Can't help with the costs, but in the Midwest not having a basement is a big deal for most buyers. When we sold our (slab) house in 1999 one realtor we interviewed took 5% off for no basement when she figured the listing price.

Chisue, I would have agreed about the basement thing but here in my new location basements are the exception not the rule. At least when it comes to ranches which were mostly built in a specific time period. I've been told that there is a water table problem here but when I reply new construction seems to have more basements than existing - well they know how to build basements better now. ????? Correspondingly this is the only area I've ever lived in the Midwest where there are actually areas in the country that people have water trucked into cisterns because there isn't any well water - so.....what's with the water table again? I was also told that back during the 50s when ranches were popular that builders convinced people that basements were a always a problem and it was better for resale not to have one. Probably 7 out of 10 ranches will be on a slab. For whatever reason Cape Cods (a style built slightly earlier will more often have a basement. I have heard that older farmhouses with cellars often do have water issues.
This place is confusing to me, and I sometimes think this area had just been taken in by the construction industry but that's a thought and is probably not correct. I consider Dayton midwestern but sometimes it seems more...appalachian (not trying to be disrespectful)
One realtor I talked to on the phone, when asking about the whole basement issue here actually seemed a little confused and made a comment to the effect of 'houses with basements?" like she had never heard of it. I know that's probably not what she meant entirely but it points out that people here expect or are certainly more accepting of slabs or crawlspaces, basements are more of a bonus, if dry anyway.

As for pricing - ranches with basements are generally 20,000-40,000+ more which is closer to 15-20% more than ranches on slabs.

And while I realize it doesn't matter because its all about existing markets, I just got to wondering - do basements cost 40,000? How about a crawlspace vs. a slab?

Ive lived most of my live n the Midwest, always in a house with some sort of basement. Personally I won't live on a slab, and am not thrilled with the idea of a crawlspace, which is why I'm still in an apt looking.

Slabs are the cheapest way to build a house. Next would be crawl space and of course basements are the most exp.

I'd say no, when building it wouldn't cost 40k more to add a basement but yes, it would add 40k more in value. We added a basement to our existing home for about 30k and that included a lot of what it took to finish most of it.

The house being raised and the land under being excavated was about 8k. The masonry walls with windows and doors was another 18k. The plumber was 3.5k with a sump pump.

With all of the energy improvements in most newer construction, IMO it's harder to sell an older house than it used to be. I wouldn't want to add another negative by not having a basement.

Anne

The difference between "high water table" and cisterns: A cistern is used hold collected water [usually collected from a roof during rainfall] and has nothing to do with the water table.

"Water table" is the depth to which water commonly saturates the ground - or collects after a rain storm. The definition of "high" depends on local usage, but usually indicates water at depths of less than 15'. In some areas, it means depths of less than 5'. Because water-soluble earth is unstable for building, extra care in house support is required. Basements will be locally less common due to the high incidence of leakage -it's difficult although not impossible to build a watertight basement, especially since soil may moved to a depth of ten or fifteen feet to provide the space for a basement. Although there are generalized water tables for an area, the average depth can vary a tremendous amount depending on location and season. Topographical features are not an indication -- I live on the crest of a hill with a local water table at 30'; however, houses across the street -but still at the upper slope- run sump pumps year-round and have an ongoing problem with basementleaks despite extensive french drains because their houses were built where the water table averages less than 5'.