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Old 07-21-2014, 10:11 AM   #3
Sliver
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Paying more for a walk-out is a joke. The only reason they even build walk-outs is out of necessity due to the slope of the land.

I built a new house in 2002 and it was a walk-out. Lived there for about six years and loved everything about the house, except for the fact that it was a walk-out.

Trust me on this, you will use your backyard way less if you live in a walk-out. A standard house usually has a very accessible backyard. With a walk-out, you will be carrying your shoes through the basement (and asking your friends to do the same) to access the yard. If your barbecue is on the deck, that's one story up. It really separates you from the action in the yard if you are up there manning the grill.

You can build a giant staircase down from your deck, but that is expensive, takes up space, and again is a slight deterrent to just walking out and enjoying your yard. Plus if you're entertaining/eating/drinking in the backyard, the kitchen is a long way away.

Another thing if you like a neat yard/house, is you likely will be looking down into other peoples' yards. I have found that most people are slobs and don't keep a neat yard and especially don't keep it neat between the side of their house and their fence. You are going to be looking down into that mess forever. It drove me nuts. Plus since this is a new build, you'll be shocked at many lazy POS's don't sod right away so you'll be looking at weeds and dirt for years potentially.

When builders sell walk-outs as a bonus, they must laugh themselves to sleep every night. It has to be the highest margin "feature" they sell. If I could start a business that only sold walk-out lots I'd be the richest man in Calgary.
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