Focus on Rooms That Help Sell a House

Homebuyers are looking for the perfect house, but which rooms are the most important? Here are the three rooms that will help sell a house.

Top Choice: the Kitchen

Easily the key room that helps sell a house, the kitchen should be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. A great kitchen allows space for the family to be with each other and prepare meals together. The most important features of the kitchen are its size, an open floor plan, plenty of counter space and cabinetry, and good traffic flow.

A major kitchen remodel improves value, but you may not earn back the investment if you sell soon after the upgrades are finished. Such a makeover is best done at a time when you’re planning to stay in your home for the foreseeable future and can enjoy the benefits of the project. When you sell down the road, the typical inflation of home prices over time will help you recoup your investment.

If you are planning to sell your home soon, focus on making less ambitious changes to the kitchen, such as replacing dated appliances, faucets, and cabinet hardware and updating the light fixtures. Instead of replacing cabinets, painting or refinishing them can be an attractive but less expensive option. You can also make your kitchen appear more spacious by clearing small appliances off the counters and decluttering your decor.

Bathrooms are important, especially the master

A spacious master bath with appealing tile, counters and fixtures is a room that will help sell a house. Home shoppers also value dual sinks and roomy closets in the master bath. If you can’t afford or don’t want to undertake an expensive remodel, you can give your bathrooms a face-lift with new faucets, cabinet hardware, mirrors and updated light fixtures.

It’s important to have at least two bathrooms in a house. A half bath for guests adds value.

A Lovable Living Room

The living areas are also important to family and social life. Sufficient space to comfortably entertain and large windows to allow in lots of natural light make for a living room that will help sell a house. To make the living room even more attractive without spending a lot, create an accent wall with contrasting paint, built-in shelves or interesting artwork. If one wall has a fireplace, choose it for your accent wall. Otherwise, choose the wall buyers see first when entering the room.

If your house has a living area conducive to socializing as well as a formal living room that gets little use, convert the latter into a home office or workspace to help buyers see some of the useful possibilities for the room.

Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract. The article was revised from HOUSEOPEDIA’s original article.