Most likely 'ill buy it depending on pics available to see the layout
"HONGZ" stands for HO scale, N scale, G scale, and Z scale.
Post your non-O scale stuff here!
Every case I heard of, the realtor advised removal before even showing the home. Chances of someone being interested in the layout, much less paying for it, are slim to none.
Would I buy Probably not, unless it was O gauge 3 rail. Would I sell, Depends how big my layout was. But probably not.
As long as I am in my home the layout will remain. I don't have any immediate plans to move at this point but if that ever becomes a reality to me the trains room will be a huge undertaking. I often think about the work it would take to disassemble it. The plan is to continue the layout in an adjacent room which will necessitate putting a hole in the wall. Not a big deal but several minor repairs to walls and such would need to be done. For me the train room will take the most time to pack up and make buyer ready. This, like my mortality, is not a pleasant thing to think about but it is inevitable.
I am 99.9% sure that any potential buyers in my neighborhood would not be interested in a model train layout. Since I moved in my brand new home over 10 years ago, the neighborhood now has almost 30% renters and several of my original neighbors have moved. So, yeah the layout would have to go!
The only way I would purchase a home with a layout already in is if the layout was only partially done and could have modifications to suit my vision. Of course it would have to be 0 Scale as well. That's probably not going to happen. A big part of the fun of this hobby is the construction process so clearly a part of me would feel empty if I just walked into a home with a completed layout, even if the layout was world-class.
Dave
I would not likely buy a home with a train layout in it because the layout building aspect of the hobby is a large part of what I enjoy the most. Would rather be involved with building what I want (my vision for the thing), not what someone else wanted.
And since my wife is a good bit younger than me, I have designed my current layout (not much more than basic framework at this point) so it can be rather easily dismantled and the train room used for some other purpose by the next occupant. I have already advised my wife to NOT try to sell the house with the layout in it. Almost any realtor will tell you that kind of "add on" feature is not a strong selling point with 99.9% of prospective buyers. Yes, you might get really, really lucky, but the odds are very much against that happening.
I would tell the woman to sell it to a dealer of some sort, hope to get 30% of the value and save yourself a lot of pain. Be glad your father enjoyed it. There is no value to sentimentality. One exception-if Norm C. wanted to sell me his house with his complete layout- I would do it.
One thing about the Midwest the layout will get lots of use during the winter.
Mikey
"Every case I heard of, the realtor advised removal before even showing the home. Chances of someone being interested in the layout, much less paying for it, are slim to none".
Same goes for West Australia. Nobody wants a house cluttered with a layout. Roo.
SDIV Tim, Here are some more pics of the layout. Let me know what you think. You can email me directly at seanhummel@hotmail.com. Sean H.
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Similar to buying a house with a car or wife that was included. If it was very close to what I wanted then I might. Otherwise, no. But I wouldn't buy a house with a pool either.
Here is one I have never heard of, that is until about 3 weeks ago. My son lives in a “very nice” subdivision about 3 miles away. His next door neighbor Recently put his house up for sale and was offered full asking price, but only if the contract included the family dog. The seller, who is older and down-sizing agreed. The deal has already closed.
I could never do that as I feel that a dog is a family member. But that’s me.
There have been a few instances where "name" model railroad layout builders have tried to sell a home with their layout as a selling feature...I'm not aware of it ever being successful.
Jeff C
Where is the home for sale.
SantaFeJim posted:Here is one I have never heard of, that is until about 3 weeks ago. My son lives in a “very nice” subdivision about 3 miles away. His next door neighbor Recently put his house up for sale and was offered full asking price, but only if the contract included the family dog. The seller, who is older and down-sizing agreed. The deal has already closed.
I could never do that as I feel that a dog is a family member. But that’s me.
It's very likely there are many more dog lovers than model railroad lovers...
Rusty
I could never do that no matter what. Kids ?? Yes. Wife? Think about it but not my dog or cat.
This story has been done in O gauge and captured in print and video by Tom McComas.....in Great Toy Train Layouts of America....book and video.....
North Jersey.....late 80s a fellow in North Jersey was moving to the midwest for work. Ron Zweig bought the house with the partially finished layout (benchwork, track and switches laid out) and completed it. It's been featured in many videos. In fact, the former owner of the house moved back to Jersey and helped him complete it.
I'm sure this story will jog some memories......
I know CTT ran an article....I'm unsure if OGR did.....Allan or Ed may be able to tell us.
I got this from a You Tube search:
I would say this is a truly unique situation. When we left our old house, I dismantled our 14x26 attic layout in late 2003.
By the way, he will turn 26 in August....
Peter
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The house is located in Cooper City, Florida (South Florida).
Why can't a realtor say that the layout will be removed prior to the real estate closing. Maybe the description of the property can say that the train room can be used as a extra TV room or bedroom after the layout is removed.
I think a nice layout would look better than a dismantled room when showing a home to prospective buyer.
I think a nice layout would look better than a dismantled room when showing a home to prospective buyer.
