DIY REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TIPS

Top 5 Home Trends Real Estate Buyers Want To See In 2019 + Guide To Evaluating Your Market So You Know Exactly Which Updates To Make
Choosing finishes that appeal to homebuyers can be tricky. Today I’m detailing the Top 5 trends that U.S. buyers actually want when they’re shopping for real estate this year. I’m exploring the ways you can easily – and inexpensively – add these upgrades to help sell your home faster and for more money. Then I’ll round it all out with a guide that will show you how I make decisions about the home updates I’m implementing. You can apply this same method to your own market.

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BUYERS WANT: Natural Stone Finishes

STONE COUNTERTOPS + TILE

Gone are the days of granite. The options are broader now, but you should still expect to shell out some cash to have stone countertops installed before you sell. Buyers who are looking for a move-in ready home – and willing to pay top dollar for it – don’t want to see laminate at all.

To play it safe, I’d steer away from Corian, Recycled Glass, and Terrazo as well because the majority of buyers don’t see value in a surface that isn’t stone.

Stick to stone surfaces like marble, granite, and quartz. Also keep in mind that the darker, speckled granite varieties have fallen out of favor. Buyers are now engaging their luxury senses and are more attracted to a lighter stone with natural-looking graining.

Here are some safe bets for countertops:

When it comes to tile backsplashes, buyers aren’t loving glass or ceramic anymore. They’re leaning into natural stone touches there too. And consider the layout. The old subway method is classic but buyers are especially intrigued by more unique geometric patterns.

Here are some great options that will wow your buyers:

BUYERS WANT: A Place To Work

DESIGNATED HOME OFFICE

As more homeowners being working from home, buyers are looking for clear and dedicated workspaces. The good news is that you don’t have to dedicate a extra bedroom. Since we use laptops and cellphones more regularly, a desk with a couple of drawers will do nicely.

Find a small, unused spot in your home that makes sense (the closet doesn’t make sense because WHO WANTS TO WORK IN A CLOSET?!). Landing at the top of the stairs big enough for a small desk? Awesome. Maybe a little corner in the living room? I actually love the look of a desk behind a sofa, like this one from my last house.

Actually, I replicated the look with a desk-turned console table in my most recent house too!

Gwen Hefner, over at The Makerista, turned this unused garage into an amazing workspace for her friend.

Here’s a simple desk that should fit nicely in a little nook.

BUYERS WANT: Functional Storage Solutions

CUSTOM STORAGE SOLUTIONS

This year, home buyers are more interested in the types of storage than just the storage alone. They want customization and effective use of storage space.

This is especially true in master bedrooms, kitchen pantries, and laundry rooms.

Home buyers are savvy and they love Pinterest! They want a mudroom too!

Here’s my tip: Add a shelf over the washer and dryer. Hang a row of hooks in the garage to corral backpacks and jackets by the door. Keep these spaces tidy! Don’t fill the hooks. Just one backpack or a jacket will inform the buyer’s of the useful purpose.

Remember that homebuyers are not guests in your home. They’re touring it to see if they want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on it. They need to know that it will work for them. So show them!

Tidy up every closet. Even storage behind doors needs to look immaculate. Get some inexpensive bins to wrangle the everyday items into one neat little object.

Here’s a post on a bathroom makeover I completed in 2018 that implements a ton of good storage updates:
Budget Bathroom Refresh

BUYERS WANT: The Little Details

TRIM + MOULDING DETAILS

Today’s real estate buyers are savvy. They have access to home design ideas at their fingertips 24/7. They want shiplap or wainscoting. Even modern homes are no longer immune to this desire.

I don’t recommend that you spend top dollar to give every single space in the house a completed moulding treatment. But you should, at the very least, choose one room for a nice upgrade.

If your home already sports a fancy trim treatment, remember to make it memorable by complimenting the room with a contrasting color, like my dining room (above) in Midnight Blue from Behr.

I added a faux shiplap treatment to this dining room for less than $200! Compared to actual shiplap (at over $1500), that was a huge impact at a minimal investment.

Here’s the tutorial:
Knock-off Shiplap Wall Treatment for Cheap

BUYERS WANT: Gadgets That Make Life Easier

SMART + EFFICIENT HOME UPGRADES

You don’t need to deck out the whole house with a wireless speaker system or install solar panels. Buyers are easily impressed by techie items, even if they are inexpensive.

Here are six home updates you can use to wow your potential homebuyers for under $200:

NOT SURE YOU’LL GET THE RETURN?

That’s okay. I’ve created this guide to help you evaluate your current real estate market so you know exactly which updates are the best investment for your resale value:

STILL UNSURE?
You’re so not alone in this!

I’m here to help!

I’ll be going Live on Instagram this Wednesday at 11:00 CST | 12 EST to explain the guide in detail and walk you through how I make these decisions for my own real estate investments.

HAPPY RENOVATING!

xoxo
Teri

YOU’VE GOT QUESTIONS + I’VE GOT ANSWERS.

Commenting on this post is disabled after 24 hours so I can focus on our upcoming projects + client designs. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to hear from you. Send me your questions and comments on Instagram by either commenting on my latest post or sending me a direct message. I really love to chat it out! xoxo

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