Marketers and salespeople add the label ‘luxury’ to anything they can get away with nowadays—cars, holidays, restaurants, and of course, houses. The word has a powerful psychological effect on purchasing decisions. In a bid to sell homes quicker and for a higher value, many estate agents will list a house as a luxury when it doesn’t quite live up to the word conjures’ images.
To save yourself time and money, it’s essential to know what exactly qualifies a house as a luxury. While there are no hard and fast rules, using a highly rated real estate agent diminishes the chances of being led astray by wishful marketing. We spoke with the team at top10realestateagent.com.au about what really makes a luxury house; they said are a few things to look out for that every luxury house should have.
Home Gym
Going to the gym takes a lot of effort, and much of it is expended before you have even arrived. You have to put on your gym gear, get in your car, and sit in traffic. Not a very luxurious affair. In modern life, time is the most precious resource, and this whole process can be enough to put many people off going to the gym altogether.
This is why every luxury house should have its own home gym, where you can work out whenever the mood catches you. True luxury is exercising in your own space, away from other people, and not having to fight other gym members to use a machine. Home gyms should come equipped with all the essential exercise equipment you need to have a good home workout session. On top of this, a luxury home gym should be fitted with a television, a good sound system, aircon, and have a bathroom attached.
Smart Technology
Technology that not too long ago belonged solely to science fiction’s realms is now an achievable reality. Everything nowadays is smart, and the internet of things brings digital connections even to mundane objects like your kettle and doorbell.
Convenience and luxury go hand in hand, and a house isn’t smart, then it isn’t luxury. You can control every aspect of modern homes without having to leave your seat. You can monitor security cameras on your phone from anywhere on the globe and be alerted when movement is detected in your home when it should be empty. Tasks can be set to lock and unlock doors at certain times of the day or after periods of inactivity. It’s not only security; you can run a bath, heat your hot tub, activate lawn sprinklers, turn on lights, music, and appliances, all from an app on your smartphone.
A spa-like Bathroom
After a long hard day at work, you want to be able to relax and unwind in style, and every luxury home should have a bathroom that gives you the feeling of being at your very own personal spa. Luxury isn’t just about having more space; it is the fittings and decor that make a bathroom luxurious. First of all, the shower needs to be out of this world.
A walk-in shower with seating and rain and steam settings is the minimum here. Add to this large tub, complete with air and water jets to blast away your aches and pains. There should, of course, be radiant underfloor heating, double vanities, heated towel racks, and a heated toilet seat. A sunken bathtub, skylights, and an open fireplace will give a bathroom even more of a spa-link ambiance and rank a house in the top tiers of luxury.
There’s No Gold Standard
Although there are various features, as outlined above, that can qualify a house as a luxury; it ultimately comes down to personal preference and taste and what your needs and desires are for house hunting. Following the trends seen in magazines and social media can help sell a house, but if the current trends do not appeal to you, you won’t take full advantage of the features. Like all purchasing decisions, it’s essential to have a firm idea of exactly what you want from a luxury house, rather than being caught up in sales hype.
