Selling or renting your home soon?
If you’re considering selling or renting your home soon but aren’t sure what kinds of upgrades to make to the kitchen, bathrooms, or floors, it’s important to choose materials based on value and design with the type of property in mind.
Select materials based on property type and property value
When choosing the materials to install, first consider whether you are preparing the house for rent or for sale. Rental properties must withstand heavy use, so the selection of materials should be made with durability in mind. Look for materials that won’t easily scratch, stain, chip, or chip and don’t require much maintenance.
When selling a home, you’ll want to choose materials that can add value to the property and match the asking price. Laying marble countertops in a novice home won’t pay off, while laminate floors in a luxury home may be a turn off for buyers (no offense to laminate floors—it’s come a long way!).
space function analysis
The choice of suitable worktop or flooring also depends on the functionality of the space. Bathrooms require materials that can be exposed to constant moisture, which makes marble, granite, and quartz great choices.
In the kitchen, your worktop needs to withstand water, food and drink spills and the ability to pull pots and pans across its surface. Despite its beauty and elegance, marble is quite porous, which makes it prone to permanent scratches and staining and is not a great choice for kitchens in general. If you’re preparing to sell the house, consider adding marble countertops to bathrooms for an elegant touch.
According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, man-made quartz is now the best-selling material for kitchen countertops. It is more stain and scratch resistant than granite, and is the second most widely used material. Quartz is practical, affordable and practical while also being environmentally friendly as it is created by combining waste stones. Recent improvements in the appearance of quartz provide broad appeal to both buyers and renters alike.
Consider the design element
When updating countertops or floors, make sure your choices complement the surrounding materials and home design. For example, stainless steel and concrete counters look great in modern kitchens, but are likely to look out of place in a traditional kitchen with lots of wood cabinets. It is always a good idea to choose neutral materials in color and pattern that have wide appeal when designing for a wider audience. n
Kristen Cowles is the owner of Styled & Staged Santa Barbara, which offers home staging and interior design services. She is a Staging Design Professional™ certified, a member of the Santa Barbara Association of Realtors and the Real Estate Staging Association, and a proud WEV alumnus. It can be accessed at [email protected].
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