8 Small Ways to Sabotage Your Home’s Value

Whether you’re working with a Grand Rapids real estate agent to sell your home, or merely considering that you may one day be moving on, there are things you can do to make sure you maximize your home’s value. There are also a number of small ways that homeowners inadvertently lower their home’s value. No one does this on purpose! But it helps to keep in mind how a homeowner’s choices may affect the home’s value down the road.

Here are a number of small ways to inadvertently sabotage your home’s value:

1. Decorate in a unique way. It can be difficult for buyers to look past a wildly patterned wallpaper or a brightly painted brick fireplace. Stay away from quirky interior decorating if you’re planning to sell.
2. Choose a bold exterior color. The color should be at least appropriate to the neighborhood and the style of the home. In most areas of West Michigan, it’s usually best to stick to a lighter earthy tone. You can always drive around neighborhood and snap pictures to get ideas about color, and consult with your paint store.
3. Landscape randomly. Some homeowners invest a lot of money and effort in their yard, but the overall effect lacks cohesiveness. Often in these cases, less is more, and a simplified plan with a few easy-care shrubs, trees, and defined areas of grass and mulch would show the home in a much better light.
4. Upgrade with hard-to-maintain surfaces. Although you may be willing to invest the effort to keep marble countertops gleaming, future buyers may prefer an engineered surface if they prize simplicity over beauty.
5. Add a pool or hot tub. For some, a pool or hot tub is just what they need to see themselves in the home, enjoying all the perks. However, for a large percentage of buyers, a pool or hot tub may be seen as a liability, a maintenance project, or even something that will be difficult to get rid of. If your home already has a pool or hot tub, by all means leave it if it’s in good operating condition, but if you’re considering selling your home, these upgrades may actually make it harder to sell.
6. Convert a room. Everyone has seen homes where a bedroom, basement, or garage space was converted to a man cave, family room, home theater, or massive walk-in closet. These changes may make a home fit the current homeowner’s needs perfectly. However, when it comes time to resell, buyers would often prefer the storage space, parking, or generic bedroom space of the original layout. You can always consult a Grand Rapids real estate agent if you’re considering renovations that change the purpose of an existing room.
7. Make minor improvements that don’t match your home. Most homes have a definable architectural style. When you update windows, doors, awnings, or other exterior details, keep that original style in mind and try to remain true to it, or else renovate completely, rather than mixing styles. A Tudor home with sliding glass doors would be tough to pull off.
8. Make DIY renovations. Even if you are handy, it’s often better to leave renovations to a professional when you’re considering selling, since minor imperfections often affect buyers’ opinion of the value of a home. Also, remember that property records list the original structure of the home as well as any legal changes that have been made.

If you’re ever in doubt, ask a trusted Grand Rapids real estate agent, as well as your local contractor and appraiser, for their opinions about home improvements before you get started. At The Sprich Group, we are happy to help make sure that your sweat equity and hard earned dollars are used to your advantage.

Photo: eek the cat ( some rights reserved )