I recently read an article outlining the places to focus on renovating for maximum return on investment if you're planning to sell your home. I agreed with some, but very much disagreed with more than I expected. That's when I know there's a post there to dive deeper into on the blog :)
If you're thinking about selling your home in the next few years, keep scrolling to see renovation ideas that enhance your home's value as seen and done by this interior designer that make the biggest difference when it comes to ROI when selling your home!
Enhance Your Home's Value with These Renovation Ideas
Where to Invest in Your Kitchen
Don't underestimate the power of a fresh coat of paint. Any room of the house will look fresh and new with a coat of paint, but a kitchen can look completely different even with just this one step. If you don't have a big budget to make changes, this is the most cost effective, and great for the those who need (almost) immediate gratification. This can apply to cabinets as well - if you're not looking to do a full makeover, a fresh coat (maybe even a new improved color) on all of your cabinets can make go a long way in updating the look of your kitchen for potential buyers.
Next up is switching out old cabinet hardware and the kitchen faucet. New knobs and pulls with no dings and a fresh finish will give the kitchen a little kick of detail that you can only really appreciate once it's done! And who doesn't love a clean new faucet that hasn't been used for years? Think about this, especially if you still have the original hardware and faucet from when the house was originally built, because a new finish and a different shape or style can modernize the entire kitchen immediately - even with older cabinets around. Your investment for this is the most minimal behind the aforementioned freshening of paint.
Replacing lighting fixtures and recessed canned lights, again go a long way to modernize the look of one's home. Consider this especially if you haven't touched these since you moved in, or still have the original choices installed.
If you still have more in your budget, changing out your appliances would be a big step up in value for a prospective homebuyer. If you have mismatched appliances, it would be very beneficial to replace the unmatched pieces, whether that's the fridge, microwave, range/oven, or all of the above.
If you've always wanted a brand new kitchen top to bottom, this is where replacing the cabinets, countertop, and backsplash (in addition to everything above) completely makes the most sense. Otherwise, the amount of time, money, and effort it would take to do this complete overhaul doesn't justify the value add to the home in my humble opinion.
Bottom line: If going all in on a complete kitchen renovation will allow you to enjoy your home for the time you have left in your house, and you still foresee you being there for a few more years, and you have the budget then I say absolutely go for it!
Where to Invest in Your Bathrooms
The same advice holds from above - paint, cabinet hardware, and lighting updates will get you the most bang for your buck if you're not quite ready for a full renovation in your bathroom.
I acknowledge my bias for what I'm about to say, but given my own recent primary bathroom remodel, I 1000% think it's worth installing new cabinetry in your primary bathroom. Our original cabinets were well made, but the specific layout wasn't the most efficient and included features like a laundry flip-down that was never used because no known laundry basket would fit into it (trust me, we tried all of them). If I knew how much of a difference it would make to my daily enjoyment, we would have redone this bathroom ten years ago! Well, actually I did know, it was my husband and his favorite word "budget" that held us back. TBH, this is where I think it's worth investing in for your own happiness, and as an additional benefit, a planned, well-done renovation will translate to better value when you are ready to sell.
If you're in the position of only being able to tackle a few things at a time because of budget, I advise saving your money when it comes to hard finish changes. Buying this tile because it was on sale, and then this countertop a few months later, and then this new showerhead, etc. never turns out as cohesive as you think it will. But that's not to minimize the power of choosing less expensive finishes for secondary bathrooms, for example. New flooring, shower tile, countertops, hardware, and plumbing don't have to break the bank to make an impact on a potential buyer! The impact of new clean grout is a powerful one, y'all. Just make a good design plan and work the plan!
Did you agree with any of my advice? I'm sure there will be many differences depending on who you ask, but years of experience and going through my own remodel in my kitchen years ago, and my bathroom this year, has really given me perspective as both client and designer. If you have questions or want help creating a vision for your kitchen or bathroom, feel free to contact me here!
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