on the Buying and Selling Homes forum. My completely non-expert opinion is that plantation shutters may add $1-2K value, the air bubble feature is a zero added value at resale, and not having a fireplace in a house is a negative and may prevent some people from buying your house. This is not how I would personally value these features, but it is how I think others would value them.

thanks for the feedback and opinions so far. I have also sent this question to my real estate agents, but wanted a broader view/opinion. I will look at other/better forums too. Thanks again!

You could try posting this in the Buying and Selling Homes forum.

You really can't predict what future buyers will want. It may be a deal breaker for some if there is no fireplace, others could care less. Some people love Plantation shutters, others prefer drapes or blinds. Most people going through the house for the first time wouldn't notice the attributes of a tub, only the size if they want a tub. Some would prefer a larger walk in shower to a tub.

The only time I would worry about resale is if I was remodeling something just before putting it on the market...then of course you would pick neutral, conservative finishes. If you plan to live in this house awhile, redo it to suit your needs and tastes so you can enjoy it and don't worry about resale.

Thanks Joan...I have posted on the Buying and Selling Homes forum as advised.

I don't think either would add or subtract value in our local market.

The shutters could possibly add some salability in the "entry level" market here for certain neighborhoods if that makes sense. Meaning, it might help sell to someone who is buying toward the top of their budget and at the lower end of pricing to get into a particular neighborhood. However, I don't think they would want to actually pay more because of the shutters specifically.

Personally, a used air bubble feature in a bath tub is an expense and not an asset. Plantation shutters are nice, but they would have to be clean and in perfect condition for me to consider them in the value. A missing fireplace, even though I don't use mine would be a reduction to the value as well.

I would not be happy w/ the fireplace taken out, even in a warm climate. When we looked for a new home in FL recently, a fireplace was one of our major priorities.

Plantation shutters, I don't think would actually add a lot of value. The house we ended up buying in FL has them. They are in perfect condition and very nice/expensive ones- but I certainly did not offer more for them or consider them in the value of the house. In some rooms, I actually wish they were not there b/c they obstruct views. I don't think a lot of people would focus on that particular thing since it seems a relatively minor feature in the scale of a whole house.

A jetted tub would be a minus for me rather than a plus because I don't like to think about how dirty the jets might be. Plantation shutters would probably be a neutral for me. This house came with a few blinds and otherwise no window treatments at all and I didn't even think of it until we were getting ready to move in and I realized my dd's room had nothing.

I think a fireplace is usually a plus. If it is very awkward or ugly though it might be a minus.

For me the bubble tub would be a minus. Plantation shutters a minus. Lack of fireplace a neutral. A fireplace in a bad location would be a minus. I don't live in your area though. ;-)

Another vote for minus on plantation shutters. They obstruct the view and are a pain to keep clean.

I live in California. As a child I was always asking my parents to build a pool. I wanted one even more once our next door neighbors put one in. Finally my Dad explained to me the concept of "over improved for the neighborhood". I was around nine or ten years old at the time.We later moved to a different neighborhood and built a pool. If you really want these items and you do not care that you will not be remunerated at the time of selling, then go for it. That was what are neighbor had done. It is not always a bad idea. We still owned the property next door to them so I was aware of what was going on. That pool was the most used pool I have ever known of. They still had young children but had older children who were creating a lot of grandchildren.......I think he did not regret buying it.

I don't see how the loss of the fireplace could be offset by either an air jet tub or plantation shutters. (If I had a house with shutters, I'd take them off immediately as they block too much light.) Part of the attraction of the fp regardless of the environment, is the architecture and focal point it adds to a room. Also a buyer would look at the potential expense of adding a feature, like a fp, if it wasn't there an would think it very expensive.

crl, on air jet tubs, the jet holes are dry and don't get gunked up with stuff like they do on a whirlpool tub...there's a button you turn on after you drain the tub that blows them dry so they stay clean.

I wouldn't buy a house with a badly placed fireplace, so removing it makes sense if doing so truly improves the flow and if the removal wouldn't take away from the charm or architectural interest of the house.

I happen to love plantation shutters and they would be a positive selling point for me, but it appears from all of the other comments that not everyone feels as I do.

I also love my baths and an air bubble tub would delight me, but I wouldn't pay more for a house that included it. Unlike many others, I would turn down a house that didn't have a tub.

I haven't taken or wanted to take a bath since I was a child. My new house has a jacuzzi and it wastes a ton of space and is a bear to clean. So I wouldn't spend money on the air tub unless YOU will get $1k of enjoyment out of it.

I've never had plantation shutters so no particular opinion on those. I would look at comps. My climate is vastly different than yours. In general, I wouldn't pay more for a house with window treatments included since I dislike most of what other people buy.

