Make Renovating Worth Your While

When you're selling your home, you want to sell it at the best possible price and one way to do that is to renovate. There are certain renovations that can significantly increase your sale price - they might be a bit costly on the pocket, but it will be a return on investment in the end.

Mike Greeff, CEO of Greeff Christie's International Real Estate says the biggest risk in renovating a property you are about to list is that you might over-capitalise and make the property uncompetitive in a specific area. He suggests that ''before going forward with any renovations, it is imperative that you first determine the average selling price of homes in the area to ensure that after renovations, your asking price is still within the average range''.

Below are 5 renovation tips to boost your re-sale value and keep the asking price competitive to make sure that that ''For Sale'' sign turns into ''Sold!''.

Kitchen Makeover

The most frequently used and commented-upon room in any house is the kitchen and this makes it your number one priority when renovating. Everyone wants a modern kitchen so re-doing it will really entice buyers and you are sure to see the money invested in this room, finding its way back into your pocket - especially if there are top-quality finishes and ample counter space.

Greeff says that ''kitchens are the focal point of almost every home showing and an impressive kitchen will almost always make the difference between an average offer and the maximum offer".

What to focus on when renovating your kitchen:

• Focus on colours and textures when making upgrades instead of breaking the bank for appliances.
• Upgrade countertops
• Paint your cabinet doors or consider replacing the doors
• Consider re-tiling your kitchen for that fresh and uplifting look
• Greeff says that ''there's just something about new doors, handles and stainless-steel appliances that excite people'' so making these minor, somewhat inexpensive changes will make the world of difference''.

Bathroom Beauty

Second to the kitchen, the bathroom is the next commented-upon room in the house. It is expensive to upgrade but it is a guaranteed return on investment. If you don't need to replace any ''large'' items i.e. bath, toilet, shower etc. then small fixtures are the way to go. Re-painting the toilet, bath or basin can also make the world of difference and could make these items look brand new. 

What to focus on when re-doing your bathroom:

• A fresh coat of paint can completely transform the bathroom and it does not have to cost a lot
• Adjusting the pressure of the shower
• Adding stainless-steel taps will give it a classy, upmarket look and feel
• Re-grout the tiles
• Remove and replace silicone around the shower, bath, and toilet areas

Improving energy efficiency

Because of the world we live in, everyone is becoming more energy-savvy and we are all trying our best to save energy where we can. Making your home more energy-efficient can actually make a big difference when selling your home and although it's costly, it is a certain return on investment.

Greeff says that as the number of energy-efficient homes continue to rise, first-time buyers and tenants are starting to favour these upgraded homes over traditional homes due to the potential long-term savings. If you are going to be making energy-efficient upgrades, make sure that your real estate agent markets your home to highlight this and if you're comfortable, ask your real estate agent to show potential buyers copies of your utility bills so they can see how much less they will be paying.

How to make your home more energy-efficient:

• Ceiling insulation
  • By using ceiling insulation, you will reduce the energy needed to keep your home at a comfortable temperature.
  • By using ceiling insulation, you are helping to eradicate the largest contributor to global warning and it's a return on investment - a win-win situation.
• Geyser blankets
• Lighting systems i.e *LED's or *CFL's
  • CFL - Compact fluorescent lamps can reduce power consumption by up to 75%
  • LED: These are the latest saving energy light globes and they last up to 100 times longer than the usual globes
• Solar water heater
  • Having a solar water heater can drastically reduce power consumption and will save a large amount of electricity.
  • If you cannot install solar heating, consider a heat pump.

Spruce up your exterior

First impressions are lasting impressions. Ensuring that the exterior of your home looks good is imperative because it's what people see when they first arrive. The key is to create a lasting impression from the moment people pull up and the trick to doing that is by enhancing your entrance. Greeff says that "'improvements to your property are definitely steps in the right direction and will certainly improve curb-appeal".

How to improve the exterior of your home:

• Create a designated pathway
  • It is essential that when you design and build your path that you get the width correct - more often than not, pathways can be too narrow so ensure that you leave enough room for two people to walk side by side.
  • Various types of pathways
    • Stepping stone walkways
    • Flagstone walkways
    • Brick walkways
    • Gravel walkways

• Keep it clear
  • Trim down overgrown trees and bushes that block the view of your home and walkways.
  • Install low-cost, low voltage outdoor lighting. This not only adds to the safety and security of the home, but it also adds accent lighting to the house and can illuminate a pathway.
• Replace the hardware
  • Replace dingy-looking hardware such as the mailbox, house number and overhead lighting.
  • These elements work better collectively so instead of having a mix-and-match aesthetic, rather go for a similar style and feel.

A fresh coat of paint

Re-painting the interior of the home is a must when wanting to boost value. Greeff says that ''most sellers don't realise how much abuse walls take until that fresh coat of paint has been applied.  A new paint job has the potential to lighten rooms, hide visual defects and can instantly make a space feel fresh and clean".

Tips for re-painting your home:

• Choose a colour that not only appeals to you, but to a larger pool of people as well.
  • Colour suggestions include:
    • Gray Owl
    • White
    • Duck egg
    • Pantone's 2020 Colour: Classic Blue

If you are wanting to boost your home's value before listing it, consider the above renovation tips. These are renovations, that even if you decide not to list, they will still make your home more livable and more aesthetically pleasing. You can't go wrong with a kitchen and bathroom remodel and when talking about top-quality finishes and additional features, it not won't only make your home more enjoyable to live in, but when you do decide to sell, it will certainly work in your favour.