Having quick access to a sauna is a wonderful amenity. Being able to visit one multiple times a week will help boost your overall health and well-being. And since the high heat increases your cardiac output, it is almost like doing light exercise. To make sauna use even more convenient, many homeowners have opted to install a sauna directly inside their homes. However, if you plan to move, is a home sauna a good choice? Does a sauna add value to your home?
Adding a sauna to your home can certainly add monetary value to it, however, the local market plays a crucial role in this. Contact your bank and home appraisers to find out how they feel about its value. In many cases, a sauna is a great value-add but not in others.
Saunas in homes are definitely a convenient amenity. When you want to use the sauna, all you have to do is walk a few feet. The ease-of-use and convenience factors are the value drivers most homeowners consider when installing a sauna in their homes. However, from a monetary standpoint, it may or may not add resale value to the house.
Will a Sauna Add Value to Your Home?
In many cases, saunas could add some value to your home, but not always the amount of money you put into the sauna addition. Sometimes it adds less value than what you paid, sometimes more, and other times nothing at all.
Appraisals are what determines the value of your property, and depending on the appraiser and the local market, saunas like this one (on Amazon) may not be a desirable home feature. Moreover, how the sauna has been installed and what kind of unit it is, plays a big role in this as well.
Therefore, determining if saunas add value to your home and how much value they could add is highly complex. If you have a large house that can easily fit an at-home sauna, it may add value, especially if saunas are desirable in the local market. On the other hand, if you have a modest home and the addition of the sauna takes up too much floor space and makes the home cramped, it could decrease the value.
When it comes to appraisals, there are many nuances involved when determining the value of homes. Therefore, the best way to determine if a sauna will add value to your home is to ask a local real estate professional and appraiser. They should be able to tell you from experience the value a sauna could add to your home.
With that being said, many homeowners and real estate agents have reported that saunas add value to your home in the same way a renovated bathroom does. This increase in value is especially true if the buyer is interested in an at-home sauna.
How is Home Sauna Value Determined?
The value of a home sauna is determined through an appraisal of your property and home. Most appraisers will take the sauna into account when they do their appraisal process. The value of the sauna will be included in the value of your home when you sell it.
The appraisal process usually starts when you get a mortgage that is approved through the bank, which requires an appraisal. This means the appraiser has to agree on the value of the sauna when they submit their appraisal to the bank and the buyer.
If you spend $10,000 on your home sauna and the appraiser only values your home $5,000 higher than before you had the sauna, that can be a frustrating experience. On the other hand, other appraisers may value your home above what you paid for your sauna installation.
How Saunas Can Add Value
A sauna addition to your home doesn’t have to be an expensive one. If you install a sauna in an easily accessible part of your home, it is more likely to add value than if you were to install it in a damp corner in a dark, unfinished basement for example.
Placing the sauna somewhere intuitive and where it flows with the home’s layout is your best bet in increasing the value of your home. However, your ideal sauna may not be the perfect sauna for potential buyers. So, if you plan on selling your home in the near future and plan to add a sauna now, don’t do anything too creative or off the wall with it. Keep it basic to ensure the value of the home increases.
For example, you wouldn’t want to paint the rooms in your house hot pink and puke green before you plan to sell. The same logic applies to saunas: don’t do anything weird with them, like install them in your attic or the kitchen, moreover, while a portable sauna like this one on Amazon is great, it’s not going to do anything for the value of your home.
Home Sauna Appraisal Values
Depending on your home’s area, appraisers may add value to your house for a sauna feature. At the same time, other appraisers might record no extra value for a sauna. Usually, most appraisers will follow the regional trend. In other words, if other appraisers are adding extra value for saunas in homes, they will follow suit. However, that is not a guarantee.
In many areas across the country, saunas are seen as a value-add feature to homes. They require almost no upkeep (except semi-regular cleaning with our guide as a reference) – unlike hot tubs and pools, which require a significant amount of maintenance.
Additionally, saunas provide substantial health benefits when used routinely, and what better way to ensure routine use with direct access in your own home! Lastly, while saunas do take up floor space, they don’t take up a huge amount. A small, 3 by 4-foot sauna can be nestled into large master bathrooms or in areas like the basement next to a home gym or bathroom for quick access after workouts and for quick showers.
However, home saunas can also be as large as 8 by 10 feet, taking up a significant amount of space. Always contact professional appraisers in your area to determine how much value a sauna can add to your home.
