Thinking of selling your house immediately or in the future? Selling a house is not about how lucky you get – it’s about value-adding and creating a visual impact that makes your property stand out from the rest of the market. If buyers can see themselves enjoying life and value for money, they won’t think twice about purchasing your property. There is a tremendous difference between a property that can sell easily and one that remains on the market unsuccessfully.
Here are some practical tips on which improvements add value to your home
TIP #1: Love at first sight
Do you believe in love at first sight? Home buyers do. As soon as they walk into a property, they know whether they want to live there. Creating an impact with colours, design and well-finished construction will draw in interest and buyers. Be brave and have a thorough look at all areas of your property.
What is in tip-top condition? Make sure you highlight it!
What is not functional and needs patching or redesigning? Chipped bricks, fading paint, broken gates, worn-out decking, weeds and unusable areas that have been neglected bring these to life.
The age-old adage rings true: first impressions last.
TIP #2: Outdoor Entertaining Area
Queensland is celebrated for its warm summers and mild winters, the perfect combination for entertaining outdoors. Creating a functional and beautiful outdoor entertaining area will add value to your property and create a significant wow factor that will entice buyers to your property over others on the market.
Consider carefully what your budget is, the size of your area and the style of your home. Collect photos or create a ‘project storyboard’ as a perfect place to start for any new project. Bring your vision, photos and budget outline to the designers at Stilus Design and Construction. They can assist you with visual 3D images to create your concept and quality construction, with clear timelines and communication. See more helpful hints and tips here.
TIP #3: Remember the walls!
We see them every day, and they are easy to overlook. Stop and have a good look – the interior and exterior must be in good condition. Grubby marks, chipped paint, and damaged walls are instant negative impressions. Give your walls a makeover from a dull and drab to an on-trend colour or even feature wall. Work with the style of your house to bring its best features forward. Know what your end result is, so that you are not painting a wall that later will be moved or changed.
Pick and choose colours and textures wisely, browse through Instagram, Houzz or Pinterest and colour experts such as Dulux to get ideas and inspiration.
Consider a green wall and feature panels with lighting to add design features, privacy or natural colour.
Enlist the help of a designer if you think they would do a better job of bringing your ideas together – at the end of the day, the idea is to make improvements that add value to your home!
TIP #4: Upgrade Fixtures
Think lighting, handles, taps, and appliances. Upgrading these items can have a big impact. With more people looking for energy-efficient options, you can stand out in the property market with added value to your home with time and energy-saving devices.
Look for styles and finishes that will complement your overall colour scheme and design. Mood lighting, feature lighting and creative textures will bring the final touch to a beautiful and functional indoor or outdoor room.
TIP #5: Structural Renovations and Extensions
Homes with areas of unbuilt space or inefficient design can be made more valuable with structural changes or extensions. Creating new areas or maximising indoor and outdoor flow can be achieved with good design. With the higher cost required for this type of work, it is vital to engage quality designers and have expert knowledge of engineering, building requirements, and council compliance. You get one chance to make this work well!
Incode Engineers are design and construction experts known to have excellent ideas and designs to improve the value of your home with extensions. Changes in designs include changing floor design or roof design to utilise more space, creating a loft or adding another floor, taking out or moving walls, adding in large doors or windows to maximise views or energy efficiency. Work with the end design and style you want to achieve with an extension. Incode Engineers considers all this before starting on an extension.
With a range of popular television shows documenting the process of turning an average property into a stunning well-designed home, some may think the renovation process is such an easy thing to do.
But while you may think renovations are ‘just’ about rearranging furniture, mowing and fertilizing the lawns, and some new paint and pavers, calling it a day, a successful upgrade requires research and patience to get the best return on your investment.
Use our Project Management 101 for a comprehensive checklist
Outdoor Entertaining
We all love it! It’s where food is shared, laughter is harvested and lasting memories are created.