Upgrading Your Home Before Selling?
Most people have walked through beautiful model homes and wished their own home had all those modern features. Model homes showcase the latest in upgrades and decorating styles. When we get home all we can see is the tile in our bathrooms and yesterday’s details in our kitchens. These things can become overwhelming if we are considering a home sale in the near future.
“Can I even sell my house with granite countertops anymore?”
Before you grab the sledge hammer and plan a DIY weekend of expanding your family room, take a breath. Your home doesn’t need to be the latest and greatest to fetch top dollar in the resale market.
As you evaluate making changes to your home prior to listing it for sale, the first thing you should do is talk with your real estate agent. They have market experience which allows them to speak with you about how your home compares to others in your area. They work with buyers and sellers every day and know what features and upgrades are top sellers…and which don’t matter at all. While the urban modern home in the magazine looks great, changing the details in your country house into industrial loft style is not an improvement.
Some improvements do translate to better sales price in every case. Outdated wallpaper, dirty and worn carpet and dark rooms can always use improvement. New or cleaned carpet and a fresh coat of paint, coupled with light bright lighting, will really showcase the best features of your home.
Each neighbourhood is different. As you work with your agent, you might find that there are upgrades which will net you a significantly higher sales price. For instance, if you are located in a high end, luxury neighborhood, those buyers expect updated kitchens and bathrooms and you might want to put some money into those rooms to market your home in the top end of the market. But again, talk with your agent before you guess. You don’t want to spend thousands of dollars in upgrades that your buyers don’t care about…or worse…. don’t want.