August 2023: Home Improvement Ideas That Don't Pay Off

I had the pleasure of sitting down at Ten Prime Steak & Sushi in Providence RI. As you can imagine, Ten Prime Steak & Sushi specializes in designer rolls & aged meats, which draws customers into their swank fixture. They also offer a raw bar and a happy hour menu, pretty awesome right? To start things off, I had to break out of my comfort zone and try something that I usually don’t order, which was the Sushi Sandwich. This wasn’t your typical sandwich with toasted sliced white bread, deli, and condiments. The Sushi Sandwich consists of tuna, salmon, hibachi, spicy mayo, sriracha, and I decided to splurge by spending an extra $2 to have it grilled with truffle oil. I’ll tell you; this was very good and very rich. Sushi, in my opinion, is generally on the lighter side, but the truffle oil really brought the richness out on this. I liked it, but I didn’t love it and feel that the extra $2 spent should have stayed in my pocket so I could have tried this without being grilled in truffle oil. For the main course, I went with my favorite piece of steak, a filet mignon. This was absolutely delicious and I was so happy that I ordered this because I really left this place in a great mood after eating that great piece of steak. On the FoodiePhil scale, the Sushi Sandwich gets a 7.6 rating, but the filet more than makes up for it with an 8.8. Overall, Ten Prime Steak and Sushi gets an 8.2 on the FoodiePhil scale. This is the first time I’ve done a review in Providence, but it certainly will not be the last.

Where should I go next?! Send me your recommendations!

In this week's newsletter, I want to talk about three home upgrades that just don’t pay off and why you should hold of on considering making these types of purchases based on Real Simple's recent article.

1. The Latest Electronics
2. A Chef’s Kitchen
3. Wall-to-Wall Carpeting

1. A Shift to Include Borrower's Rent

Having the newest technology and latest electronic devices is great to have, especially when they first come out, but one thing to consider here is that they won’t be the latest electronics for too long because newer electronics are coming out very quickly. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, everyone was installing the latest phone systems, hiding the wires behind walls and baseboards. These days, no one even has landlines! The downfall of “investing” in the latest electronics is that they depreciate quicker than cars. If you do need to have the latest electronics in your home, do it at your own discretion and do not look at it as an investment.

2. A Chef's Kitchen

WA chef’s kitchen is another one of those remodels that you don’t really need to do. Don’t get me wrong, it is very important to have an updated kitchen (updated cabinets, refrigerator, freezer, etc.). But, adding extremely expensive countertops, or a $10,000 chef’s stove, will not add value to your home. Many realtors these days are recommending not to even remodel kitchens at all. Bonnie Lendenbaum of Warburg Realty states “I usually suggest they sell the home ‘as is’ and include the cost they might incur in the negotiations. This allows the buyer to renovate to their liking, the seller to put it on the market quicker, and both parties walk away happier.” I do not think it is a wise decision to go overboard on certain aspects of the home that wouldn’t be considered a necessity, but more of a want. Not only does this save you money from forking out money left and right for the expensive appliances, it also saves you from thinking that making these upgrades will increase the cost of your home.

3. Wall-to-Wall Carpeting

Let’s be real…wall-to-wall carpeting is totally a thing of the past. It reminds me of my college dorm days where the carpet was so outdated it felt like I was taking a trip back to the 1960s. It might feel nice to get out of bed and be able to walk on soft carpeting, but at this point, it is just so out of date, especially if there is too much of it throughout the home. The only place that carpeting should go in a home is bedrooms; wood floor or tile should be used for the areas that have higher traffic in the home as they are more durable and easier to clean. On top of that, wood floors look so much better and more up-to-date compared to carpeting. My best advice, stay far away from wall-to-wall carpeting and only put carpeting in a select few rooms of the house, but really, stick to the hardwood or tile flooring.

Having the latest electronics and a chef’s kitchen sound like a great idea, and for some, these are must-haves, but realistically, these are poor decisions in the updating/remodeling process. Think about what you really need, instead of what you really want.

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