Why hasn't upgrading added value to our home?
Over the past six years we have spent up to €50,000 upgrading our three-bed semi in west Dublin - bought new six years ago - believing it would add value when we came to sell on.

A few of the things we did include: flooring downstairs with American oak, replacing the builder's cheap bathroom fittings and tiling and adding a conservatory. Landscaping the back garden alone - with Indian sandstone and a water feature - cost €12,000. Now we want to trade up and two estate agents have priced our house at only between €10,000 and €15,000 more than another house on the road which is also for sale and which we know has had nothing done to it. Every single magazine we read tells us that doing up your house adds value but this hasn't. Why?

Are the agents wrong? Put yourself in the mind of a buyer on the hunt for a three-bed starter home. In your area there is probably a wide choice of similar houses for sale (and maybe even newbuilds) and a buyer presented with a list of houses will look at those that are in and around the same price. A conservatory, which translates into extra space, is a valuable difference between your house and next door's and explains the price difference. After that, it's down to taste and this can be difficult to quantify and see as "adding value". Your oak floor and garden sound lovely and you probably got great pleasure from them - which is what your first thought should always be when considering home improvements. But you have to accept that they may not be to everyone's taste. Spending €12,000 on a garden does not automatically translate into a €12,000 increase in value. For every buyer who thinks your garden is worth it, there will be others who see your pond as a death trap for a toddler and just want a patch of grass to put a climbing frame on. What you do have is a competitive edge on other sellers in your area and that is important, particularly in this slow market. Make sure your photos reflect how desirable your house is. Once the agent gets viewers in, it will be up to him/her to start the hard sell, to point out the immense improvements you have made and why it's worth paying extra for your house.

Can I find out who appealed development?

A builder was granted planning permission to demolish a house in our estate and build two in its place. There was talk among the neighbours about appealing but I don't know what happened. Can I find out if anyone appealed - and what they said (even though I don't want to get directly involved or make a personal objection)?

There is an easy-to-use - and anonymous - search facility on the An Bord Pleanála website (www.pleanala.ie). You don't have to be party to the process to search the site, and you can see what appeals have been lodged. But the details of the appeals process as it relates to a particular case aren't available until after the case has been determined.

When the board has made its decision, all files relating to a case can be inspected at the board's offices. The inspector's report is published online on the board's website shortly after the case is determined.

Other files relating to an appeal or other cases (maps, photographs, letters, etc) are not published online by the board, but many of these may be available on the website of the relevant planning authority.

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