Home Improvements that Pay (Part II)

If you are thinking along bigger lines, consider a bathroom or kitchen renovation. Grimy, poorly lit bathrooms will send buyers running. Similarly, kitchens from the medieval period can repel even those buyers with a do-it-yourself mentality. These are also two areas in a home where messes tend to occur. A thorough cleaning is a good start and will sometimes do the trick. In many older homes however, it’s the kitchen’s size and layout that turns buyers away.

According to Buckley Jolley's, Karen Jolley, “Most buyers walk through the door and head straight for the kitchen. It’s an area of the house where a significant amount of time is spent.”

If there was an area in the home that pays to remodel it would surely be the bathroom. According to a recent study conducted by Realtor Magazine and in conjunction with Remodeling Magazine, a remodeled bathroom fetches the highest resale price nationally. If you think about it, the bathroom is a necessary evil. On one hand, they offer far more appeal than a honeypot hidden under your bed. On the other, the bathroom’s very nature lends itself to the collection of unpleasant odors and unsightly grime. Whatever can be done to lessen the bathroom’s disagreeable character is advisable.

Before kitchens and bathrooms can even be scrutinized, you have to get buyers through the door. Curb appeal is a particularly important aspect of selling a home to consider. You can have the most lavishly decorated interior but it won’t mean a thing if the gutters are falling off and the paint is pealing. Easily maintained landscaping, fresh paint and a few do-it-yourself repairs will all contribute to a more inviting exterior. When a prospective buyer pulls up, you want the front yard to say: “If you think this is nice, wait until you get inside.” Often, and especially during the drab and dreary Michigan winters, yards will have the opposite effect, pleading for buyers not to judge a book by its cover.

If your home’s exterior seems plain, spruce it up with some easily maintained landscaping. If you have to pass out machetes for those wishing to make it from the curb to the front door, a little pruning would be in order. Keeping things neat and simple will have the best effect. Buyers wishing to improve upon their landscaping have the option and those looking for minimal yard work won’t have to worry. Don’t dig up your prize-winning garden just to get a few showings though. Just understand that it may take a while for the right buyers to come along. When they do, your hard work in the yard will be a wonderful selling point.

There are countless other improvements that can be made to increase the appeal of your home among potential buyers. If you are considering a remodeling project or two, you may see a significant increase in the sale price of your home. Keep in mind that the larger remodeling projects can offer the advantage of tax-free equity gained on the sale of your home. Even If you aren’t in a position to remodel, you will still be able to realize tangible benefits just by doing some minor do-it-yourself work.