Easy Ways to Update Your Older Home

How updated your home is will be one of the factors I will use to help you calculate what the best price for your home will be. This calculation is based on a comparison to other homes in your neighborhood (ie, the comparables), as well as what updates you have already done to your home. If you’re living in an older home, there are some easy ways to update your home to get it ready for sale.

One such way to update your older home is to replace your shower stall glass, first in your master bathroom, then in your secondary bathroom(s). Even if you can’t remodel the entire bathroom, you at least should remove and replace any frosted shower panels that exist in your bathrooms. Next up is replacing any older toilets, especially those older than 15 years. These older toilets aren’t as efficient as newer models, plus new toilets are much more visually appealing.

An easy, and necessary, update to older homes is to change out any brass (especially shiny) hardware on your doors and cabinets. Shiny and gold-toned brass is extremely out-of-date and will age your home in comparison to more modern antique brass, brushed nickel or even chrome hardware. I can advise you as to which of these will do best in your home’s price point for sale. As a corollary, any ceiling fans and light fixtures that contain old or outdated metal should also be swapped out for more modern versions. These quick changes will instantly update your home for today’s market.

If you are able to go a step further, consider replacing any old fluorescent lighting in your home with recessed can lights. Any lighting that is in a “box” in your kitchen ceiling or bathroom, and encased in sheets of plastic is not something today’s buyer wants. Replacing these lights with recessed can lights and/or more modern lighting fixtures is actually a pretty economical cost proposition, especially with the returns it will give you when you sell your home. Finally, if you still have popcorn ceilings, get rid of them. They are easy to remove by yourself if they were installed post-1970s. If they were installed in the 1970s, have a professional test the ceiling for asbestos content as they’ll need to do the removal and repair. Any potential buyer won’t want to deal with the hassle of this, so it’s up to you.

Whatever you choose to do with an eye toward updating your older home, the results will be sure to help you maximize the final sale price of your home. I’m available to consult with you about which fixes to tackle to help you to get the price you’d like.

Are you considering selling your home?