5 Home Upgrades Your Plano Home Needs Before Selling
As a homeowner, you’re always looking for ways to boost the value of your home and make it more attractive for potential buyers. Most properties gain value on their own, regardless, but what if you can do more to add to that before you sell?
Here are 5 home upgrades you can make to your home to get Plano buyers to give your property a second look. Whether you’re working on your kitchen, adding usable square footage, or providing buyers with a home office, adding any of these elements is sure to get buyers’ attention.
-
Create a Home Office
One of the primary features that buyers are looking for this year is a home office. Since the pandemic changed things, most office employees are working from home, so a home office is an increasingly necessary addition to any home, especially for Millennial buyers.
Luckily, a home office is the easiest update to make to a property, because it doesn’t involve any actual renovations or major additions. It’s a minimal investment that pretty much only requires staging. Bring in a desk, a comfortable chair, and make sure they have all the necessary amenities to work from home.
What that does is it shows the buyer how they can maximize that space. If you don’t have an extra guest room, then commandeering a corner of your living room or kitchen counter is also a great way to show a different use for that space. It’s all about demonstrating versatility and ensuring the buyer that the home meets all of their needs.
-
Prioritize the Kitchen
The kitchen is one of the main rooms you need to pay attention to when sprucing up, for the simple reason that buyers pay special attention to it. If you’re on a budget, prioritize this space and dedicate a good chunk of your budget bringing in some more modern touches.
The backsplash and countertops are easy replacements that can change the look of your entire kitchen. Because these elements tend to get worn out and become obviously outdated quicker, this simple fix elevates the whole space.
Appliances make up a big part of the kitchen, of course, so a replacement is also in order. But do keep in mind that you don’t need to spring for a chef’s kitchen - that’s a waste of money you’re not getting back. Your investment should be moderate, you want to recoup as much of your money as possible.
-
Expand Your Bathroom
The number and the size of your bathrooms often dictate how much you can sell a house for. More living space and more bathrooms always drive the price up, so you want to make the most of what you’ve got, and ideally add to it.
The simple solution is to simply renovate the bathrooms you’ve already got. Change the tiles and flooring if they’re damaged or outdated, replace the shower, and add a bigger vanity. That’s typically enough to give it a new “face”.
If you want to add significantly more value, however, you’re looking at a bigger renovation, and even a possible expansion. If your master bedroom does not have a corresponding en-suite bathroom, then adding that, alone, can boost the overall value of the property and attract more buyers.
Closets are often the ones that get “sacrificed” for this purpose, so if you have extra space, that’s a good bet. Otherwise, sometimes it makes sense to reallocate some of the space from an adjacent bedroom in order to dedicate it to a larger bathroom.
-
Maximize the Potential of Your Space
The best way to update your property and add tremendous value is to simply add to the square footage of your home. If you have any space that is underused or empty, it’s time to transform it into something else. The most common culprit? The garage.
Expanding the garage to a two-car one is a great move, but so is transforming the garage itself into livable space. As long as you’ve got the proper permit, you can add to your home this way. Whether you’re adding a bedroom, a bathroom, or a bonus playroom, that’s extra value and guaranteed extra money in your pocket.
The other unused space you can gain value from is your basement. Don’t just let it be dead space, giving it a use can do so much for the value of your home. You can gain valuable square footage by transforming this empty space into a recreational room, a media room, or a guest suite.
-
Add an Outdoor Kitchen
The other significant change the pandemic has made to our overall lifestyle is a much bigger emphasis on outdoor living. Indoor-outdoor living is actually one of the biggest home trends to have emerged in the past 5 years. The best thing you can do to upgrade your home before selling? Adding an outdoor kitchen.
Yes, the cost is significant because you’re adding an entire kitchen. In addition to appliances, you also have to install piping and gas lines to make it functional. Not to mention building a pergola to make sure it’s protected.
For an extra kick up in value, you also want to update the rest of your backyard. Add a table and seating, and some beautiful outdoor lighting to create the ultimate outdoor dining experience. A firepit is also a great addition for increased value, because it brings in yet another use for your backyard space.
Final Thoughts
Ideally, your property appreciates in value by the time you’re ready to move on and sell, and it usually does. But you can also give it a little “push” to make sure that you’re maximizing its value and attractiveness on the market.
When it comes to the Plano house market, you’re looking at prioritizing extra square footage like garages and basements. But there are also other tried and true upgrades you should consider, like updating your kitchen and bathrooms, and even creating a home office for Millennial buyers who are now working from home. It’s all about studying the Plano market and the average buyer here and catering to their needs.