The Absolute Best Way to Add Value to Your House


Fix the worst flaw! Savvy investors know that adding square footage and renovating kitchens and baths are among the best returns on your investment. But truly, you could do those things and still have a blaring issue with selling your house. So while expensive renovations may increase the value, you’ll have a terrible time selling the house, possibly going through several price reductions, so what’s the point?
Let’s say you bought your starter home when you were a young bachelor or bachelorette and it happened to be on the corner of a busy street. Hey, that’s all you could afford and you really loved the house! In this situation, you could build a master suite and renovate the heck out of the kitchen, but buyers would still put a big "X" through your house because of that busy street.

So consider your home’s biggest flaw first - road noise and privacy. Perhaps your money is best spent on the tallest fence allowed by your local ordinance. Or perhaps you could plant a ton of fast-growing bamboo to create that hidden oasis effect. Bottom line, you want buyers to say, “Well, the house is on a busy street, but you can’t even tell when you’re inside.” You want them to easily find the excuse for why the flaw doesn’t matter.

Even if the worst flaw in your home doesn’t bother you anymore, think back to when you bought the house. What was its worst feature? THAT should be your first order of business. Does it only have one bathroom? If so, adding another bath would make a huge difference in sale price and it would decrease your time on the market dramatically.

And if you find that you can’t fully solve the problem, even somewhat addressing the issue would probably help. Let’s say your house is built on a terrifying hillside and the driveway is steep and angled. Maybe you could at least make it easier to turn around at the top? Or maybe a contractor could pour some concrete to change the angle of the initial slope. Or maybe posting a sign in a strategic spot would help. You just want buyers to say, “Actually, that wasn’t so bad,” rather than, “I could never live like this every day!”



Thorne Home Team
Naomi Thorne & Katherine Thorne
Coldwell Banker Realty
511 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
Greenbrae, CA 94904
415.559.5280
naomi.thorne@cbnorcal.com
katherine.thorne@cbnorcal.com
hometeammarin.com


Location: Greenbrae, Kentfield, CA, USA

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