You might be excited about putting your house on the market to move on to your new life – until you look around you.
If your home is like many homes in the Sutherland Shire that haven’t changed hands in decades, it’s looking a little tired. So do you need to do a full renovation or is there a low-budget option to help get buyers through the door?
There is, and in this article, we give you practical ideas for a budget home makeover.
The important point to keep top of mind is that you want to make a profit on the sale of your home. You want to spend $1 to make at least $2. It isn’t worth overcapitalising with renovations. A fancy expensive kitchen might not suit the style of your home (and in any case, most buyers want to choose their own kitchen). Your luxury $25,000+ bathroom renovation is likely to add only around a couple of thousand dollars to the sale price.
Low-cost renovation alternatives in Sutherland Shire
For every expensive renovation, there’s a low-cost makeover alternative.
Bathrooms
Luxury: You undertake a full remodel with top-of-the-range bathtub (or you’ve ripped out the tub in favour of a walk-in shower) toilet suite and tapware, new vanity, tiles and bathroom cabinet.
Budget: Retiling is not too expensive if you have a smaller bathroom (assuming you don’t choose overly expensive tiles). If you don’t retile, you can regrout existing tiles, repaint, replace doors and handles on the vanity and the mirrors on your bathroom cabinet. Replace tapware with mid-range products. And add a frameless shower screen.
Kitchen
Luxury: Undergo a full renovation with top-of-the-line appliances and flooring, stone benchtops, expensive lighting and high-quality European tapware.
Budget: Retile or regrout any splashback tiles. Change out cupboard doors and replace handles with more modern styles. LED lighting is effective while being a cheaper option than designer lighting.
Garden
Luxury: You have a landscape architect completely redesign your garden.
Budget: Trim shrubs and trees, install a DIY watering system and mulch all garden beds. (Mulch hides a multitude of sins as well as helping the soil retain water.)
Entertainment area and barbecue
Luxury: Repave your outdoor entertainment area. Purchase a new barbecue unit and cover. Install permanent shade.
Budget: Pressure clean your paving, use stainless steel cleaner on the barbecue and refresh the tired cover with Armor All®. Invest in a stylish outdoor umbrella.
Extra space
Luxury: Extend your home to add another room.
Budget: You might be able to improve the flow of your home by knocking out a non-supporting wall.
Other essentials in a budget home renovation
- Repaint with white and/or neutral or light colours. Paler tints help to reflect the light and make your home look brighter.
- Give your existing carpet a good shampoo if it’s in good nick. If it isn’t, recarpet with neutral-coloured inexpensive carpet.
- Fix any maintenance issues like cracked light fittings, dripping taps, sticking drawers and squeaky doors. Buyers always open cupboards and drawers so make sure they’re tidy.
- Declutter and deep clean: Sort your possessions and put what you don’t need into storage or donate to charity or family. Deep cleaning is hard work so get in the professionals to do this part.
- Style your home: This is another task best left to professionals. In our experience, styling can add several thousand dollars to the sale price of even a modest home.
Want advice on selling in Sutherland Shire?
LOCATION agents have long experience in Caringbah and surrounding suburbs. We’re well placed to give you a realistic appraisal in this market and can offer more tips on renovation spend.
