Should You Remodel Before You Sell?
If you're planning to sell your home, you may be thinking about remodeling. Before you decide whether it's worth the time, money and energy, however, you should consider these tips from the experts.
Consider Your Timeline
According to Pasadena, Calif., realtor Tracy King, "If you want to sell your house in the next few months and are considering putting in a $20,000 kitchen, you may not get your money out. But if you're going to live in the house for another few years, putting in a $20,000 kitchen makes more sense," she says.
Maximize Your Home's Value
The only certain way to add value to a house is to increase square footage, says King. "Turning a two-bedroom, one-bath house into a three-bedroom, two-bath house is going to significantly up the value, although if you're adding a bedroom to a five-bedroom house," King continues, "this probably won't make much of a difference."
"Remodeling your kitchen or putting in a new bathroom may indeed add value to your house," says Michael Kienzl of Los Angeles, president of Bradco Kitchens and Bath, a full-service showroom and contracting firm that specializes in kitchen and bath projects. "But be careful to choose designs that are consistent with your home's style and character," he cautions.
According to award-winning Los Angeles architects Alice Fung and Michael Blatt of Fung + Blatt Architects, "If you want to sell your house soon and you happen to have wood floors underneath the carpet, refinish them." Tracy King agrees: "It costs about $2 a square foot to refinish hardwood floors, and this can add anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 to your house."
Fung + Blatt also recommend doing your own landscaping to heighten your home's curb appeal and value. "You can consult landscape design books and achieve wonderful results for your property," says Fung.
Choose the Right Contractor
Kienzl advises that "working with a showroom/contractor as opposed to a general contractor can save you money and time when remodeling, because they'll give you one-stop shopping and complete contracting services."
