Is “cool” important to renters and can you get more for it?

[Eric James Slater]

Granted, I’m just starting off with this home buying thing. That said, style is important to me. I’ve built 10 artisan brick oven bakeries. 25 brick ovens. And a Food Truck Park with bar and stage, servicing 13 individual vendors.

I’d like to buy and rehab cool properties. Not your normal single family. But more like old brick buildings in the “Cork Arts District” and make exposed rafters type buildings into big city style lofts.

Will people pay extra rent if these places are hip?

[Jonathan Greene]

The general answer is yes, in the right area it can work. A hip and trendy area will rent or sell to a hip and trendy buyer, but based on what you said I get the feeling that your style might not be indicative of sale style. If you do things your way, you are looking for you as a buyer, which can work, but oftentimes people with artisan taste or over-reaching artistic vision customize the house too much for your market buyer and in turn, overprice it because they put their heart and money (and often too many upgrades) into it.