While you may think certain features of a traditional home are “attractive,” the reality is that they can hurt the value of your property.
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If you are considering selling your home in the near future, your goal should be to maximize its value so that you can reap more from the proceeds of the sale. You don’t want to lose out on potential profits because it has features that detract from the benefits you can get from the location.
To avoid losing value to your home, check for these outdated vintage features that can hurt the sale price.
outdated house layout
“Many older homes have choppy, closed-in floor plans that don’t align with today’s preference for open space,” said Aja McClanahan, a financial writer and real estate agent at Space Coast Move. ” he said. “Consider making your floor plan larger by removing walls or raising ceilings.”
You may be happy with the layout of your home, but future buyers may not be impressed. You may also want to consider removing the popcorn ceiling or other changes that would make the property feel dated.
Not enough toilets
“If you have a large family or live together, a one-bathroom home can be difficult,” McClanahan emphasized. “The solution is to add another bathroom. This could mean sacrificing space in another area of the house or expanding the overall footprint of the house. ”
As many properties convert into short-term rentals or co-ops, you’ll want to add more bathroom space to increase your chances of attracting more potential buyers.
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outdated system
“Old electrical and plumbing systems are not only less efficient, but they can also be potentially dangerous,” McClanahan noted. “Updating these systems to current standards can be expensive but necessary for safety and sustainability. In some cases, it can also affect your home’s insurance. Yes, and that’s a big red flag for some buyers.”
If your system is old, you may have limited interest from buyers, as they may not want the hassle of replacing the entire HVAC unit. Your system may be working well enough for now, but it could be a red flag for buyers.
This leads to a similar point…
radiator
“Everyone has a painful childhood memory of being burned by a radiator while visiting their grandparents,” said real estate investor and blogger Cody Rudolph. They are heavy, a fire hazard, and mostly obsolete due to central heat and air.
“Buyers don’t want their children or pets around,” he continued. “Spend the money to get proper air conditioning and ditch the radiator.”
After reading this, you may want to seriously consider getting rid of your radiator. It may seem harmless or almost traditional, but it can damage property values. There’s a reason you don’t see many of these.
carpet
according to group (@ResilientRei on X) from the podcast “Landlord Horror Stories” The carpet is considered vintage.
“Gone are the days when every room required wall-to-wall carpeting. With the exception of bedrooms, any carpeted floor is considered vintage.”
Your carpet may have tied a room together in the ’90s, but its vintage features may now turn off potential buyers and reduce its value.
You may want to consider removing the carpet to give your floors a more modern look. In some cases, this is the first thing home buyers see when they walk into your home.
old window
“Old windows (unless they’re stained glass) should be thrown away, except in historic areas where they’re needed,” said Tom Brickman, a real estate investor and blogger.
When someone parks in your driveway, they’ll immediately notice your window. You don’t want to miss out on potential bids on your property because of old windows.
dark lighting
Bathroom heat lamps and lights that simply darken the room are two other vintage features that Brickman says need to be eliminated. “It’s amazing what new light bulbs can do to a space,” he added.
Something as simple as dim lighting can hurt the value of your home. Instead, take an afternoon to review your lighting and make sure it’s bright and modern so it doesn’t take away from your property’s value.
How to know which features are hurting your home’s value
“Depending on the buyer, decorative touches like an avocado green entryway or pink tiled bathroom can be easily fixed,” McClanahan said. “However, for retail buyers looking for move-in-ready homes, aging features may be difficult to overcome.”
Home prices can also fluctuate based on market conditions, so there’s no easy way to determine whether a particular feature will affect value, but you should work with a trusted real estate agent who understands the market. there is.
What does McClanahan think of as functional obsolescence? He says, “Functional obsolescence can be anything from an outdated floor plan to a clunky wood stove in the living room.” I did.
You should audit the features of your home before listing it to avoid losing out on profits. You can also analyze comparable properties nearby to see what features yours doesn’t offer. From there, you can run the calculations to see how much your home upgrades will cost and what benefits you’ll receive.
lastly
“The market value of a home is largely dependent on its desirable features,” McClanahan continued. “However, ‘real estate’ calculations mean that outdated features, such as vintage interior design or aging features, can reduce the value of a property.”
If you notice any of these vintage features in your home, the good news is that you can make the necessary changes to increase its value. What you thought was attractive may actually be an obstacle when selling your home.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Realtor: These 7 vintage features are hurting your home’s value