All the focus on [new urbanism](http://matrix.millersamuelv2.wpenginepowered.com/?p=381) and all the marketing hype placed on the dreaded cliche _lifestyle_ in new development and re-sale of real estate, has made many forget the non-practical (do we hear _pet spa_?) until its too late.

After the marketing hype passes on a property sale, some new property owners realize they don’t have some of the basic amenities they really want.

Teri Roger’s article on [having a washer/dryer in your own apartment [NYT]](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/realestate/23cover.html) covered more detail about these cherished appliances than I thought was humanly possible yet still kept me interested. _[Spin cyle: she [referenced my firm](https://millersamuel.com) so it had to be a good read. -ed]_

Its an age old issue in urban housing made more complicated by the housing boom – owners in older buildings are concerned about overwhelming ancient plumbing yet prices have risen so much that potential or new owners are amazed when they don’t have the right to have them in their units. Moving trends from suburbs to cities have made this issue more important than ever before. Clandestine installs in unmarked boxes have provided sales opportunities to appliance sellers.

>In terms of real dollars, it isn’t so much what a washer-dryer adds to an apartment’s value as what its absence subtracts. This can be a deal killer for a certain type of buyer, particularly families with young children, and a price buster for a certain type of dwelling.

Sometimes its the little things that mean a lot.