Home Improvement Projects That Hurt Your Home’s Value

In the past, I have talked about the importance of curb appeal when selling your Tulsa home. I also discussed how updating your kitchen and bathroom and adding a home office space appeals to today’s homebuyers. I even named possible tax-deductible home projects. While it is great to focus on the positive aspects, you also need to know which home improvement projects to avoid because they might hurt the value of your home.

Home Improvement Projects That Hurt Your Home’s Value

Shoddy DIY

Do-it-yourself (DIY) projects are all the rage. I mean, who doesn’t want to save money while making your home look better? But when the outcome looks like something a third-grader produced, it actually hurts that value of your home. Painted kitchen cabinets and tile became “on-trend” recently. However, they take much more effort and expertise than you realize. It is very easy to leave streaks and unevenly painted surfaces. Buyers will notice this. Sometimes, you just need to call in a professional.

High-End/Super-Custom Design

We all want a home customized to our specific needs. But if you overly customize it with expensive upgrades, you will never see a good return on your investment. Plus, they may actually turn off buyers. For example, Tuscan-themed kitchens were popular in the late-1990s/early-2000s. But they quickly began to look more like you walked into a bad Italian restaurant. The same goes for the farmhouse “chic” that was all the rage a few years ago. And ultra-expensive appliances are fantastic for million-dollar homes. But that is just wasted money in a $300,000 home. When updating your kitchen, focus more on classic style with great flow and functionality over high-end custom design.

Unnecessary Additions

Adding onto the square footage of my Tulsa property could hurt my home’s value? This may sound counter-intuitive. After all, part of the value of your home comes from its square footage. If you own one of the smaller homes on the block, it makes sense to add an extra bedroom and bathroom or create a larger living space. But, if other homes in your area are much smaller than yours after this home improvement project is complete, it might actually hurt you when trying to sell it. How? Well, if a buyer wants and can afford a larger home, they might want to look in a neighborhood that includes other homes of the same size. Do not over-improve your property. Instead, stick to home improvement projects that are in line with how the rest of the neighborhood appears.

Overly Elaborate Landscaping

Another one of the home improvement projects hurting your home’s value is expensive landscaping. Dozens of flowering bushes, fast-growing ivy, and expensive water features may make you feel serene. But they could just look like a lot of work to a potential buyer. Keep things simple and clean instead.

Converting the Garage

Finally, you want extra space in your Tulsa home but do not want to go through the time, hassle, and expense of an addition. Why not convert the garage? Well, that actually hurts your home value rather than helps it. Most buyers want a garage included with their home. It protects your vehicles during inclement weather and provides extra storage space. If you take that away, you lose a large portion of your buyer pool. Updating the garage door, on the other hand, actually improves your home’s value. According to Remodeling Magazine’s 20201 Cost vs Value Report, replacing the garage door provides the best return for your investment of any home improvement projects you can perform.

Before you decide to perform any home improvement projects, think about how this affects your potential resale value. Put your time and money into the projects that help you instead. Then, when you are ready to list your home, contact me.

Lori Cain, REALTOR®, Serving Midtown and the greater Tulsa, OK area. Call 918-852-5036.