Is It Hard To Sell A House With Spray Foam Insulation?

Not every home is a forever home. With the right economic conditions and housing market, you may want to leave your current home someday. Perhaps you'll outgrow the space you're in, or you'll need to downsize eventually. No matter the reason, if you don't plan on staying in your current house forever, you have to consider how changes to your house can influence its resale value. Would spray foam insulation upgrades make your home harder to sell?

South Central Services has insulated hundreds of homes with spray foam, including new construction houses and retrofit insulation jobs. Spray foam insulation is a feature that is sought after, avoided, or treated with indifference, depending on the buyer.

By the end of this article, you will understand:

• The difference between resale value and a selling feature
• How spray foam influences the value of your home
• What type of home upgrades can add value to your home

Spray Foam Insulation Is A Selling Feature.

Selling features are aspects of a home that may draw in or turn away buyers. Whether or not a selling feature is desirable depends on the individual, their preferences, and even cultural trends.

For example, there was an era in southern Pennsylvania where families wanted a home theater space. New construction homes had these media rooms built into the floor plan. Other families repurposed their basements or spare rooms for these entertainment centers. However, these home theaters are becoming less popular.

The right buyer may be enthralled by a home theater. Other buyers may be brainstorming how they could repurpose that space in a home for something else. A home theater doesn't necessarily increase resale value, but it can be considered a selling feature.

Spray foam insulation is a selling feature. Installing spray foam insulation in your attic won't necessarily increase your resale value. However, it will lower your energy bills while you live in your home. And, for the right buyer, it might be a feature that pushes them to bid.

Let's examine the three most prevalent attitudes toward spray foam insulation in a home.

Some Buyers Want Spray Foam Insulation In Their Home.

Many buyers want spray foam insulation in their home. These buyers may have personal experience that makes spray foam more desirable for them.

For example, a buyer may have lived for most of their life in a drafty house where they could never get cool in the summer. The idea of a comfortable space may make spray foam more attractive to them.

I have a friend whose family installed spray foam in a single room during renovations. Everyone in their house agrees that room is the most cozy in the winter. When those children grow up, they might seek out spray foam intentionally.

Some buyers may be actively looking for a spray foamed house. Or, they may be more likely to bid on a home if they know it has spray foam insulation.

Some Buyers May Be Uncertain Of Spray Foam Insulation.

Many buyers are uncertain about spray foam insulation. Because of this uncertainty, the presence of spray foam may not necessarily be a selling feature for them.

Some buyers are educated about spray foam and the complexities of a safe installation. If they don't know the contractor who installed it, they may worry that the foam was installed by people who didn't know what they were doing.

Other buyers have heard negative stories about spray foam insulation. They may not have formed solid opinions about spray foam, but they are still cautious.

The selling feature of spray foam insulation may not entice them to bid, but it doesn't stop them from bidding.

Some Buyers Do Not Want Spray Foam Insulation In Their Home.

There are also buyers who have strong negative opinions about spray foam insulation and do not want it in their homes.

Those who have heard horror stories about failed foam gone wrong may be actively avoiding spray foam insulation.

Others may have heard about spray foam's air-sealing technology. Many contractors and homeowners believe that houses need to breathe, and the concern that a house may be made too airtight causes these buyers to avoid spray foam insulation.

If these buyers learn that the insulation is spray foam, they may avoid bidding altogether.

Spray Foam Doesn't Change Your Resale Value.

Selling features can attract certain buyers, but a selling feature doesn't increase your resale value.

Spray foam may pique the interest of buyers or drive them away, depending on their personal preference and experiences. But even if a buyer is driven to bid on your home because of the insulation, it will not reflect in the actual price of your home.

A home appraiser determines the resale value of your home. Insulation is not considered when a home appraiser determines its value.

The one exception to this rule is crawl space encapsulation. There is a potential for crawl space encapsulation to increase your resale value. The amount would depend on the home appraiser. However, encapsulation can be compared to finishing your basement. It adds enough functionality to your home to possibly recoup on financially.

It's Hard To Add Value To A House.

Home upgrades don't always translate into an increase in home value. It's a common misnomer that $30,000 of home upgrades will increase home value by $30,000.

In reality, houses are worth what the market calls for. Appraisers look at square footage, location, land, and the number of bedrooms and bathrooms.

The market value of a home changes depending on the type of upgrade. For example, taking a home from 1 bathroom to 2 bathrooms will add value to a home. Adding a fourth bathroom will not be as valuable as adding the second.

The Bottom Line About Selling A Spray Foamed House

If you choose to upgrade your home with spray foam in your attic, basement, or crawl space, your home will not be any more difficult to sell. Spray foam insulation is a selling feature that appeals to some buyers and not to others.

Spray foam won't make a difference in your resale value, but it could attract buyers who have experience with spray foam and are interested in a spray foamed house.

Now that you understand how spray foam influences your resale value, your next step is to:

• Estimate the cost of a spray foam upgrade in your house
• Discover how to save on your spray foam upgrade through a federal tax credit
• Learn how to find a qualified contractor to install your spray foam insulation