Improving your home…it is something most of us try…to some extent or another. Doing the right things can really add value to your home, other things will help you maintain value over time, and others will actually DECREASE your value. You might think that is not possible…isn’t that an oxymoron? Home improvements DECREASE value? Well, hopefully not, but they CAN…and that is why I am writing this.
If you plan on staying in your home for the rest of your days on earth…then you should create a home that makes you happy. Doing whatever you want to the floors, the walls, the kitchen, your yard. But if you think it is possible that you will want to change the home you live in at some point in the future…then any upgrades you choose to do should be with that in mind. Certain upgrades seem like a great idea …but they often can be a turn off to people considering buying the home. Here are a few of the examples I see the most often:
FLOORING
When it comes to flooring, less is more. Pick one flooring and put it everywhere. Bedrooms can have carpet, and bathrooms can have different flooring than the rest of the house, but other than that, try to stick with the SAME flooring everywhere. Don’t upgrade your flooring room by room. Please. Changing the flooring in just one room is probably not the best idea. For instance, if you have a front room room to that you enter into when you go in the front door…otherwise known as a formal living room or a formal living dining combination…my suggestion is to not create a pathway from the front door to the back of the house in one flooring, and the living room in another. This is very common…for so many reasons…usually because carpet was originally in the living room and it is upgraded to wood or tile….but the tile that is already there leading to the back is not removed. This mistake makes the original tile look dated and breaks up the room and makes it appear smaller. If you want to redo the flooring take out the pathway of original tile too, and do the whole area in the same flooring. If you can swing it, redo the flooring everywhere except for the bedrooms and bathrooms in the new flooring. It gives the next buyer no definitions about where rooms begin and end and can make the whole home feel much larger .
Your Yard
I have mentioned this before in my pool post…but the yard can be an area of big difficult to change mistakes as well. If you are starting with a blank slate…or willing to rip out what is already there…be sure to think of the next buyer . If you put a pool in….make sure the pool is big enough for real use. Tiny pools appeal to very few people…and they are almost as expensive as a regular sized pool. Even if you just want something to float around alone in….it will kill your resale value if the pool is too small for the next family. Also, keep it either to the sides of the yard, or far enough back from the porch that fencing it will not make you feel like you’re in jail while your on the back porch…EVEN IF YOU DON’T PLAN ON FENCING IT. Think of the next buyer! Not putting the pool in the center of the back yard, unless you have a huge yard, is usually the best choice. Leave one side for grass, and the other side of the yard for pool. If the pool is placed in the center, that leaves the rest of the yard less usable. (I’m thinking swing set, place to throw a ball…)
Doors….don’t lose them
Removing doors then losing them. I don’t really know how this happens…but often people choose to remove bedroom doors and especially closet doors. That can make sense for a lot of reasons, but when it comes time to sell your house…those doors should be replaced…so keep them! Store them in your garage and then when it is time to move, clean them, repaint them, and rehang them. Most people want doors, so don’t make that a problem they have to solve after they buy your house. People like move in ready.
Bathroom Flooring
Carpet in bathrooms. Please don’t ever do this. Even if you can have hard flooring around the toilet, you still don’t want carpet in the bathroom. If you have girls, they will stain it with their make up…and if you have boys you know why.
Your WILD side
Loud crazy choices for expensive things. It may be awesome to you…but chances are the red granite will not be loved by most potential buyers. Buyers take bigger issue with pricey upgrades that they hate. They feel like they are paying for them, then wanting to rip them out. If you want to paint the walls red or purple or pink that is inexpensive and easy to change..it is just paint…but cabinets, flooring, counter tops that show too much personality feels like too much work for a buyer to change to their taste. Try to let your wild side show in rugs, curtains, and other decorations around the house…and not the permanent things that will stay when you sell it.
If you want to see home improvements I suggest to get the most money when you sell, read this!
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