Agree with Steve. I did the same thing with my last house too. Small details make all the difference and that tank is no small detail. People might even worry a out effects the tank has had on the house. With no tank there you remove all risks.

I know you live your tank so you guys must have some pretty awesome prospects to be heading in this direction. Good luck!

+1

I've preveously sold two houses where I had fish tanks and the feedback I got from the first house that had a 90g in it was that the buyers LOVED the look of the tank, but then got worried about all the details like water spills, humidity, mold, weight on the floor. All that stuff turned them off even if they thought it looked cool. Second house I sold I dismantled the tank well before I put it up for sale and it sold within a couple of days of listing.

+1 for Nate as well. He does exactly what you're looking for and is a great guy.

FWIW, we bought a house 3 years ago with a built in SW tank, and downstairs sump. It was just chance, but after we saw the house and the tank, it became a selling (buying) feature for us.

That's how I got started with this crazy hobby... And have since added a 2nd larger tank downstairs....

But we love it. The main DT tank (built in) is actually in the kitchen just in front of a large island. It is always the focal point, when we have visitors over.

Well you've all given me a lot to think about. I think I love this thing too much to rip it out without knowing if I have to. We can't have a possession date before September 1st without triggering nasty penalties on our mortgage, so if we list in June and have a lot of negative feedback regarding the tank I've got time to rip it out. A lot of the issues that have been raised regarding what people might be worried about in regards to the tank long term (humidity, weight, spills, etc.) were specifically addressed in the construction of the cabinet and floor, so assuming our real estate agent passes those on I'm hoping (maybe wishfully so) that those won't be an issue to a potential buyer.

I'll send Nate a PM and see if he'd be interested in meeting me. It will break my heart to have to tear this thing down if it comes to that, I really did think we were going to get more than a year and a half out of this place. Then again, it took three years to build and who can honestly say what their life will look like 4 years from today.

It's a novel idea, but highly unlikely you are going to convince someone to spend $75/hr to maintain it.

That bill adds up, and having worked for a maintenance company I know it can be $5-600/mth. Or more. And on top of a mortgage payment, could cost you a home sale.

Best of luck.

I also can't see someone paying more for your house if you leave the tank. It's like a stereo
In a car. It does not make the house more valuable. Having two agreements to sell the house is absurd. Anybody seeing the lower price will tell you to take your tank. The interest incurred in that purchase would be foolish for any buyer to consider.

This opinion comes from my past, selling mortgages. Little amounts over a long term add up.

I think my only saving grace on the maintenance end will be that even 600 a month to maintain it is less than it costs to clean this place every month. Anyone who buys this place will be able to afford to pay the maintenance, but it's all a matter of whether they see value in doing so or not.

However, I'm going to call our plumber and electrician to see how expensive it will be to cap/remove the lines to that space.

On the upside, if there's a closet in that room, we can officially list our place as a 5 bedroom house...