To Renovate or NOT to Renovate . . .

I’m sure many of you have seen the HGTV show “Love It or List It.” Each show follows a family through the renovation journey, and in the end they have to decide to stay in their current home or move on to a new one. The renovations are always extensive, and very costly, with most of them going over budget in some way.

In reality, the decision to renovate prior to listing your home can be very complicated. One has to weigh cost vs. benefit, available time and budget, how much you can DIY or if you need to hire out the project, and more. Depending on circumstances, sometimes a minor re-fresh can be just the ticket.

In this case, the bathroom had a mix of vintage appeal with flooring and vanity that had seen better days. There was a tight timeline to get the house sold, and just wasn’t time or budget to do any down-to-the-studs renovations. When updating an older home, you have to be careful that you don’t end up with an out of control renovation. One thing can lead to another, and another, and another, and before you know it you’re $5,000 in the hole.

 For this bathroom, that meant Dawson Interiors recommended leaving the older flooring in place, covering it with peel and stick tile, and replacing the dated vanity and sink. The seller also gave it a good cleaning and a fresh neutral coat of paint, and that was the right touch to get this home sold.

Of course, a simple re-fresh is only the best option in a situation like this, where the room didn’t have any functional problems, just aesthetic. (No hiding functional problems with new finishes!) Now the new homeowners can put their own stamp on a new bathroom at their leisure, or simply enjoy the fresh look as is.

Need some advice on pre-selling renovations? Give DuBois Realty Group at Keller Williams Realty or Dawson Interiors a call. Our collaboration will get your home listed in a smooth and timely fashion, with a free staging consult included as a standard part of the process.

For more information about receiving a FREE Staging Consultation text "STAGING" to 59559 or call (207)344-3230.