Therein lies the reason. The buyer wouldn't have any assurances on the condition of the space after the train layout was dismantled. Buyers want to see what the space looks like.
C W Burfle posted:I think a nice layout would look better than a dismantled room when showing a home to prospective buyer.
Therein lies the reason. The buyer wouldn't have any assurances on the condition of the space after the train layout was dismantled. Buyers want to see what the space looks like.
I can see your point. Good thing I don't sell real estate!
In our tiny little Boston house we have a tiny little layout in the basement. Not worried about selling as I am confident that two wacks from a sledge would dismantle it faster than you can say purchase and sale.
I would consider the lay-out as one of many factors. It will certainly not be exactly what I want, so where does it figure into the price? Are the trains included? (THAT is a major factor). What condition is it in? How easy would it be for me to change things?
And as much as I love model trains, the boss...I mean...my wife...and I have to want the house itself.
Easy one. Nope and nope.
Built this as my live-in-forever home and same for the layout. We designed it around the large basement train room.
One of the grandsons can help grandma take care of it ... later.
After grandma goes, and I'm gone ... probably won't care any longer what happens to it all.
Fantastic home and layout
House was sold and the layout was demolished two weeks ago.
dkdkrd posted:Just my opinion...
I don't understand the subject owner's reticence. Regardless of the outcome, he won't have the layout anymore. If he's adamant to find a kindred spirit, he's really not ready to move. That sort of effort should've been done LONG ago.....perhaps through a Del Webb community hobbyist associate/network. Was he part of a club? If so, had he appealed to fellow members to assist in finding that kindred spirit/buyer?
And if these early efforts bore no fruit, then it's time to let it go. Again, regardless of the outcome, he won't have the layout anymore....if he's really ready to move.
If it's a case of not having the heart to tear it down yourself, that's understandable. Accept a home buyer's discount to have it removed, the room restored.
It seems to me that when a layout like this is built, it's a labor of love on the part of its creator. If that was done without any regard for future possibilities...like a move... while we can yet fog a mirror, then it's not worth fretting over.
BUT....before I would ever do such a thing, I would take premium efforts to have it well documented in pictures, videos, oral and written narrative of the layout's creation/operation. It deserves at least that much.
My wife and I have no kids. When we're gone, the whole kit and caboodle will be someone else's problem. That said, we designed the layout to come apart fairly easily. Very. very little construction involved the use of adhesives. No nails. Pounds and pounds of screws, bolts, T-nuts. Even the scenery is typically built in removable modules. If someone wants to salvage anything about the layout, it's easily done with minimal damage...with time and effort. In a hurry?......sledge hammers, tiger saws, and a huge dumpster in the driveway will shorten the effort, for sure. Their choice, of course.hat's often the best way to preserve a legacy in this hobby, anyway.
This subject brings to mind a thought I had while cleaning out years of worthless, untouched 'stuff' from the basement. Among the 'stuff' was years and years of old railroad hobby magazines. As I paged through them I took note of some photo spreads/articles about famous, grand, glorious, renowned layouts of all scales. And I wondered?.....'What ever happened to them?' I thought this would be a nice bit of memory lane stuff....tracking down the final stories behind these layouts. Not all of them would probably deserve the recognition, say, of a John Allen Gorre & Daphetid, or Frank Ellison's Delta Lines. But some of them were clearly labors of love and admirable skill. And, yet, hearing the story of their demise or neglect probably isn't the sort of 'encouragement' we'd like to read....as we continue with our own efforts.
All in all, it's sort of a sad situation. I wish the owners well. Mostly I wish for them healthful days ahead...with great memories and no regrets.
KD
KD,
I thought the original question was about buying a house with a layout or selling a house with a layout?
I would not buy a home with a layout.
I have no problem selling my home to someone if they wanted to keep the layout... less work for me.
Charlie
I would buy a home with a layout in it, but would not pay anything beyond the value of the home itself. Everyone has a different vision.
dkdkrd posted:Just my opinion...
I don't understand the subject owner's reticence. Regardless of the outcome, he won't have the layout anymore. If he's adamant to find a kindred spirit, he's really not ready to move. That sort of effort should've been done LONG ago.....perhaps through a Del Webb community hobbyist associate/network. Was he part of a club? If so, had he appealed to fellow members to assist in finding that kindred spirit/buyer?
And if these early efforts bore no fruit, then it's time to let it go. Again, regardless of the outcome, he won't have the layout anymore....if he's really ready to move.
If it's a case of not having the heart to tear it down yourself, that's understandable. Accept a home buyer's discount to have it removed, the room restored.
It seems to me that when a layout like this is built, it's a labor of love on the part of its creator. If that was done without any regard for future possibilities...like a move... while we can yet fog a mirror, then it's not worth fretting over.
BUT....before I would ever do such a thing, I would take premium efforts to have it well documented in pictures, videos, oral and written narrative of the layout's creation/operation. It deserves at least that much.
