Will you be looking for a house or apartment this year? Although it can be tricky to know what to look for and who to work with, choosing the right home is easy if you get a few essentials down before you start the search. For instance, working with a real estate agent is always a better idea than going at it alone, since it can significantly shorten your search, and help you to pay less for any potential property. On this website, check out great tips for how to work with a realtor, and what you need to do in order to simplify your life.
When you live in a single-family home, you tend to focus on making the home your own. This makes sense because, after all, you and your family do live there! But as you reach a point when you're starting to consider selling the home, you need to think not just about the features you like, but also about the features buyers like. If you want your single-family home to sell high and sell fast, it may be worth adding some of these features.
A Separate Laundry Room or Area
With as busy as life gets these days, people don't always have time to do the entire laundry process in one fell swoop. They may have baskets of dirty clothes or clean clothes that sit around for a while. It's really nice to be able to hide this behind a door, or even behind a curtain. So, if your home doesn't have a laundry room, but there is a spare mud room or half-bath you could easily convert, you may want to consider making this change before putting the home on the market.
Built-In Storage
Buyers are always looking for storage, especially in single-family homes where kids (with all their toys and clothes) will be living. If there are any areas in your home where you think you could add some shelves or cabinets for extra storage, do so! You can have cabinets installed under your stairway, add some extra shelves above the toilet in the bathroom, or put another set of cabinets above the fridge. Buyers will never walk through a home and say, "This one has too much storage space."
A Bathtub
Bathtubs went out of style for a little while, and you don't really see them in a lot of condos and apartments. Stand-up showers are simply cheaper and easier to install. But if you live in a single-family home without a tub, it's definitely worth adding one. Families with young kids, and buyers who are thinking of having kids in the next few years, may be completely uninterested in a home that does not have a bathtub in at least one of the bathrooms. It's really hard to wash a young child in the shower.
If you have the money to make some updates before selling your single-family home, the ideas above are ones really worth exploring. Your real estate agent may have some more specific recommendations based on the layout of your house.