When you are considering a new project around your house, it’s natural to want to focus on the projects that will eventually ‘pay for themselves’ when you go to sell the home in the future. This can lead some households to go trend-chasing, remodeling or renovating in ways that attempt to hit all the recent high points in the home and garden channel shows. A great real estate agent will help you sift through the trendiness for the timelessness.
That being said, it’s often best to prioritize a combination of low-cost, high-impact fixes and changes alongside anything that will specifically improve your quality of life before you sell. Basically, the best value comes from a combination of personalized touches and updates that are practical and durable and will help you sell your house for a great price.
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Strategic Bathroom Remodels
Many bathrooms still have dated colors and styles that instantly make potential buyers wonder how old the home is and not think kindly about it. By updating to a timeless but new look, you improve your perception among buyers, all while focusing on less-expensive or even DIY options. Adding high-end, luxury touches is less likely to pay off unless your buyer was specifically looking for a particular brand of Japanese soaking tub or something along those lines, but aiming for a durable, current look with your bathroom remodel can yield a very strong value to your home.
Landscaping When Curb Appeal is Low
If you already maintain your landscaping, you may not see a huge benefit from investing in additional changes for selling your home, but many families have let the yard and garden beds go a bit during their time at their homes. Many families find that updating the landscaping and maintaining it through the sales process is one of the strongest ways to make the home more desirable, and that investment comes back to them in a higher final purchase price.
Paint When Paint Age is Immediately Visible
Similarly, the look of your paint has a huge impact on the first impression for potential buyers. If your paint is peeling, your siding is damaged, or another exterior feature is visibly askew, the cost to repair it is usually minimal compared to the damage that first impression can have on a potential buyer. Focus on these external, quickly-visible updates when you’re working on home improvement to sell.
Deck Addition
Decks and porches are hot commodities these days – all backyard and exterior features will add something to your home’s value, but decks and porches consistently yield higher ROI because they are simply such a big part of what many contemporary buyers are looking for. Just remember that extra touches, flourishes, and higher-end materials may not yield more than the basic deck or porch would yield – it just depends on the buyers who see your home.
Kitchen Remodels
Kitchen remodels are one of those spots where you can do a lot with a little – just replacing fronts of cabinets or repainting them, getting new, matching hardware, or updating old clunky appliances can have a big ROI. Once you move to larger remodels, be aware of the trends and get really clear with your contractor on what it will cost, since these projects can get pricier faster, all without commensurate ROI at sale.
Basement or Attic Bedroom/Living Space Finishing
One of the ways that a basement or attic bedroom or living space can benefit you materially is if you bring these spaces up to code to the point where they count as additional square footage for the home or an additional bedroom. These projects, like any others, can add tons of value by reaching a group of buyers who, for instance, are only looking for 4+ bedrooms in a home. Keep the project’s costs in mind as you move forward, and make sure to focus on features you yourself will use if you aren’t selling immediately!