Home prices continue to rise all around the country. Right now is the best time to sell. But you want to get the most out of your investment that you can.
Have you been thinking about a bathroom upgrade? Summer is renovation season and it is right around the corner. So now is the time to start seriously considering what upgrades you want to make to your bathroom.
It doesn’t matter if you have been thinking about a bathroom remodel because you want to increase the value of your home or if you simply want your own bathroom to feel more luxurious. But it is smart to keep your ROI in mind no matter who the remodel is for.
Let’s talk about some luxury bathroom upgrades that will increase your home’s value and the wow factor for potential buyers.
What Is the Real Value of a Bathroom Remodel?
Before we can look at specific upgrades and features, let’s talk about what type of remodel you are looking at.
Are you simply updating a few outdated features like light fixtures or faucets? Or are you looking to rip out and replace everything? Maybe you are adding an additional bathroom?
All these bathroom remodels are different and they will require different work and different budgets.
A simple bathroom upgrade can usually be accomplished with a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. That is as long as there are no serious issues with plumbing, lighting, or the blueprint of the bathroom.
If you are simply looking at some cosmetic changes, those can be handled fairly easily and can often be a DIY project if you are up to the task.
A major remodel, however, is a different story. If you are looking to replace cabinets, tub/shower, countertops, sinks, flooring. All of these things are going to cost a pretty penny.
But it is important to remember, if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing right. So remember not to skimp on materials or try to cut corners.
Even if the remodel increases in cost, it might not increase as much of the ROI as you would like. Yet, the wow factor will continue to increase.
All of the upgrades will capture the attention of buyers. With how home prices are right now, you will surely see an increase in value.
Adding an additional bathroom can prove to be quite the return on investment too.
But you can probably guess that it is the most expensive of the bathroom renovations that you can undergo. Not to mention the longest. Especially if you are looking to add a full bathroom.
That leads us to one of the most common questions we see among homeowners thinking about a bathroom remodel.
“What updates are actually worth doing?”
Best Bathroom Upgrades to Increase Home’s Value
If you are going to take the time and money to renovate anything in your home, you should always do your homework. So before you start any luxury bathroom upgrades to increase your home’s value you need to make sure that they will actually be worth it.
So what upgrades will actually prove to be the most beneficial? We need to look first at what we can renovate most inexpensively that will produce the highest valued return.
Flooring/Walls
Whenever talking about a renovation your walls should always be the first thing to consider. A new coat of paint is the easiest and most inexpensive way to really freshen up even the most outdated-looking bathroom.
And painting does in fact provide one of the highest returns as far as added value. But even more so a fresh coat of paint really cleans everything up nicely. That is what most buyers want to see when looking at a home. Something that isn’t going to need a ton of work to feel like home.
So that leads us to flooring. This part of a renovation really depends on what shape the flooring is in now. If you can get away with not replacing the flooring, that would be a large bill that you can avoid during this renovation.
Obvious for a bathroom tile is pretty common anywhere in the country. But here in Florida, tile is incredibly popular to use all around the home.
Hopefully, your bathroom flooring doesn’t need to be replaced. However, if your flooring is damaged, or needs replaced, ceramic or porcelain tiles are the way to go. And nowadays they have tiles in all sorts of styles and colors that will go with whatever look you are trying to achieve.
Cabinets/Handles
After painting the walls, updating cabinets and cabinet fixtures are also one of the cheapest ways to make your bathroom look new. A couple of coats of paint on those old worn-out cabinets will make them really pop.
Many homeowners are actually surprised by how big of a transformation simply painting those cabinets can have. It will completely change the look of your bathroom and really increase the value of your bathroom.
However, it needs to be done right. A sloppy or messy paint job can decrease the value of the bathroom. So it is important that if you are going to take on this project, you make sure to do it right.
It really isn’t as difficult as it sounds as long as you know what you are doing. Taking on the DIY project of painting your cabinets yourself might not be up your alley. You can always hire painters to do the job for you but that will cost a bit more.
But it is still completely worth it and is by far the cheapest way to update your cabinets.
Once you have them all painted, all you need to do is updated the cabinet fixtures. The best way to do that is to know what colors you want ahead of time so you can take that into account for all your bathroom fixtures.
Vanity/Fixtures
Another incredibly helpful update that you can make to your bathroom is the fixtures. And it is best to use the same type of finish on all the fixtures in the bathroom. This is the best way to make the bathroom feel unified and complete.
