Florals in the foyer for spring is a personal favorite, but when the seasons fade you should expect potential buyers to pass on your property. When it comes to the value of your home, there are a ton of things that are factored in when deciding the worth of the house. There are particular parameters that are out of your control when it comes to property such as location and square footage. It’s a bit of a crucial process to decipher how you’re devaluing a home, but it’s under a homeowner’s control to do proper preparation for its market. Renovations and repairs sometimes pay off, but a customized home that caters to your lifestyle doesn’t always resonate with your target audience. Remember, demographically, you’re aiming for demand that suits a diverse population of people. We have put together a list of mistakes made by homeowner’s so you’re aware of how to boost your home’s value without losing out on some bucks.
Going Wacky with the Wallpaper
Searching for a home can be dreadful, but what’s more daunting is the idea of scraping wallpaper off the walls. Yes, wallpaper is removable but it doesn’t always scream move-in-ready. If you’re thinking of flourishing your walls with something new, fresh paint and neutral colors are good for staging your house while it’s on the market. When making your decision between paint or wallpaper, think about factors such as how long do you plan to stay in the house and if you’re considering selling it, would a buyer want to tear it all down? Some potential home owners might find scraping wallpaper off walls as their tipping point.
Removing ALL Bathtubs
We’ve noticed a trend in people removing bathtubs in their home. Maybe they don’t have children or don’t find themselves using tubs, so they remove them and put in elaborate showers. If you’re planning to someday resell your home, a lack of bathtubs WILL hurt the value of your house. You don’t know who might be looking at your home, maybe they have young kids who need a tub. Maybe it’s a family with dogs who need to be bathed. Maybe it’s someone who loves long, relaxing baths. Removing all tubs devalues your house because it makes it too “personal” to you, and it doesn’t make it desirable to the masses.
Installing “Kits”
You might see those bathroom kits or pre-fabricated sunrooms and think, “that’s a quick and easy way to update my home!” Yes, these might be quick, easy and less expensive than a remodel, but it will look exactly that way- quick and cheap. They don’t last long and break down quickly. As quickly as these break down, the money would be better spent in a custom bathroom remodel. When we have clients come to us with a recently purchased home, the first project they want completed is tearing out these bathroom surrounds and sunrooms. We can’t even tell you how many of these we have torn out.
Aging Appliances
Modern conveniences and styles in the kitchen is an easy way to add value to your home, but holding on to classic appliances that can’t be cleaned need to be replaced. The modern convenience route isn’t always necessary if you maintain a classic kitchen design. However, countertops and backsplashes that are stained or outdated detract value from the kitchen. It’s important that potential investors aren’t reminded of past circumstances that took place in the home. The goal is to erase any marks and enhance your kitchen with quality improvements. Remember, make proper and professional renovations – poorly done repairs and renovations will only burn your pockets.
Be encouraged to enhance your home to suit your standards of living. When doing this, make sure to consider the future of your home. All renovations aren’t the same, but demographically, you have to account all things that makes your home profitable to the housing market. Don’t just build with a beautiful space in mind, but build with value.
