The Housechick Blog

I get asked this quite frequently.  Friends and clients want to know what improvements they can make that will add value to their home.

There’s 5 big areas:

• Kitchens
• Bathrooms
• Flooring
• Landscape
• Structural Changes and Improvements

If you’ve watched any show on HGTV, you know that kitchens and baths sell homes.  It’s difficult to go wrong by improving either of those areas.  For older houses, a coat of paint, new hardware, and new countertops can go a long way.  For newer homes, upgraded countertops and custom backsplashes can make your home stand out. 

Next, consider flooring.  Replace vinyl with tile.  Replace carpet in high traffic areas with tile or hardwood floors.  Always replace nasty carpet, but don’t spend too much there.  Get a nice pad, so that you can lift and replace just the carpet in 5 years, as long as you don’t have pets.

The landscape is an oft forgotten item.  If you plant a tree or two now, put in a simple drip watering system, you can have some nice shade and life in your yard in 5 years.  A nice mesquite grows quickly, doesn’t need a whole lot of water, and looks nice year round.  It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but it needs to be something.

Finally, I consider some more detailed structural items.  Replacing a swamp cooler with an air conditioner can add a couple grand to the value.  Improvements like converting a carport to a garage, adding a covered patio, or replacing windows and sliding glass doors can add value to a home.

Let’s look at some examples.

Case #1 - The Young Family

This couple and their two young children bought a 3 year old house in a typical builder neighborhood.  There’s only 5 or so different models of houses in the area, and most are very similar in interior finishings.  Their house has vinyl floors in the wet areas, carpet everywhere else, typical light oak cabinets with Formica counters, and a dirt backyard.

They asked me what improvements would be best if they plan to move in 5 years.  I recommend replacing all of the flooring immediately.  Put tile throughout, and carpet in the bedrooms.  They don’t have pets, so they should get an upgraded pad, and not overspend on the carpet itself.  Their kids are likely to spill on the carpet, so we know it will have to be replaced in 5-7 years.  I advised against hardwood floors in this house - it would be an over-improvement for the area and for the level of the other finishes in the house.  Next, they need to get some kind of landscaping going in the backyard.  Eventually, I’d replace the countertops with a nice mid-range solid surface countertop, add a tile backsplash, and replace any “builder grade” light fixtures with something a little nicer.  The goal is to make the house look better than the competition without overspending for the area. 

Case #2 - The Original Owner

I listed a house on the Northeast side of town, in a neighborhood of homes built largely in the late 1960s - nice big ranch houses on large lots, but with choppy floorplans due to the era of the homes.  I encouraged my Seller to make a couple improvements, but she was hesitant to put any money into the house.  The kitchen was original: painted cabinets, original yellow countertops, with vinyl floors in the kitchen, worn wrinkled carpets in the living areas, and a small dark brown tile in the entryway. 

After a couple months on the market, my Seller agreed to make a few improvements.  With a $5000 budget, we put a neutral tile in the entryway, kitchen, and baths, and replaced all of the carpet (it was a big house!).  We had a new neutral Formica countertop installed, gave the cabinets a fresh coat of paint, installed new hardware, and took down some dated window coverings.  Afterwards, we sold that house for full price in about a month.

Case #3 - The Historic Neighborhood

My client bought a sweet little dollhouse in a historic neighborhood, an estate sale from the original owner.  There had been some updating at different times, which made it a mish-mash of different finishes from different eras.  With the age of the house, the rooms were very separate from each other, and there was a large, walk-through pantry that was pretty much just a waste of space. 

The plan for this house involved some structural items.  To make the floorplan more modern, the doorway between the kitchen and dining room was widened, and the wall between the pantry and kitchen was eliminated.  The cabinets were in bad shape, so the kitchen was replaced with period style cabinets.  My client really wanted granite counters - I’ve got to admit, I’m sick of granite.  Everyone has it, it isn’t a luxury item anymore.  With the small size of the kitchen, putting in soapstone or some other more exclusive material wouldn’t blow the lid off the budget.  The historic neighborhood supports high prices for the area, so putting in nicer stuff wouldn’t over improve it for the area.  Hardwood floors would be appropriate here.  I also recommended some changes to the landscape: the previous owners had a lot of gravel and nothing very appealing.  Adding some more plants and softness to the house would be the perfect touch.