Lots of homeowners ask - will adding a sauna to my home add value to my home? Yes, it will. Adding a sauna into the home does increase the value of the home, by about the same value that you invest in the sauna. Which is nice, because along with all the health benefits and social benefits that come with the sauna, the investment will also pay for itself later on. The main concept of installing a sauna is the cost pays for itself. You will see this in more robust health. Also, if you have a gym membership to use a sauna, you can cancel that. With the money you save on the membership plus the cost of putting gas in your car that you'd normally pay to go to the gym, this should help justify the cost of installing a sauna in the home.
Desirability of your home
Desirability of your home is something different then monetary value. There are lots of good health benefits to using a steam or infrared sauna, however, keep in mind who is looking to purchase your home. We talk about this more below.
Great ideas to increase desirability
Just adding a sauna does not increase desirability of your home. What does the sauna look like? Where is it positioned? Is it convenient for people to use? Say an older couple are interested in buying your home. If the sauna is located in the basement, and your swimming pool is outside, it's not convenient to walk water through the house in order to use the sauna. So - where your sauna is located can be one point regarding desirability.
The next question - how does your sauna look? Is your sauna in disrepair? Or is it in great shape? The appearance of your sauna is something that will draw the attention of anyone coming to look at your home.
If you own a hot tub or swimming pool, how that looks is also an influencer. Make sure the pool is clean, tidy, and nothing is floating in it when people come to take a look a the home. Clean the pool often and use chemicals or whatever the pool requires, in order to make sure the pool appears tidy and in good shape when people come to look.
Identify the age group and type of buyer
If you have a family who are looking to purchase your home, safety concerns with the sauna can be an issue if there is younger children. Before you start your sauna build project, ask yourself - who is going to by my home when I sell? Who is the best person I want to be selling to? And also - who lives in the neighborhood right now? If all of your neighbors are families, and you live in a family kind of area, then it's likely you'll be selling to a family as well. They may or may not be interested in purchasing a home with a sauna in it. For some people, their faces will light up and they will be very interested, because no one else on the block has one. However, if you know of a few homes in the neighborhood with a sauna that are for sale, you may want to hold off if you plan on selling the home soon. This sets you apart. If no one around has a sauna, and you do, you might have the upper hand. Do your research in your neighborhood first to determine what the regular asking price is nearby, how long it takes a home to sell, what the demand is on homes in the area, etc.
To sum up - a few points about value of sauna in the home
Eliminating gym memberships and the cost to put gas in your car to go there, these reduced or removed costs may help justify the cost of the saunaDon't break the bank - install a sauna which is useful for your purpose (# of people)Buying a sauna that is too large leads to large expenses to install and run (energy) and wasted spaceFriends family and neighbors would love to get invited over to use the sauna (social aspect)Healthier lifestyle, reduces stress
