- No.1 - Painting your house
- No.2 - Adding a swimming pool
- No.3 - Redoing the entire roof
- No.4 - Making dated décor changes
- No.5 - Extensive professional landscaping
When people decide to sell their homes they are quick to jump into any renovations and restoration that they think might be needed.
Homeowners that have never used a Jacuzzi before might decide to install it. Another person might build a pool even though the house has never had one.
Whilst it is very wise to make certain repairs, it is not a good idea to go ahead with extravagant renovations.
There are certain things that will cost you a lot of money but it will not return the profit upon selling:
No.1 – Painting your house
Painting your house is actually recommended if you want to boost the appeal on your home.
No one wants to walk through a house and see cracks on the inside or see dirty stains on the outside of the house.
Hiring a professional painter, however, is going to cost you a lot of money – money that won’t really be returned.
If you really want to paint your house, you should do it yourself purely because it needs a fresh coat of paint and not because you want to up the value. It won’t work.
No.2 – Adding a swimming pool
Pool and spa companies often paint an idyllic picture of the luxury of having one of their products: kids playing around in the pool or romantic nights in the hot tub.
The reality of it is that these items cost a lot to maintain and the expenses never find their way back to your pocket.
Many people don’t want homes with pool purely because of the fact that it costs too much to maintain. Some buyers might even negotiate that you tear out the pool completely!
No.3 – Redoing the entire roof
A new roof is shaky ground to walk on when it comes to renovations.
If you bought an old house and the roof is busy falling apart, then yes, consider redoing the roof. A broken roof won’t appeal to anyone and it can be a safety hazard.
However, don’t just install a new roof because you think it is going to increase the value of your home. Potential buyers might appreciate a newly installed roof but they won’t be willing to pay extra for it.
A roof lasts for about 30 years so expecting people to pay more for a roof is like expecting them to pay more because you swept the porch.
No.4 – Making dated décor changes
You might have found a personal liking in the white appliances and white tiles in your kitchen but young people might not receive it as well as you do.
Certain trends are just no longer in.
The same goes for aspects like carpeting. Unless it is exotic and high-end, don’t even bother replacing them.
And you can forget all about gold-toned bathroom fixtures and ceramic flooring to go with it. The point is that décor trends change very fast so don’t spend money on what is cool now. It might not be trendy in a year’s time.
No.5 – Extensive professional landscaping
Landscaping is always a good idea if you want to increase the curb appeal of your yard, but it is not recommended to go overboard with it. You can build waterfalls that cascade into a Koi pond and it won’t bring you any big returns.
If you really want to install something like that, do it because you like it and you enjoy it.
Landscaping will always be a personal preference and someone else might not want to maintain the Koi pond. They might decide to take it out altogether, leaving you with wasted money.