Mix matching finishes can be okay if done correctly and tastefully in a way that creates a beautiful juxtaposition. But accomplishing this can be difficult especially if you aren’t an interior designer.
So it is usually easiest to just stick to the same finish. You don’t want buyers to feel like the bathroom has only been partly renovated.
And mixed matched finishes can definitely leave your new bathroom feeling only half put together.
So remember to take everything into consideration. The sinks, towel holders, toilet paper holders, cabinet pulls, lighting, curtain rods, shower curtain rods, and even the showerhead too.
Updating these things with new high-end options will make your bathroom look modern and newly updated. Not to mention it will peek buyer interest when looking through your listing photos.
Shower/Bath
We can’t forget one of the most important parts of your bathroom upgrade. The actual bathtub and the shower. After years of continuous everyday use, your shower and bathtub probably don’t look so hot. And they are also a little dated.
Depending on what condition they’re in you may need to look at either replacing them or cleaning them up. A lot of times the tile used in bathrooms will hold up beautifully but certain colors or designs are a tell-tale sign that these tiles have been there for a while.
Not to mention the grout and caulk used around showers and tubs. It doesn’t matter how well the bathtub and shower were installed previously, grout and especially caulk begin to wear down over time.
And if those nooks and crannies are starting to show signs of mildew, it needs to be taken care of during any bathroom upgrade. Even if it is just some old tile, grout, and caulk that needs cleaned up or replaced, it will make a huge difference.
And you don’t need to break the bank with anything too extravagant. Simple and clean tile options as well as some new grout and caulk will make any bathroom feel new.
Don’t forget to update the fixtures in the shower either. A modern shower head doesn’t cost as much as you might think but it looks luxurious and is a must for many homeowners.
Lighting
Possibly one of the most important and budget-friendly bathroom upgrades would be the light fixtures. Nothing makes a bathroom look more outdated than an old flush mount dome light or basic bulb vanity lighting.
Spending a few extra bucks to purchase a new light fixture and have a handyman come and install it is one of the best things you can do for your bathroom. Modern light fixtures immediately make a bathroom look more contemporary.
Common Bathroom Upgrade Mistakes
Now that we’ve talked about some of the best luxury bathroom upgrades to increase your home’s value, let’s talk about some upgrades that are just a waste of money. Don’t make these bathroom upgrade mistakes unless you are willing to take the loss on your return.
Jet Tubs/Steam Showers
Jet tubs and steam showers are very luxurious and are a nice feature to have in any shower. But are home buyers really willing to pay more for them?
The consensus is, no, they are not. The average everyday home buyer isn’t typically concerned about specialty showers and tubs.
So even though these are an expensive and definitely luxurious upgrade from a standard shower or tub, most potential home buyers will see this as a bonus feature but not something they would be willing to pay extra for.
And because of this, the demand for this type of bathroom upgrade just isn’t high enough to really increase the value of the home.
So if you really want a jet tub or a steam shower, just know that it is a personal bathroom upgrade that might bring you joy, but will not show much as far as a return on your investment.
Heated Floors
Although the sound of heated flooring is nice to think about you must ask yourself “Is this really necessary?”
Heated floors are the ultimate sign of a luxury home. But most homeowners are not going to pay more for a home with heated floors, especially here in Florida.
So even though it might have always been a dream of yours to have heated flooring, just remember, most other Florida home buyers will not be interested in a luxury upgrade such as this.
Wallpaper
Wallpaper can be very scary for many buyers. Not only is it difficult to install, repair, or replace, but just getting rid of it is quite the ordeal as well. That’s why many homes nowadays don’t use wallpaper as they did back in the 70s and 80s.
Even though wallpaper is still used somewhat regularly in modern home design, when talking about added value and the housing market, most buyers are just looking for a house with painted walls.
Especially in the bathroom where wallpaper can prove to be difficult to keep up.
Going Overboard
Last but not least, remember not to go overboard. In any home renovation, it is important to keep in mind your bottom line and understand that there will be unexpected expenses.
You want to remodel your bathroom so that you actually increase value and buyer interest. So if there are things that you can simply clean up and make shine like new again, it is best to try and make them work in the new design.
And most importantly of all, if you aren’t sure if your bathroom upgrade will be worth the cost, give us a call at (941) 743-3700. Here at R.E.Appraisals, we are the experts when it comes to home value. We can help you to better understand your home’s current value and even help you to increase it.
