If you’re looking at the possibility of selling your house within then next year or two you may be wanting to increase both the value and saleability of it before you do so in order to maximise its potential. There is an important differentiator between these two things, value tends to be tied to the number of rooms or size of the living areas and is what you want to aim for, saleability however is just how attractive your home is to buyers, do they walk in and like the luxury cushions in your lounge, can they picture themselves living there, this aspect is important but it isn’t something you should be spending large sums of money on.
It is easy to fall into the trap of spending a lot of money thinking that it will increase the value of your house but most of the time it doesn’t, we’re going to look at some of the common pitfalls and where you should be spending your money to get the most out of it.
Single Story Extensions
One of the most popular trends in the last 10 years has been to add on a single story extension at the back of your house to make the kitchen/dining area much brighter, larger and effectively create another main living space with the help of Velux windows and bi-folding doors opening on to the garden. This kind of project will increase the value of your house while not costing extortionate amounts of money. It is only when you start looking at 2 story extensions where the price really ramps up and it becomes a major building project.
GaragConversione
A relatively quick and cheap thing to do to add another room to your home. If your house has an internal garage then it’s a matter of raising the floor to be the same height as the rest of the house, half bricking the garage door and putting a window in at the front and the stud wall and plastering inside, typically in can be completed within a week or two then it is just cosmetic work. This will add some real value to your house and is probably one of the best ways in terms of cost and return to improve it.
Be Wary Of Kitchens & Bathrooms
When you assess the price of the work mentioned previously and compare to what a good bathroom would cost, you’ll find that a garage conversion will cost similar to that of a new bathroom but the garage conversion will actually add value, the bathroom will increase saleability. It is important to have a nice kitchen and bathroom but just be wary of price making it looking as good as possible for as little as possible focusing on accessories to give the finished product a polished look.
The best way to improve saleability is to focus on accessories, look at the cushion covers you have and maybe go for some more premium ones (you will be taking them with you when you mover after all) and artwork/mirrors around your home to create space and light.
