Top Property Value Add-Ons To Consider
Category Home Buying/Selling Tips
Front door
Don't underestimate the power of a front door. People make up their minds in the first seven seconds of entering a house.
The entrance should be freshly painted, have pretty potplants surrounding it, and incorporate the small touches like a working door bell, letterbox, and easily visible number.
If you're up for more exterior upgrades, move to the back or sides of the house, paying attention to garage doors and wooden decking, as well as any extras that are immediately visible from a first glance.
Flooring
Don't undervalue the materials you're standing on. Ninety-four percent of real estate pros recommend spending some money on floors, but it doesn't have to be a lot of money.
A few well-placed nails can eliminate distracting squeaks. Other small projects with a big impact include repairing broken tile, patching damaged floor boards, and tossing out the wall-to-wall carpeting.
In some cases, however, a new floor is in order and will help you move a house that is stuck, or finish off the tone of the entire house.
Neutral colours
Get out of your personal taste.
If you're getting ready to put a house on the market, don't allow walls with chipped paint to go unmaintained. If you need to do more than a touch up, choose neutral colours - buyers want to be able to project their own ideas onto a space, and sellers can help with toned-down wall color.
Paint keeps your home looking its best while also defending its surfaces from wear, tear, and the elements. If you’re getting ready to sell, don’t blow thousands having every square inch repainted. Instead, focus on high-traffic areas, including the kitchen and bathrooms.
Going green
If maintenance and repairs are in hand, put your money into green efficiency. If your heating, watering, or air conditioning systems are old, new ones could save you 30 to 40% on monthly bills.
Research estimates that energy savings add twenty times the annual savings to the value of your property – thus, energy savers make your house more desirable. Do the update green, because people are asking about the utilities and extra expenses for the first time ever.
Don't Put Off Care and Maintenance
These kinds of fixes go a long way toward value. You don’t need to put a lot of money down to see a huge difference!
Before thinking about a fancy upgrade to the kitchen, address the basics. Insulate the attic, repair plumbing leaks, replace rusty rain gutters, inspect the gas fireplace and the septic system, replace or repair leaky windows, install storm doors, weed the flower beds.
Investing in maintenance and repairs is not only money-wise; it could be crucial to a sale. Brokers and agents agree that the houses that getting attention are in tip-top shape.
Create Space
People always need more storage and more space.
Knock out a non-structural wall, or even remove that kitchen island. Anything that opens the space and creates a sense of flow in the house is generating a response from buyers who can afford to be choosy. Extra shelving, some attic space, or clever use of sliding doors instead of swing doors will add not only to physical space, but create the illusion of more floor room. For a relatively low cost, you'll transform the feel of the house!
The Kitchen Is Still King
Buyers of all kinds have long focused on the kitchen, but it holds particular sway over the newest wave of first-time homeowners.
A “modern/updated kitchen” topped the list of ideal home features in our survey of millennials, registering as most important to more than a third of respondents. If you plan to sell, don’t rip your kitchen down to the studs; a smaller investment can have serious impact. For minimal cost you should be able to add a new suite of appliances, as well as a new countertop and flooring, resulting in a fresh, coordinated look. Applying a fresh coat of paint to the walls or cabinets can also breath new life into the space.
Read more at Homes of Distinction on how to go about buying and selling property wisely, or contact us for more information.
Author: Georgie Roberts
