Improvements . . . Or Not?

Are you thinking of putting your house on the market?  Naturally if you speak with a real estate agent or read articles online you will find several great ideas of things to do to improve your curb appeal and increase the value of your home’s listing price.  Well, there are some things you might consider doing that will not improve the value of your home.  Here are a couple:

Repaint in bright, unique colors.

Painting your child’s room in Thomas the Tank Engine Blues and Red is one thing, but having your entire kitchen burnt orange and your living room deep sea blue will send many house hunters running.  If the time has come to refresh your paint colors, check out the popular colors for the year and lean towards the more neutral tones.  Its easier for people to see themselves in your space when the paint is not speaking louder than the real estate agent!

Putting in/taking out (above ground) pool.

Think a pool will improve your home’s value?  Maybe.  It really depends on the buyer and the climate in which you live.  Many people today don’t want the hassle and liability of a pool.  Today pools seem less like a fun summer oasis and more like an expensive, time consuming upkeep – not to mention the liability, the added insurance cost and the fence maintenance.

If you have an above ground pool and you’re considering removing it before putting your house on the market, that’s a great idea.

Leaving the third bedroom as a home office.

Many people do not want to work from home and actually need that third bedroom.  Not all home shoppers are not able to visualize the potential of a room or house.  Asking people to imagine a bed in a bedroom is difficult, its hard to see the true size of the room.  Its easier to see a bedroom and picture using it as an office than see a room made up as an office and picture a bed fitting into it.

Don’t take the cabinet doors off your cabinets.

While this may seem like a clever, trendy idea (it is!), it won’t appeal to everyone.  We don’t all have gorgeous matching dishes.  Many people store boxed-food items in their cabinets and its not an attractive display.  Leave the doors on the kitchen cabinets.

No matter what you do, try to think in terms of what is trending and popular right now and try not to make decisions based on what you like.  Remember, you’re selling your house to someone who may have vastly different needs or goals!