Upgrading a bathroom before sale is a great way to add value to your home, but it requires careful planning if you’re going to make a profit from the work.
The website Zillow says a bathroom remodel can return $1.70 for every $1 you spend if the job is done properly.
As your local real estate agent, I talk with lots of buyers who demand quality bathrooms in their next home. High on their list of desirable features is a walk-in shower and a modern vanity area. Features they don’t value include jet tubs, custom spas and steam showers.
Some buyers want to pay less for a property and remodel the bathroom to their taste, but most are prepared to meet your price so they can enjoy their new home from the moment they move in.
If your bathroom is beyond help, it might make financial sense to accept a lower price for your home and leave the problem for the next owner. But here are five elements of a bathroom upgrade that will reward you without breaking the bank:
- Walk-in shower – The focal point of any bathroom upgrade has to be the shower and tub. A walk-in shower with a full-glass door is considered an essential by most buyers these days. And no family home is complete without a good quality tub that is suitable for young children.
- Impressive vanity area – Upgrading the vanity cabinets and countertops is essential. Buyers are impressed by double sinks and quality, designer faucets. Installing wall cabinets with mirror-doors is a great idea, too.
- Floor your buyers – A new floor of water-proof porcelain or ceramic tile will dramatically change the look and feel of a bathroom. Ask your contractor if the tiles can be laid on top of the old ones. If not, you may need to dig out the existing flooring, reseal and start again. That can get expensive, but it’s worth investigating.
- The heat is on – Heating in the floor and installing heated towel bars will offer modern convenience and luxury especially in cooler months.
- Get the old grout out – Nothing pulls down a bathroom more than mold that is trapped in the grout of the floor and shower recess. Where it has turned black, you need to scrape it out and replace with new grout. If you upgrade the floor, avoid bright white tiles as this amplifies the grout when it turns grey with age and use.