Split-Level Homes Keep Attracting Buyers in Many Regions

Millions of Baby Boomers grew up in split-level homes, and many of these residences are on the selling block today. Realtors say buyers hardly ever set out on a quest for such properties, preferring colonials instead. But such homes still have appeal largely because they are larger than Cape Cods and ranches but more less expensive than colonials. Split-levels can be found in many regions of the country, particularly in neighborhoods developed in the years after World War II. Minnesota architects Robert Gerloff and Jeremiah Battles penned an online guide to renovating these homes, titled “Split Visions.” They wrote: “Splits offered a unique separation of social space, with bedrooms perched a half-story above the formal living space and the informal living space found a half-story below.” Furthermore, they shake up “the traditional American pattern of formal rooms on the main level with bedrooms upstairs and a full basement below.” The challenge is making them look appealing and somewhat fresh to modern house-hunters. According to Keller Williams Valley Realty agent Eileen Meehan, buyers of split-levels are “typically driven by price and neighborhood” rather than a craving for this particular style of architecture. | Read More