My wife and I have no kids. When we're gone, the whole kit and caboodle will be someone else's problem. That said, we designed the layout to come apart fairly easily. Very. very little construction involved the use of adhesives. No nails. Pounds and pounds of screws, bolts, T-nuts. Even the scenery is typically built in removable modules. If someone wants to salvage anything about the layout, it's easily done with minimal damage...with time and effort. In a hurry?......sledge hammers, tiger saws, and a huge dumpster in the driveway will shorten the effort, for sure. Their choice, of course.hat's often the best way to preserve a legacy in this hobby, anyway.
This subject brings to mind a thought I had while cleaning out years of worthless, untouched 'stuff' from the basement. Among the 'stuff' was years and years of old railroad hobby magazines. As I paged through them I took note of some photo spreads/articles about famous, grand, glorious, renowned layouts of all scales. And I wondered?.....'What ever happened to them?' I thought this would be a nice bit of memory lane stuff....tracking down the final stories behind these layouts. Not all of them would probably deserve the recognition, say, of a John Allen Gorre & Daphetid, or Frank Ellison's Delta Lines. But some of them were clearly labors of love and admirable skill. And, yet, hearing the story of their demise or neglect probably isn't the sort of 'encouragement' we'd like to read....as we continue with our own efforts.
All in all, it's sort of a sad situation. I wish the owners well. Mostly I wish for them healthful days ahead...with great memories and no regrets.
KD
I consider this an intelligent, thoughtful post. I was intrigued by the part about great railroad lay-outs of the past. Eventually, everything has to go.
BobbyD posted:House was sold and the layout was demolished two weeks ago.
Sorry to hear about the layout. Hope they got their asking price on the home.
After a great deal of thought and consideration, we decided to tear down the layout. My decision was based, in large part, on the comments that I received on this forum, which really spoke to me and made sense. A train layout is very personal to the owner and a good part of it is the design, development, and build-out of the layout itself. I know that my father really enjoyed the design and buildout stage (even though he had someone else build it for him) and he was involved in the whole process. He also got the benefit of being able to use and enjoy the layout for many years. I did manage to save all of the trains and some of the accessories. But the layout itself had to go. Now the room is completely empty. From a marketing perspective, I think we stand a much better chance at finding a buyer for the house now, since the room is actually the largest one in the entire house and can be used or converted into just about anything. At any rate, thanks to all of you for your input. I feel good about my final decision and I am glad that I sought the advice of the helpful members of this forum.
Sean H.
We are currently in what we consider as our "final house". The boys can deal with the layout when I'm dead and gone. The benchwork is all assembled with screws. It technically would be possible to disassemble if someone chose to do so.
As for buying someone else's layout, if is were anything other than O 3 Rail, nope. Even then it would depend upon a lot of factors.
Sean H posted:"After a great deal of thought and consideration, we decided to tear down the layout." "I feel good about my final decision and I am glad that I sought the advice of the helpful members of this forum."
Sean H.
Sean, your feelings on the issue are all that truly matter.
645 posted:And when one gets tired of playing with the little trains on this layout the Illinois Railway Museum is just northwest of Huntley so one could go to IRM and play with the real stuff - steam, diesel and electric as IRM operates all three!
IIRC in another post the real estate taxes were nearing $13,000 per year, (no idea how high$$ they will be after the sale) so I wouldn't have gas money after paying that.
For what it's worth, that Sun City community in Huntley with the original posted house has quite a large and active model railroading club with big layouts in O, HO and outside in G.
Save the layout, tear down the house.
A friend just forwarded a YouTube video of this layout, and a search led me back to this thread. Does anyone know how the story ended?
I answered that question 40 years ago. I moved my layout 6 times in that time span to 5 houses in 5 states (one time it was in storage as we lived in an apartment). I fact it was started in a foreign country, Jamaica. I did not cost me to move it as it went with house hold furniture and the moves were paid for my my employer or future employer.
Charlie
I was referring to Pete Walton's layout, which was the subject of the original post from 2018...
Mallard4468 posted:A friend just forwarded a YouTube video of this layout, and a search led me back to this thread. Does anyone know how the story ended?
Hi Mallard4468
Pete did sell his house :-)
However the layout did not make it :-(
There are several magazine articles & videos of Pete's amazing layout and that is what we have to remember, about the layout and this model railroad story.
Hope this helps: Gary 🚂
trainroomgary posted:Mallard4468 posted:A friend just forwarded a YouTube video of this layout, and a search led me back to this thread. Does anyone know how the story ended?
Hi Mallard4468
Pete did sell his house :-)
However the layout did not make it :-(
There are several magazine articles & videos of Pete's amazing layout and that is what we have to remember, about the layout and this model railroad story.
Hope this helps: Gary 🚂
Thanks for the update. Too bad it didn't have a happier ending.
Seems to me that we've seen more stories recently where people build their layouts, or at least key scenes, in a modular fashion so that it can be moved if necessary. IMO, that's a good trend. But it's difficult to do when building world-class scenery like that layout.
