Renovation Mistakes that can Decrease Home Value
Home renovations can certainly increase your house’s value. Homeowners want to get the biggest bang for their buck without wasting time and money. But did you know that some “enhancements, upgrades, and improvements” can actually drain your home value? Here is a list of home makeovers that you may want to stay away from.
Over The Top Carpet or Wallpaper
We want our homes to reflect our personality. Our character can definitely shine through in our decor. However, if you are considering selling at some point, you will want to navigate away from heavily patterned, unique wallpaper or that red, plaid carpet the salesperson tried to sell you on. If buyers aren’t as crazy as you are about your turquoise, purple peacock wallpaper with large pink and yellow flowers, it may turn them off, simply because they can’t envision themselves in the house.
Credit: Immo Renovation
Large DIY Projects
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a Pinterest-loving girl. There are lots of great DIY projects out there that can certainly add value like removing your popcorn ceiling. But large projects like removing walls, complicated plumbing, and replacing kitchen cabinets would be better for a contractor to handle. Case in point, funny story…when my husband and I were first married, I decided to paint our kitchen cabinets. Now keep in mind, my husband is a contractor and home builder, but at this juncture in our lives, our own home was a low priority. So, being my bull-headed self, I decided to go ahead with this particular project on my own. I removed each door, painted the cabinets, and painted the doors separately. I let the doors dry, but, unbeknownst to me, I didn’t realize that newly painted doors are still tacky even when seemingly dry. I stacked all of the doors on top of each other because I was running out of space in our tiny dining room. Needless to say, the doors stuck together and were completely ruined. Looking back, this was obviously a common-sense lesson. But my 20-something self, fresh out of college, was clueless. My husband and I still laugh about this experience, because as newly-weds, we went without cabinet doors for a long while after my mistake. Lesson of the day…leave it to the professionals when you aren’t sure.
Credit: Roselyn Tirado
Storage is Key
Closet space and cabinets are important components when buyers are considering purchasing your home. Don’t renovate your closet space, making it smaller, to make the room larger. Most people want plenty of storage space. It’s pretty rare to walk into a home and think that there are too many cabinets or that the closets are too large!
Credit: Jan Canty
Complex Landscaping
There is a fine line here. Curb appeal is a crucial element when selling your home. The front of your house is the first thing people see when they drive up. A well-kept lawn, flowerbeds, and plenty of trees are all significant factors when drawing a potential buyer in. However, extravagant landscaping can definitely be a turn off to someone who does not have a green thumb (like me, which is ironic since my father is a landscape architect! I can’t keep a houseplant alive, haha).