Home renovation or upgradation is arguably the best way to enhance your living space by adding aesthetics and functionality in the right measure. At the same time, the investment can be used to increase the market value of your property.
Since homeowners do not have any design expertise and experience applying the idea changes to be made, they may end up making errors in their Houston renovations. These errors can negatively impact the value of the property.
So, should you be looking to invest in Houston home renovation with the purported aim of increasing the home sale value, do avoid the following missteps or errors. Additionally, you may view our resource on planning a home renovation in detail.
Top home renovation errors to avoid
Certain upgrades done to your property may not set well with the future home buyers. You may be hoping to add features that are closer to your personality, but they may not suit the taste of prospective homebuyers. So, before hiring a renovation contractor, make sure the below-mentioned mistakes or errors are struck off your ‘to-do’ list.
Over personalization:
It is true that as a homeowner you have every right to make your home reflect your personality and style. However, in doing so, you may overdo things on personalization. Do not focus on making the property the way you want it to look but rather consider what the target buyers might look for in your property.
For instance, you may want to convert your garage into an entertainment room to gather with your family and friends on special occasions. But by doing so, you may end up alienating a number of potential homebuyers who are averse to not having a garage for their car sat their house.
Hence, be forewarned that your penchant for over-personalization can drive away a few potential buyers of your property in the future. You may read our blog to know more about the pros and cons of luxury home renovation and remodeling.
Lavish plumbing fixtures:
Every homeowner wants his or her home to look great, especially when it comes to plumbing fixtures. For many, the over the top plumbing fixtures can be difficult to lose sight of while buying stuff in the store.
These eye-catching fixtures can be in the form of deck-mounted fixtures in the kitchen and soaker tub or ornate detailed vanity bowls and facets. However, such trends in plumbing fixtures are transient and may change in the course of months or years.
So, what may look great now may turn out to be dated a few years down the line. Hence, desist from investing in lavish plumbing fixtures while going for design build remodeling.
A surfeit of wallpapers:
Wallpapers embossed with various textures and patterns can be a great choice to enhance your home decor. However, the same wallpapers can become the proverbial albatross around your neck with prospective homebuyers not quite happy with their presence.
In fact, removing wallpapers can turn out to be a tipping point for potential homebuyers who might want asimpler decor. So, before planning for home renovation, go for painting the walls with fresh paint and in neutral colors.
And should you have wallpapers adorning your walls, think about whether it’s advantageous to remove them before repainting the walls.
Investing in stuff leading to overpricing:
Before contemplating a renovation, consult with your renovation contractor or any real estate agent to know if the stuff you are going to add or the renovation plan shall make the property overpriced for any future buyer.
For instance, if your neighborhood properties have laminate for counter surfaces, installing granite in your home can make it overpriced, which any future buyer might balk at.
Quirky tiling:
The resale value of a home may take a nosedive if the buyer has to remove stuff such as tiles, wallpapers, or false ceilings before moving in.
Many homeowners go for upgrading their floors during a home renovation by adding fancy tiles. However, the same may appear to be a distraction for potential buyers who may want to rip them off. So, instead of choosing quirky tiling work, it is better to go for the traditional white options.
An overpriced kitchen:
Since the kitchen is considered the heart of any home, homeowners tend to overdo things during renovation by adding high-end features. These additions make the kitchen overpriced in the resale market and find few takers.
To avoid such a situation and get a good return on investment later, find out the kitchen appliances or components that are outdated. Try replacing them with mid-range but quality appliances instead of going for the high-end. To know more about the items you can install in your kitchen, view our video.
Too much carpeting:
Carpets offer an elegant and upmarket look and feel to the floor. However, too much carpeting can be counterproductive, especially when you look to sell your home at a later date.
This is due to the fact that carpets can quickly show signs of wearing out or damage to the discerning eye. Also, carpet colors and textures can add to overt personalization wherein your favorite color or texture may not appeal to the buyer.
So, it is advisable to avoid adding too many personal touches to the carpets lest they decrease the value of your home.
Luxury bathroom:
The bathroom is one area that is keenly looked into by potential buyers. If done correctly and aesthetically, it can increase the value of your home.
But homeowners often tend to go overboard when adding luxury features to the bathroom. For instance, they may go for over-customized finishes or over-the-top whirlpool tubs, which can make cleaning difficult. Instead, a walk-in shower could be a better option for utilizing lesser space.
It has been argued by home remodeling experts that any luxury bathroom renovation can recoup only 56.6% of its cost.
Home office conversion:
In the post pandemic era, hybrid work is likely to become the norm in many places and a functional home office will become necessary. However, during Houston home renovation, if you intend to convert a bedroom to a home office, you are entering the wrong territory. Converting a bedroom to a home office will entail a host of investments.
These may include removing the bedroom furniture, and adding phone jacks, new hardware, and wall outlets, among others. These additions can jack up the price of your home, which any prospective buyer may not be interested to pay. Instead, the buyer may be more comfortable in having a separate bedroom.
Thus, in the ultimate analysis, it may appear that with such additions you have ended up spending a lot of money for nothing.
Removing closets:
This is a serious mistake many homeowners resort to for expanding space during renovation. Even though it may add some space, removing closets, whether in the bedroom or bathroom, can impact your home’s resale value.
Simply put, closets are important facilities that any homebuyer would look to count before signing on the dotted line.
Not hiring a remodeling contractor:
Homeowners opting for Houston renovation may skip hiring a professional remodeling contractor to cut costs and go the DIY way. This can turn out to be a blunder as homeowners may end up spending money on stuff that do not add value or worse, look unappealing to any prospective buyer.
For instance, large investments in pools, water features, landscaping, or garden parks can be a bad idea as many potential buyers may not be interested in paying for their upkeep.
Also, during the sale of the property, an inspector can easily find out instances of poor workmanship leading to a costly rework. Thus, even though such renovations or upgrades may add incremental value to your home, they may significantly add to the amount of maintenance and upkeep as well.
Conclusion
Home renovation is too important a job to be left to any inexperienced renovation contractor. A professional expert can suggest amenities or upgrades be added to your home, which will be easy to maintain as well as appeal to the eyes of any discerning homebuyer in the future.
To know more about the mistakes that homebuyers often end up making during renovation, read a blog.
