Renovations for the Future

Here's an article I recently wrote for the University Downs Neighbourhood Association Newsletter. Enjoy!

Renovations for the Future

As a Realtor© people often ask my advice on their renovation decisions. Recently a friend asked my advice on whether or not to renovate her main bathroom from a shower/tub combination to only a shower. The quick answer would be “NOOOOOOO” since most people would want a shower and a tub in their main bathroom. But this question is not as simple as it sounds.

How does one know what to consider when making future renovation choices? Should you use the lovely green ceramic tile you love, but others may not? Or should you keep everything boring neutrals?

Here are some renovation tips.

1) Keep big ticket items neutral. Items like carpets, countertops although fun to match with your own personal style really are better neutral. Not just for future buyers, but also for 5 years down the road when you don’t enjoy teal green quite as much as you used to. If you want to get that shot of colour to personalize your home use paint and accessories which are much easier and cheaper to change as time passes and styles change.

2) Consider future buyers. If you’re thinking of selling in the next few years be sure to take those future buyers into consideration. Neutrals may be boring to you, but not to the majority so stick with them if you think there’s a chance you’ll want to be appealing to buyers in the not so distant future.

3) Consider your own personal needs. If you’re making renovations in your “forever home” then make decisions in a way that makes you happy! The need to think of resale value diminishes. It’s hard to predict what buyers 30 years down the road will be looking for and realistically some of those renovations may be ready to be redone again in 30 years! For my friend, a beautiful tile and glass shower better fits the needs of her family. Since she’s living in her “forever home” I told her to go for it and not worry about resale value. Who knows, maybe 30 years down the road bath tubs will be passé!

3) Don’t let your renovation “to do” list get too long. Homes in the University Downs neighbourhood are not new anymore. Plug away at keeping things updated or before you know it you’ll have a home in need of major updates that may just become too daunting for your budget or your family handyperson.

4) Pick one room at a time for the biggest impact. Instead of doing little jobs in numerous rooms, pick one room and get it to a point where you can enjoy it. A few years back we did this to our living room. We made a budget and put most of the money into bamboo flooring, a cream shag carpet, custom bookshelves, and a new sofa. Some inexpensive Costco chairs, and some family artwork made with the kids, framed and hung on the wall finished the look. It quickly became our favourite room, feeling like it was the one room that was “finished”.

5) Don’t wait until just before the sign goes on the lawn! So many times I see my clients do many pesky little renovation jobs in order to sell their house. Things that bothered them the entire time they’ve lived in the home finally get done, only to be enjoyed by the new owners! Recently my husband and I decided that time was just not allowing us to finish off some of those pesky jobs in our own house. We called up a wonderful “jack-of-all-trades” I know, and put him to work. We’re now enjoying the trim finally put up the basement, the neutral countertop in the main bathroom (good-bye baby blue!), and the caulking redone around our patio door. Well worth the money spent!

If you’re thinking of doing home renovations and want some tips don’t hesitate to email me at krista@jonkerteam.com . I know wonderful tradespeople I can refer to you and help you avoid the risk of the yellow pages. Whether you’re thinking of selling 6 months or 60 years from now I’m happy to be of help to you