Spring is in the air, and you might be seeing “Open House” signs popping up with all those tulips around town. While my background is not in real estate, I often am asked to consider resale value when consulting with my clients, because at the end of the day, everyone sells eventually. Like most industries, real estate is not what it used to be due to changes in people’s lifestyles and technology. I’ve been in a few discussions with builders and realtors alike lately, and I’m going to share some ideas and tips from a design perspective for home owners that are looking to sell, in the short or long term.
Curb Appeal
If you’re looking to get your home on the market quickly, you’ll want to at least spruce up a few things outside. Try taking a drive around your neighborhood with fresh eyes instead of on autopilot. what stands out to you about those homes? How does your house compare?
Check your wayfinding, can people even see your address from the street? Make sure your mailbox is looking fresh or consider replacing it with easy to read numbering and maybe even the full street name in addition to your house number. Think of your mailbox and house number as a nice fresh welcome mat to your entire property.
Consider having your driveway repaved or resealed. An uneven cracked driveway will remind anyone walking up to your house how old it is and how much maintenance comes along with home ownership. A quick power wash to the exterior of the house can be a quick and easy facelift as well. Reseed and spruce up the lawn and landscaping as needed as well. A little spring cleaning can go a long way.
If you’re looking to invest a little more into the house but have resale in mind in the future, start to consider some architectural elements to the exterior that you can also enjoy before you move out. A new front door and garage doors are an upgrade that will make an impact on curb appeal and value. Consider a fresh crisp paint color for the front door or a beautiful wood. New carriage-style garage doors are all the rage and can add function and a fresh look to the house. Consider repairing loose or beaten up gutters and changing out any exterior light fixtures for new ones for a clean and inviting look.
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Technology Upgrades
Two of the demographics currently looking to buy homes are young millennials, and empty nesters. Millennials are used to having everything at the touch of a button their entire lives and aren’t very willing to settle. Empty nesters are often looking for low maintenance, downsizing and efficiency, and often times may have multiple homes and travel. They want to be able to check on their home and monitor it from a distance for security.
Ring doorbell
There are some simple ways to meet those needs without having to rip open your walls and rewire your entire home. Consider smart security, such as video doorbells that allow people to see who is at the door from their phone. There are also smart locks from vendors like Baldwin that work in a variety of ways. Some are app based so that owners can control who has access to the home and can even allow time windows for when those electronic keys will work.
One of Baldwin’s Evolved connected lock line
Smart thermostat systems such as Nest allow people to monitor their home’s efficiency and climate remotely. If you have a room with lots of windows you might consider adding motorized window treatments; there are now motorized mechanisms with rechargeable batteries that usually last about 1 year between charges. Allowing potential buyers to walk in and see that maintaining their home can be simple will help set your property apart on a crowded market.
Quick Interior Facelifts
LITZE pulldown faucet
If you’re looking to prep the house to sell quickly there are a few things you can change quickly to give the interior a little facelift. Look at your bathrooms and kitchen and any other areas with tile. A quick grout cleaning or regrouting and repairing caulk can renew the room. Clean and remove any limescale or build up on faucets and plumbing fixtures.
You may want to consider a new kitchen faucet or updating the hardware on your cabinets. If your kitchen is looking dated but cabinets are in good condition, get a quote to repaint the cabinets. White kitchen cabinets are still very popular, especially if your home still has light maple cabinets that were popular in the early 2000s.
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Before shower grout cleaning
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After. Now that’s better!
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Tips for Interior Renovations
Long gone are the days of housing developments with dozens of the same home one after another. Today’s buyers are looking for homes with personality, they do not want “cookie cutter” homes. So if you are renovating bathrooms, I suggest to make things that will be likable by the masses, but to avoid going so gung-ho on the white carrara marble trend so fiercely that every bathroom seems lifeless.
My suggestion: rather than thinking of an “ideal buyer” and what personality they have, give your home one consistent personality. Draw from the style of architecture, location and history. Don’t try to turn your house into something it isn’t and become contradictory. Maybe your waterside home is “charming” or a traditionally elegant colonial, a grand and regal Tudor estate, a cozy family friendly farmhouse. Keep things subtle and restrained, not gaudy and over the top, but steer clear of being bland and vanilla.
A fun contemporary hall bathroom – Photo by Hsu McCullough
A cozy charming farmhouse style bathroom
An elegant classic master bathroom
This traditional bathroom still has character with warm woods and paneled walls
Contrast makes this traditional bathroom feel current and one of a kind.
Keep It Green
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Katie Canfield is the founder and principal designer at Studio KC. Studio KC got its humble start in 2015 when Katie was just 23 years old. While she was freelancing with other interior designers in the NY and CT area she also became a go-to designer for local contractors and trades that needed a designer’s help for their clients whether it be for custom cabinetry drawings or plans for a gut renovation on an entire home.
Katie Canfield’s design aesthetic is eclectic and flexible. She delights in the marriage between old and new- keeping spaces approachable but still matching each client’s unique aesthetic and family narrative. Her passion for design keeps her motivated and constantly on the hunt for new trends and materials. Her broad experience includes an art history background, study at the Accademia Italiana in Florence, a stint with the renowned Manhattan firm Amanda Nisbet Design, as well as collaborations with builders and designers across the tri-state area. She’s seen it all: from gutting prewar Manhattan apartments to new construction in the ‘burbs.
