Quickly Add Value to your Home with a Bathroom Remodel

As the economy continues to grow and the unemployment rate across the country continues to fall, the recession that has tightly gripped this country for the better part of the last decade seems to be further and further in the rearview mirror. One sure-fire sign of strong economic improvement are increased home sales, and projections are beginning to surface about 2015’s potential to be a banner year. In fact, according to a recently published article by an ABC News affiliate out of Boston, many experts are predicting the best year for home sales since the early 2000s. With the market expanding and demand starting to grow, now is the perfect time to consider getting your home in shape to put on the market. But how, you may wonder, can you increase your home’s value and attractiveness to potential buyers? The answer just a flush away: remodel your bathroom.

Perceived and Real Value

There is no question that an updated and remodeled bathroom adds practical value to your home by saving a potential new owner from having to put the work in to remodel it themselves. This creates a desirable advantage for the buyer, and definitely entices the buyer who focuses solely on the numbers. And though every buying expert advises potential purchasers to consider properties on the traditional pillars of worth–neighborhood, square footage, taxes, etc.–people tend to be emotional and taste-oriented creatures, meaning, we buy what we like, and what impresses us, and tend to avoid the things we don’t like, even if they’re on the surface. Countless homes have sold for less-than-advertised prices or deals have fallen through because of fungus-green wallpaper, ugly peach colored paint, or other various surface variables that buyers couldn’t ignore despite their triviality.

A newly remodeled bathroom limits the damage varying tastes can bring by providing an esthetic that everyone can agree on coveting: being new and modern. And though it is impossible to create a design that will appeal to every person who considers buying your home, here are five steps you can take to make your remodel appeal to every buyer who is looking for an updated space:

1. Forget the Tub – Embrace a Larger Shower

Though tubs have been a traditional method of bathing for countless centuries, American’s on-the-go schedules don’t allow us to sit and soak as much as we’d like. Don’t give up the high-value square footage for an outdated tub; install a large walk-in steam shower that will impress even the most critical of eyes. Plus, a shower saves water versus a tub, and that could be another potential attraction to the cost-minded buyer. This is especially true for master bathrooms.

2. Improve In-Shower Storage

Many classic bathrooms from the post-World War II housing boom feature a tub, a shower head, a curtain rod, and little else. Today’s consumer wants more out of their shower, and one of the most desirable features you can include is extra storage space. Consider adding a recessed compartment built into your shower stall, or an attractive shelf addition to the wall. Either way, anything you can do to limit the frustration (and mess) of all of your body and hair products resting on the slippery edge of the tub will be an improvement that potential buyers will notice.

3. Go High Tech

A heated toilet seat, heated floors, a cooling cabinet, cable TV, stereo with MP3 hookup, fog-less mirror – all of these things may have sounded as though they were out of Jetson’s cartoon to home buyers 10 years ago, but now, these small relatively inexpensive details are the kind of things that buyers remember when considering different properties. (Check out what’s in a high-tech bathroom!)

4. Go Green

Not only are environmentally friendly bathroom features in high demand, they are also extremely practical to all buyers who consider future utility bills when buying a house. With water costs on the rise in the Southwest, this cost-saving feature could be a big draw for all, and will give your updated bathroom a modern advantage over others in the area.

5. Listen to the Experts

If you’re focusing your remodel on what will get the most potential buyers tempted to make an offer, ask a professional in your area what’s currently in demand. As the premier source for bathroom needs in Arizona, the expert staff at ReBath can help you determine what will work best in your space to establish the most value.

Renovation or Expansion?

If you’re trying to decide whether to remodel your current space or add on another bathroom to your floor plan, the answer might surprise you. Though a newly remodeled bathroom is sure to entice each and every potential buyer who comes to view the property, it does nothing to flame the fire of interest on the spec sheet. That’s why experts recommended that, if your house or apartment only has one bathroom for the entire household, you may want to consider adding a second bathroom versus jumping into a remodel. “Adding a 2nd bath would absolutely add value. Even a half bath or ¾ bath would add value,” Denise Shurr, a realtor from San Jose, California told Realtor.com. “A feature like a 2nd bathroom can be just the item to push a buyer/renter toward your property and over another one just like yours on the market that has only one bathroom.”

Try DIY or hire a professional?

When putting in the time and cost of adding or remodeling a bathroom in your home, the safest investment is always to trust the skilled and experienced craftsman at a company like ReBath. In fact, Consumer Reports lists one of the Top Seven Costly Mistakes in their Bathroom Remodeling Guide as “Skimping on Skilled Labor.” The truth is, though there are aspects of any project that can most certainly be done by you as the homeowner, installing a new bathroom means plumbing, construction, fabrication, electrical, and all other kinds of skilled labor that can time consuming, dangerous, extremely hard to fix in the event of a mistake. Your ReBath representative will work with you, and your budget, to make sure your final product is something you can not only be proud of, but will continue to last year after year.

Whether you’re planning to put your house on the market or just looking to make your everyday living space more modern, comfortable, and desirable, remodeling a bathroom is the perfect solution and will add both real, and perceived, value to your home. We hope these tips helped show that by remodeling your bathroom, you can make your home a standout on the market, or a more comfortable and rewarding place to live. Either way, the value you gain is priceless.