Choosing the best upgrade projects to complete before putting your home on the market can be confronting.
If you select the wrong room or an improvement buyers don’t value, you’ll have wasted thousands of dollars and missed opportunities that would have maximized the value of your home.
As an experienced agent in your neighborhood, I think it’s essential to assess your home well ahead of putting it on the market to ensure you have time to complete any necessary or desirable upgrades.
When making an evaluation, you need to consider the features that buyers will pay a premium for in today’s market. Failure to do so would potentially waste your money.
Buyers have a keen focus on modern bathrooms and kitchens, appreciating the cost and complexity of upgrading them. As we approach winter, swimming pools and outdoor entertaining tend to take a backseat to features such as an open fire.
It’s a good idea to look for tell-tale signs of areas in your home that need an upgrade or a refresh. Below, I’ve used the kitchen as an example of how a room can date and detrimentally affect your property’s value.
Pine ain’t fine
Nothing dates a kitchen more than cupboard doors and drawers of pine wood. It’s a throwback to the 1980s, and most buyers would factor the cost of a kitchen upgrade into any offer.
Hanging pots
Pots dangling over the range or an island are popular in country-style kitchens, but that look is well and truly out. Buyers are seeking modern, minimalist kitchens where cookware and gadgets are stored away.
Magnets not magic
Continuing the minimalist theme, dispense with magnets on the fridge, and especially large magnetic lettering that you can attach to a splashback, often spelling out “welcome”, “eat”, or whatever random word of inspiration has been favored.
Fake faucets
It doesn’t seem so long ago that we were all buying retro faucets that hailed back to a bygone era. Today, nobody wants them. Sleek, chrome faucets are the minimum buyers expect in their new homes.
Old school lights
Kitchen lighting has become sophisticated and sleek. Buyers expect lights to focus on work areas and offer a lovely glow for social occasions. Old ceiling fittings that illuminate the whole area, sometimes blindingly, need to be replaced.