If you’re thinking of renovating, some rooms of the house may pay off more than others, particularly if you’re thinking of listing your property for sale as we head into the spring selling season.
The Kitchen
When it comes to socialising, eating and general family interaction – the kitchen is the heart of the home.
Essentially, your goal is to create a kitchen that is functional and aesthetically pleasing - both for yourself now, and future buyers!
If you have an older home, simple, smart updates to the kitchen can make a world of difference to how potential buyers perceive your home.
First, think about the functionality of the current kitchen. Buyers will be asking themselves the following questions, so as a seller you should too:
- Is it easy to cook and prepare meals in this kitchen?
- Does this kitchen have adequate storage?
- Are guests able to be entertained comfortably in this kitchen, as is?
- Can I move into this home without making changes to this kitchen?
If the answers is 'no' to the above questions, your current kitchen may hinder the sale of your property and an update may be in order!
Consider the amount of workable space of your current kitchen. You need to maximise your bench space and, more importantly, your “work triangle”. A work triangle in your kitchen is essentially the distance between your fridge, sink and stove top – the areas of the kitchen you are most likely to use.
A good work triangle involves placing these work sites an efficient distance apart, all while minimising traffic through the primary work zone. For those with a smaller kitchen, the ideal work triangle should be fairly compact so that it makes the most of the available area.
Next, think about storage. You could maximise storage by employing floor to ceiling cupboards, family sized freezers or installing drawers in the place of cupboards.
These options will assist in equipping your kitchen for all those bulk buys or appliances you rarely use!
Once you have discussed functionality - or if your current kitchen already functions well - look at aesthetics and style.
If the kitchen cupboards are dating your property or have been banged up over the years, consider updating them. When in doubt, opt for white cupboards - it instantly makes everything feel cleaner and brighter.
Or, if they are still in good nick but your door handles are from the 80s and have not aged well, you may be able to get away with updating your cupboard door handles to shiny new, silver ones in a more modern style.
We've seen some "out there" kitchen benches in our time, and it can drag down the overall look of the kitchen even if your cupboards are presentable. Consider investing in a new benchtop or even spraying the existing one to a more neutral colour. There are different options for different budgets!
The Bathroom
Similar to kitchens, bathrooms also need to have a high level of cleanliness, practicality and functionality, and it doesn’t go wrong if they’re pleasing to the eye with some added style.
Taking on the role of renovating your bathroom is not for the faint hearted! The process is likely to be a very time consuming and very messy but you will be able to appreciate the hard work that has gone into making all your bathroom dreams come true! Also, if your goal is to put your home on the market in the future, a good bathroom reno will only help come selling time.
Bathroom renovations can range anywhere from creating more storage and fixing that leaking tap, to completely re-plumbing your bathroom. But before you completely tear your bathroom apart, it is important to consider the variety of simple, cost effective improvements you can make that will help to completely transform the look and feel of the room.
We recommend starting with a simple plan, outlining what features you need from your bathroom to improve the overall functionality of the area.
Maybe you need a new basin? Or maybe to get rid of that dated bathtub that no one ever uses? Whatever the dilemma, we’re sure it can be fixed! Just be sure to fit new fixtures and lighting, give your walls a fresh lick of paint, address any flaking ceilings, and address your current bathroom vanity and storage options.
Curb Appeal
Although this is an area of the home that often takes the back seat when compared to other sections of the home, curb appeal remains a high priority to buyers.
If your garden is overgrown and unkept, it does not make a good first impression and can actually set the tone for what buyers expect to find inside. Therefore, a clean, neat and low-maintenance appearance is favored, to help encourage potential buyers to venture inside.
To ensure your kerb is up to scratch, make sure you attend to the following:
- Make sure your front gardens and lawns are well kept and maintained.
- Remove all junk mail and newspapers from the letterbox and yard as they arrive.
- Park the cars in the garage, if possible.
- Avoid having rubbish out for collection on the kerbside.
- Each night before sunset, turn on all outdoor lights.
Remember there will be some potential buyers who purely judge a book by its cover, and the benefits of enhancing your curb appeal should not be underestimated.