DFW Real Estate

DFW Real Estate Articles: 2008

Embellished Baths
© by Mike Stevenson

Dealmaker -- or dealbreaker – beautiful bathrooms often bestow the blessing or bear the burden.  Almost everyone agrees that bathrooms are critical to the overall appeal of a home. These little rooms -- make big impressions. So important are these rooms, that one can find literally dozens of towel bars, faucets and ceramic fixtures to "buff-up" the baths at any local home improvement store. The current trend continues to lean toward luxury. Busy days call for pampered evenings and the modern bathroom plays an important role in making this a reality.

Whether you're planning to upgrade for yourself or preparing to market your home, the money you spend on the baths is money well spent. Wisely chosen bathroom upgrades are virtually an investment. The return: comfort and convenience today, and when it's time to sell... confidence. Try to make your plans with an eye to the future. Do you expect to remain in your home a few more years or just a few more months?  A major bathroom renovation can be expensive. Weigh both needs and desires to help you determine how far to take your plans.
If you're staying awhile, a few thousand dollars may be a small price to pay for your family's comfort. If you see yourself moving sooner than later, you might want to consider cosmetic upgrades only.

Selling for Sure
If you've decided to sell, you'll want to look at the baths like a prospective buyer. What will they be looking for?  One thing you can be sure of... they'll want the bathrooms to appear VERY clean and fresh. If you fail the test here, your buyers are gone!  Look the room over as though it were someone else's house. What's the least you'd expect to find in a house of this caliber?  Would it be contemporarily styled faucets?  Would you expect tiled floors or papered walls?  You could possibly save yourself weeks or months of marketing time by spending some money today on bathroom upgrades. When people call me to sell their homes -- telling me they've had "lookers" but no buyers -- I immediately look at the kitchen and the baths!

Before You Show
It's not rocket science... old, worn-out fixtures, torn vinyl flooring, loose towel bars or paper holders and any perceptible odors are going to destroy your chances of selling. Once you've made your upgrades, there's still a point or two to remember before you put your home on the market. If you still have children at home, you must be sure that there are no dirty fingerprints on the walls... or worse. You may need to repaint and/or re-paper if the walls have seen better days. Look at the doorknobs -- they get a lot of use here. Repair loose doorknobs and replace unsightly ones. Make sure the light bulbs are bright and clean and hang a new coordinating towel on the towel bar. Soap dishes or liquid soap containers must look clean and tidy. If there is a rug on the floor, it should look new and -- forgive me – it should be the highest quality your budget will allow. The trash container is, of course, completely empty.

There's no shortage of fixtures, accessories or ideas for bathroom upgrades. The variety of styles, colors and prices offers everyone an opportunity to step-up a notch or two when they're ready. Look through some "home magazines" and you're sure to find a number of ideas for embellishing the bath... without taking one!

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