Aside from the fact that fireplaces keep our homes warm and cozy; according to Realtor.com they add as much as 10% to the value your house! The National Center for Real Estate Research, puts the increase in value to the average home in the 6-12% range. It’s a case of investing in the short run to reap the benefits in the long run. Heat n’ Glo, a manufacturer of direct vent fireplaces, stated that approximately 91 percent of the cost of adding an “excellent” quality direct vent gas fireplace to a home can be recouped when selling the home.
These numbers don’t even take into account the annual savings due to the reduction in heating costs. Gas fireplaces provide “zone heating” which allows the homeowner to heat only those high usage rooms of the home rather than heating the whole house via the central thermostat. This way you don’t have to heat spaces that aren’t being used. Gas fireplaces owners also benefit in those periods of the year such as the Fall and Spring when it’s not cold enough for the central heat, but it’s too chilly to do without a heating system.
In a hot real estate market like Houston, Texas every additional feature on your home can get you closer to selling at your asking price. On those damp and rainy days, most potential homeowners would rather heat up next to a fireplace; a fireplace just makes cents.
