Prepping Your Bathroom For Home Resale

Getting you home ready to sell can be a stressful job. You’ve been living in your home, and it’s suited your needs as best as possible. Your home bares the signs of life that resulted from your time there. It most likely reflects your personal style and what’s important to you in a home. But, now you’ve gotten to the point where you need something different than what your current home has to offer. So, before you put your home on the market and start searching for your new place to live, it’s important to make some changes that a future buyer may find more appealing than your bright pink walls or the oak cabinetry featured throughout.For most buyers, the first two must-haves on their home-buying list are the number of bedrooms and the number of bathrooms. If your home doesn’t meet those minimums, it’s usually removed from consideration. Functionally, bedrooms are pretty much standard. Aside from cosmetic changes like paint or flooring specifics, there isn’t too much else to be altered. But, if your bathroom space is outdated, poorly designed, or just not functional, you could turn your buyers away the minute they walk through the door.If you want to increase the resale value of your home, and entice the perfect buyer to make an offer on your home, then it’s necessary to make the needed updates to your bathroom space before they take that first home tour.Consider the Buyer

• Your wants vs. buyer needs. Replacing the lighting fixture might not be a priority for you, but, if your bathroom lights aren’t working properly, then your buyers may wonder what else isn’t working in the home, too. If there are any features that aren’t working properly, or appear outdated, it’s wise to make the updates right away. A minimal investment from you could mean a much larger Return On Investment (ROI) when an offer is made. Most people prefer a move-in-ready home purchase, so a little bit of work from you could mean top dollar from them.
• Determine your renovation budget. How much can you afford to spend up front to get your bathroom ready for your home’s resale? Be realistic and think about the ROI. Using the cheapest of materials could be a waste of your time and money, so consider higher-end updates like tile floors and walls and avoid linoleum floors and fiberglass tub inserts if possible.
• Set your renovation priorities. What changes will sell a bathroom (and home) and what changes are merely icing on the cake. You don’t necessarily need to add heated flooring or rainfall showerheads to make your bathroom more appealing to buyers. Look at what needs changed the most and pool your resources into updating those features. Modern updates and quality installation of mirrors, flooring materials, and bathroom fixtures alone are usually enough to entice buyers.
• Don’t worry about the top-of-the-line bathroom look. You don’t need to pour $25,000 into a total luxury bathroom makeover to appeal to your buyers. Most homebuyers look for tile on bathroom floors and tub/shower walls, clean color palates on the walls, modern hardware and updated fixtures. You don’t need to spend top dollar on these items (unless it’s in your budget and you really want to) in order to create a beautiful space. Most buyers won’t notice the difference if you choose a lesser expensive tile or stylish vanity from the clearance section.

Still need help deciding what changes to make in your bathroom and which ones to avoid? Here are four more tips to consider, making your bathroom renovation a little easier.

• Get advice from a real estate professional. They know what sells and what doesn’t. They can tell you what bathroom changes you need to do in order to get top dollar for your home.
• Neutrality appeals to most everybody. Think clean colors that provide buyers with a blank canvas to add their own touches to.
• Consider one extra selling feature (like a statement lighting piece or mirror) that will leave your buyers saying, “Wow!”
• Accessorize to sell. Simple bathroom accessories, like new towels or artwork pieces, can help your buyers get a more complete picture of what the bathroom could look like for them once they more in.

Getting top dollar for your home during the resale process can be easier than you think. Even when the market is rough, there are a few elements that most buyers are looking for when purchasing a home. One of those is a modern bathroom design. Let our team of professionals at Kurtis Kitchen & Bath help you create a beautiful new space that will appeal to your home’s future residents. Call 1-888-KURTIS-1 today to get started.