The fireplace, I dunno, would have to look at a picture and see the room layout. I don't use my fireplace in New England (too lazy), so I sure as heck wouldn't in Phoenix. But if it's nice looking it could be a selling point.

Where I live in Texas, most houses have fireplaces (many have multiple fireplaces), so here it's a definite selling point. But I think it all depends on YOUR own region, and what buyers deem most important where YOU live.

I also love plantation shutters and am getting ready to have them installed throughout my house. They would be a selling point for me, but obviously not for everyone. I will admit to being uncertain what an air bubble feature even IS, so will refrain from commenting on that one. ;-)

In Tx, plantation shutters are a plus. The bathtub issue would fit into one's personal choice for bathing~many people these days opt for showers, but I love my jetted tub, and would never buy a home w/o a tub in the master bath. A fireplace may not be a necessity, but I think i've had one in every home and love the ambience one can add to a room.

As mentioned in one of the posts, you don't want to overdo the upgrades. When I build 7 years ago I added many personal items I just 'had to have.' I hope to be putting my house on the market in the spring, and already my mindset is the money I spent won't be retrieved. I know at least i'll be changing out light fuxtures.

I don't like fireplaces myself, but I do think they raise the value of your house, so taking one out is probably going to lower your value. I don't like plantation shutters, so I wouldn't pay more for a house with them. I also don't think the air bubbles will offer a ROI.

I would like to see the fire place in question. May we see a picture?

We recently bought a house with a badly placed fireplace.

The front door is just behind the white wall at the left of the photo. In a location with a hot market where selling within a week for $10-80,000 above asking is pretty much the norm, we bought for $5000 under, and this fireplace is probably one of the reasons. Other reasons could be old fashioned layout (barrier wall, another paneled wall), wallpaper in multiple locations, and a seller with money crunch/time problems. If you look at the right end of the fireplace you can maybe see that the floor is depressed there. After having several people come and give us options, the answer was just to remove it; the mass of the bricks was poorly footed and dragging down adjacent structure. It's currently out, but not fixed. We'll be raising the floor to a single level and adding a gas fireplace to the right wall of the LR - about where the black trash can is. The good news is this gives a better flow and feel.

I like a fireplace, but the lack of one wouldn't be the tipping point in a decision to buy. A badly placed fireplace like ours (and the wallpaper) almost certainly kept competing buyers from making timely, over-asking bids. Lucky us! If yours is anything like ours, get rid of it.

Best advise is to ask an expert in your town..but GENERALLY the three features you are debating do not add VALUE monetarily to a home. If they are there and if the buyer wants/likes them they will be one reason they make an offer on your home over the home two blocks over that does not have them, but they won't be offering substantially more because they are there!! The fireplace is tricky. For some reason it is a thing in the minds of so many Americans to want a fireplace. Wood burning are messy and much EFFORT, so they get very little use for many who said they wanted one. I grew up in many different states/homes and we had fireplaces in most of them. I have no memories of a fire being burned say on Christmas morning..or EVER. Gas fireplaces in a basement are fantastic, beautiful room heaters. Just the thing one needs to make the basement "livable" if your TV/family room is placed there. We live in zone 3/4 MN where winters are loooong and cold..and we do not use our wood burning fireplace very often. I find it BIZARRE when I read people in AZ/NM/ FL have a fireplace on their list of NEEDS for a home. WHY!?!? Ambiance is the only answer and seriously that NEED is for a very few times in a year. "Resale" is a factor if you move about a lot but you have to live in the home so choose for YOU and leave the rest.

After much consideration, we decided we need to remove the fireplace because it just wont work with our layout and we don't think we will use it. Here is are some pics since someone asked. The one on the right is a [60-second hacked] depiction to get a general idea of what it will look like. It will give us the space we need for our entertainment center and keep the room symmetrical. (You have to click on it to see the whole pic)

I think your idea for an entertainment center in that space makes a lot of sense. I'll suggest that you add closed storage to the bottom. You won't regret having storage near an entertainment center.

Thanks Fun2BHere...yes, cabinets/drawers at the bottom would be good

Someone I know made an oatmeal bath for her child - in the whirlpool bath. Months later when she used it again all this black moldy stuff came out, so the tub was never used again . There's your sign.

I LOVE a fireplace - the more old fashioned, the better. I live in Texas, but have the fireplace going every chance I get. Mine puts out almost no heat, but adds so much ambiance. I will even start a fire when I am home alone, prop my feet on the hearth and read a book. So many childhood memories of popping popcorn, or just watching the fire to see pictures in it. It may have been 99 degrees here on Friday, but today will only be 84. Time to go log shopping! : )