Copper gutters and resale value

[Anonymous]

I need to fix some gutters in my house. I can spend about $1500 with white aluminum gutters, or about $5,000 to replace all gutters with copper. I love the look of copper but a $3,500 price difference is not trivial. How does having copper gutters increase curb appeal and ultimately resale value. This is for a $1.1M house in Bethesda/Chevy Chase if it matters.

[Anonymous]

I doubt you would get your money back on resale. I'd also be concerned that the copper gutters might get stolen, because it has happened in our neighborhood (Upper NWDC).

Depending on the style of your house, I'd consider the half-round aluminum gutters over the standard shape.

[Anonymous]

If I were looking at houses and one had copper gutters I would think it was interesting/a plus. But I wouldn't pay more for them. I got copper flashing on our roof because I like the look and we want to be here a long time (possibly forever) but I think most buyers just want to know: does the roof need any repairs or not, not "are these materials top-of-the-line?" Same for gutters.

For spending extra money that makes a difference, to you and potentially buyers, get gutter guards. We don't have to pay to clean out the gutters annually and that's an actual benefit, not just a neat look.

[Anonymous]

get a different color than white

[Anonymous]

Don't get copper. Having to worry about people stealing your gutters when not at home is not a plus.

[Anonymous]

As someone who was in the market for 1.1M homes in Chevy Chase recently, I would definitely not have paid more because a house had copper gutters. They might look nice (although I probably wouldn't have noticed until it was pointed out to me, my priority was location and interior layout) but I don't want the theft risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I were looking at houses and one had copper gutters I would think it was interesting/a plus. But I wouldn't pay more for them. I got copper flashing on our roof because I like the look and we want to be here a long time (possibly forever) but I think most buyers just want to know: does the roof need any repairs or not, not "are these materials top-of-the-line?" Same for gutters.

For spending extra money that makes a difference, to you and potentially buyers, get gutter guards. We don't have to pay to clean out the gutters annually and that's an actual benefit, not just a neat look.

I wish we didn't have gutter guards, and we actually removed those on our porch roof when it was redone. Leaves find a way in anyway, and cleaning is much more difficult when you still have to do it. We have willow oaks on our street and those narrow leaves easily slip through the guards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were looking at houses and one had copper gutters I would think it was interesting/a plus. But I wouldn't pay more for them. I got copper flashing on our roof because I like the look and we want to be here a long time (possibly forever) but I think most buyers just want to know: does the roof need any repairs or not, not "are these materials top-of-the-line?" Same for gutters.

For spending extra money that makes a difference, to you and potentially buyers, get gutter guards. We don't have to pay to clean out the gutters annually and that's an actual benefit, not just a neat look.

I wish we didn't have gutter guards, and we actually removed those on our porch roof when it was redone. Leaves find a way in anyway, and cleaning is much more difficult when you still have to do it. We have willow oaks on our street and those narrow leaves easily slip through the guards.

That sucks. We have elms and sycamores nearby, so nothing with narrow leaves that can get past the guards.

[Anonymous]

Are we talking about the difference of 2k on the resale value of 1.1m or am I missing something and it’s 3k vs 1.5k per gutter? If the overall price difference between the two is 2k, that’s like .2% of your resale value. I think if you can comfortably afford 3k and you like copper, go for it without worrying whether you recoup the difference when you resell for over $1 million. Choose what makes you happy!

[Anonymous]

PP and realize I misread, oops!! Still seems like a negligible percentage (~.3%) in resale value- so if you can afford the 5k, do it! Enjoy your house while you’re there.

[Anonymous]

Copper gutters? You are definitely going to come home to no gutters one day.

[Anonymous]

Our house had copper gutters and when we renovated we went with aluminum rather than do new copper. Honestly I don't even notice them and I tend to pay attention to stuff like that. Ours are white and they blend in with the trim. We have had a couple of rounds of copper gutter thefts in our neighborhood where they were just ripped right off the house in the middle of the night. It was actually a relief not to worry about that when they were happening. I would definitely not care about gutter materials when buying a house.