Hi everyone! It’s been a minute since I posted my last blog. For those of you that don’t know, I had another baby! Little Rozie is an angel and has completed our happy family of four. I’m Danielle Demerino, a Toronto Realtor (a King West real estate agent living in Riverdale) looking to make dreams come true. Whether it be your dream home, an investment property or your first purchase, I’m here for it.
Throughout my real estate journey, a question that comes up often from my seller clients is “do you think I should renovate before I sell my house”? The reality is renovations can bring you more value for your home; however, if you are budget conscious, there are certain renos that will bring you in more bang for your buck. Let’s get into it.
Large Renovations Don’t Always Pay Off
Upgrading and renovating your home can be an expensive endeavour. The problem is not all updates will increase the value of the property the way you might expect, so if you are renovating for the sake of increasing the sale price, choose your projects wisely!
Minor Improvements That Can Add Value
When my team and I enter a client’s home, we assess whether the home could benefit from minor updates. We identify how we can make the home more trendy and modern. We do a “mini-redesign” often updating light fixtures, hardware, faucets and paint. Sometimes overhauling entire rooms just isn’t necessary and smaller improvements can do the trick! Here are some examples that could have a positive impact on the value of your property:
Kitchen Cabinets
Updating kitchen cabinets can have a huge effect on the look of a kitchen and make it look more modern. While we all know replacing cabinets can be incredibly costly, there are other options! A much less expensive option is to have them refaced. Having veneer applied to to the face of the cabinets can give it a beautiful updated look. If you are looking for an even more cost effective solution, you could have your cabinets painted. We often opt for a shade of white as it really opens up a kitchen.
Updating Cabinet Hardware
Another very cost effective update that can really update the look and feel of the kitchen is new kitchen hardware. The style of the knobs and handles comes and goes with new trends and keeping them up to date is a relatively inexpensive way to keep your kitchen modern and give it a real wow factor. We’ve seen stainless steel, brushed nickel, gold and what seems to have taken over black! You can find inexpensive knobs and pulls on Wayfair, Amazon, IKEA, Home Depot, etc. Don’t hold back!
New Kitchen Faucet
A NEW KITCHEN FAUCET! I find updating a kitchen faucet to be one of the best “bang for your buck” updates. It is absolutely amazing to me how changing a faucet can change the entire look and feel of a room. The best part is you can find some incredible looking ones for very low cost. Again, we have seen so many trends come and go, the most popular at the moment tends to be black. It looks slick, clean, gorgeous!
Bathroom Upgrades
We all know that the kitchen and bathroom updates are the pricey ones. There are however minor upgrades that you can do that will heavily improve the aesthetics of your washroom. Let’s talk vanities. Obviously a brand new one would do wonders, but you can work with what you’ve got. Painting, new hardware and updating the top with some type of granite or other stone can do wonders and save money. As discussed with the kitchen, updating your faucet with something more modern can also do the trick. If you have a shower that uses a curtain, update with a beautiful white one to open things up and select a bright colour that you can accent it with. Of course a coat of paint on the walls can go a long way as well (white is always the best option in my opinion).
Fresh Coat of Paint
It goes without saying but a fresh coat of paint can go a long way. We always suggest using a light, neutral colour that will brighten up the house and allow the potential buyers to picture their own belongings in the home. It is an instant boost to the homes look and feel.
Well there you have it. Of course a freshly renovated home is a wonderful way to sell your home, however; if your main prerogative is to create value in the sale of your home and on a budget, you can find inexpensive ways to do so.
If you are interested in buying or selling and want more information, please feel free to give me a call. I would be more than happy to do a home evaluation and talk about the potential sale value of your home. Click here and fill out the form and I will get back to you with my expert Toronto Real Estate Agent advice.
