All homeowners understand the importance of maintaining their house – not only for themselves, but for the property’s value. With care and improvements over time, homeowners can profit top dollar when it’s time to sell. But the key is to focus on what really matters and not those things that are nice to have. Remember, not all buyers have the same preferences and needs so your home should cater to the majority and be easily adaptable for them. Below are a few ideas you may already have that you should actually avoid because they won’t increase your resale value.
HOME THEATRE
Most buyers already own a television and some may even have a sound system. While a home theatre is ‘nice to have’, it’s definitely not a necessity that people will be willing to pay extra for, especially if they already have good equipment.
SWIMMING POOL
Another ‘nice to have’ addition, swimming pools are worth adding if every other house in the neighbourhood has a pool as buyers are expecting to find a pool in your yard. However, if pools aren’t common in the neighbourhood then it probably won’t add as much value.
SUBSTANTIAL LANDSCAPING
The more extensive your landscaping, the more potential buyers might be turned off at the thought of maintaining it themselves. Keep your land tidy and healthy, but keeping it simple is key.
BEDROOM CONVERSION
Adding another bedroom in your house doesn’t make it any bigger so you can’t expect an extra wall and door to increase its value. While an additional room might be favourable for some buyers, the majority are looking for open plans as this makes the house more spacious and provides flexibility to make changes in the future. The same applies for garage conversions seeing garages are still in favour even if it’s not to be used for cars, they are great storage units.
FLOORING
Unless your floors are a sight for sore eyes, new flooring will not increase the value of your home since this is something that boils down to preference. Leave this to your buyer to change when they purchase your home – chances are that this is what will happen anyway.
