buying a home with little money in savings

Personal Touches That Can Lower The Value Of Your Home

by Fernando Moore

If you are hoping to sell your home in the future, there are a few personal touches you might want to avoid when it comes to redecorating. The more individualized a space is, the harder this will be to sell. Here are four upgrades you should try to avoid before selling.

1. Remodels Under the Radar

Without the proper permits, it will be hard for buyers to understand what remodeling projects were actually done properly, and the official square footage of your home might be incorrect. Smaller DIY repairs that are outside of your scope when it comes to plumbing and electrical upgrades can come out looking uneven and unprofessional.

2. Extreme Paint Color Choices Inside and Out

While you might have a unique taste in color, many real estate agents will nudge sellers to go with whites and beiges inside and outside of a home. If you need to have a splash of color, an accent wall in the kitchen or bathroom is alright, but not an entire living room. Even if you resolve to paint over this before selling, it can be hard to hide darker colors and dark paint choices might bleed through.

3. Unique Backyard Uses

As with all areas of the home, if these are set up in a traditional way that people are used to, this can help sell your home. The backyard is no exception. If you have unique items in your yard such as mobile sheds, an above-ground pool, or golf practice runs, you might want to remove these before your open house and replace with grass or mulch.

4. Converting a Garage into a Living Space

Especially if you are limited on space, you might want to get more use out of your garage than using this just for cars. The thing is, a lot of people would like to use garages in the traditional sense. If you have converted your garage into a studio, a rec room, or a home gym, potential buyers might only see this as a restoration expense. If you can use this space in a way that can be easily transitioned back to a garage, this will help when you are ready to sell.

While one of the main points of buying one's own home is the ability to make this a unique space, don't forget about the future. If this is your 'right now' home and not your 'forever' home, try to strike a balance of what you must change and what you can keep as-is to appeal to potential buyers. Your real estate agent should be able to help in the process and suggest small changes as well.

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