While there may be a high demand for homes in Santa Cruz right now, you can still benefit greatly from making a few upgrades. Many home buyers have money to spend. Some come from nearby Silicon Valley, and others may be looking at beachfront properties. The median price for homes right now in Santa Cruz is a little over $700K, and that means you may actually attract more attention by making little improvements to your home.
Of course, it only pays off if what you spend actually gets you more interest or more money. It doesn’t really make sense if you spend $30,000 on an upgrade and the increase in price is only $10,000.
If you’re like most people, you probably have a limited budget, so you need to spend your money wisely. Here are the top upgrades you can make, ranked according to importance:
Basic Maintenance Issues –
Quite a lot of articles seem to recommend bathroom or kitchen upgrades, but that may not always be sound advice. A great kitchen won’t matter if you don’t fix the necessities first. Kitchens and nicer bathrooms are luxuries, and often homebuyers want to do the upgrades themselves. What they expect is that the home is sound. There’s no leak in the roof, and there’s no awful smell in the basement because water is leaking through the foundation.
Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal. You’ve probably read some articles about the importance of your home exterior’s appeal, and it’s all true. There’s no point upgrading the interior if the outside looks so unappealing. You want something that gives a feeling of welcome, and your home should look like a house that potential buyers would be proud to own.
One of the best things about this upgrade is that it doesn’t cost all that much. You just have to make everything look neat, nice, and fresh without making it seem high-maintenance.
Fix your flooring –
Cracked tile floors are a no-no when you are selling your home, as they give off a rather negative vibe. If you have worn hardwood floors, get them sanded lightly and then resealed. Make sure your carpets or rugs are clean too.
Upgrade baths and kitchens. If you have the essentials already covered, then it’s time to focus on baths and kitchens. These two things are tied in importance, and which one you upgrade depends on what you need.
First of all, you need to make sure that you have enough bathrooms in the house. If you only have a single bathroom for three bedrooms, then you need to think about adding a new bathroom. You should also think about changing bathroom fixtures if yours are already old.
If you have enough bathrooms and they look clean and attractive, then you should upgrade the kitchen or the master bathroom, whoever you think deserves a major boost.
Of course, there’s always the chance that you’ll change your mind about selling your home because the improvements now make it even more beautiful than it was before. That can make your home even more special to you, and in Santa Cruz, that’s not as uncommon as you think.
