I’m not a real estate agent, and I haven’t been in the market for a new home for myself for many years, but as an architect who works on a lot of residential remodels in Long Beach, California, I think I do have a good amount of insight into what people value in their homes. We work with a lot of homeowners in the Long Beach area to improve their homes, and many of them tend to want to make similar types of upgrades. It makes sense, at least in my mind, that prospective home buyers would also be looking for similar features and upgrades and be willing to pay more for the homes that have them.
Here are some home upgrades that I believe will add value to your home based on what my clients are asking for in their home remodels:
Open Living Spaces
Every once in a while, you see articles about how open-concept living spaces are going by the wayside in home design. I just don’t see this being the case. The clients who come to my Long Beach architecture firm with closed-off kitchens are still asking for them to be opened up to their living rooms to create wide-open great rooms.
Whether they’re parents who want to keep any eye on their kids as they cook dinner, or someone who likes to host parties and be part of the action as they prepare food, open-concept living spaces are what homeowners want—overwhelmingly so.
Remodeling your kitchen and living room in a way that opens up the entire space can almost certainly add a good amount of value to your home.
Increasing Square Footage and the Number of Bedrooms/Bathrooms
You also can’t really go wrong by adding square footage to your home. So many home buyers are looking for homes of a certain size or with a minimum number of bedrooms and bathrooms. A four-bedroom, two-bathroom home will be significantly more valuable than a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home.
Turning a master bedroom into a master suite—complete with an attached bathroom and a large walk-in closet—is another popular home upgrade that we see a lot. Many of today’s homeowners see their master bedroom as a “retreat.” They want it to look and feel luxurious. A well-designed master suite can be money well spent!
Design Choices That Make a Home Look Less Generic
We’ve all been in those neighborhoods where every third or fourth house on the street looks the same. They all have the same basic features and nothing that makes them stand out.
It really doesn’t take too much to create a home that stands out in a “cookie cutter” neighborhood. Changing out the generic front door for something with more character, adding shutters to the windows, creating an attractive front porch or sitting area, or adding some texture to the exterior walls (stone, brick, wood siding, etc.) can all make a huge difference!
Any real estate agent will tell you that curb appeal is a big factor when it comes to selling a house. However, don’t just think about your home’s exterior when it comes to making your house less generic. Consider adding features inside that give it some character as well. Custom built-ins, such as entertainment units, drink bars, or built-in office furniture can all add value to a home and be great selling features.
If you’re not sure what design choices make the most sense for your home, contact a Long Beach architect who can guide you through the design process and help you come up with creative solutions that will help increase the value of your home.
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