One of the benefits of owning a home instead of renting is that you can dream up projects that will increase your enjoyment of your space — and then hire a contractor to do them or do them yourself. While you might be focused on your family's comfort and enjoyment, it's also worthwhile to consider how these changes may impact the value of your home or how they might pose as potential obstacles when you're trying to sell it. This is true even if you don't have immediate plans to sell. It's easy to view most changes to your home as adding value, but this might not always be the case. Here are some major home projects that could actually be detrimental.

Installing An In-Ground Pool

The idea of an in-ground pool in your backyard might be highly favorable for your family, especially if you have children. The thought of summer pool parties is certainly a happy one, but you should realize that not every prospective home buyer likes the idea of a swimming pool. Pools require money and effort to maintain, and some buyers will automatically reject your home's listing when they see that it has a swimming pool. This shouldn't necessarily prevent you from having a pool put in — after all, many people do enjoy pools — but you might wish to think seriously about this investment.

Joining Two Rooms Together

If you have a home with small bedrooms, you might be thinking about tearing down the wall between two of the rooms to make a larger room. This can be ideal, for example, if you need extra playing space for your children or if you only have one child and there's a spare bedroom that sits empty. The issue with having this work done is that it decreases the number of bedrooms, which doesn't look good on paper. For example, a home with three bedrooms is less appealing to some buyers than one with four bedrooms.

Decorating In A Highly Unique Manner

While temporary decorations might raise some eyebrows during a home viewing, some additions can actually lower interest in your home. For example, flooring can be an issue. You might love the idea of pink carpet in your bedroom, but prospective buyers might not share your decorating tastes. Although many of these things can be fixed by the new homeowner, the expense of doing so could steer some potential buyers away.

Contact a realtor at a company like Coldwell Banker Pro West for more information.