Whether you’re planning to sell in the near future or simply looking to upgrade your home, a kitchen renovation is worth the effort. Kitchen remodels refresh the fun of cooking at home, and offer a high ROI for sellers by enhancing the social appeal of a home.
Before you build a budget for your kitchen remodel, consider the popular upgrades below.
1. Refresh your countertops
Outdated or damaged counters can easily dampen the aesthetic of your kitchen. If your counters haven’t been replaced for decades, prioritize new kitchen surfaces on your remodeling budget. Marble and granite are popular choices for both durability and style. Money spent sourcing high-quality materials for your counters will be repaid in full when it comes time to sell. If marble is out of your budget, you can still improve your kitchen’s look with less expensive tile or engineered quartz countertops.
2. Replace flooring
If you’ve had your home for decades, you know that daily wear and tear can take a toll on even the best flooring. Any real estate agent will tell you that new flooring can elevate a room’s appeal to buyers exponentially, so when it comes to revamping your kitchen, don’t forget about your floors.
Before deciding on new flooring for your kitchen, consider the appearance of the room as a whole. If the kitchen has a lot of natural light and your counters and cabinets are a light color, dark wood floors will provide a desirable contrast. If, on the other hand, your kitchen has dark walls and cabinets, a light-colored floor will add some much-needed brightness.
Among the most popular types of flooring are hardwood, porcelain, ceramic tile, and concrete. While the cost varies depending on the size of your room and the materials you choose, you should expect to pay anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000 for new floors.
3. Replace kitchen windows
If you have outdated, damaged, or too few windows in your kitchen, replacing old windows and adding new ones will make a huge impact on the space.
Consider adding a bay window, replacing older windows with double-hung varieties, or installing picture windows to ensure you and your guests can see as much of the waterfront as possible. You may also want to replace a regular side door with a glass sliding door or install floor-to-ceiling windows between your kitchen and an attached deck or patio. Trust us, you’ll want to see these stunning views!
4. Upgrade your appliances
Replacing kitchen appliances will not only boost the overall appearance of your kitchen, but will also help with the room’s functionality, and reduce your utility bills. Homes that use energy-efficient appliances are popular with buyers and have increased resale value. If you want to take your kitchen to the next level, consider smart appliances like voice-controlled microwaves, refrigerators that can sense when you are running out of groceries, and ovens that can connect to Wi-Fi and work with your Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.
5. Convert to an open floor plan
Lakefront home buyers tend to prefer an open floor plan. Converting the floor plan of your kitchen is not a minor remodel and may consist of removing load-bearing walls and altering the configuration of your room. However, this expenditure could be well worth it when it comes to selling your home. An open kitchen will also encourage your family to gather in this space and facilitate entertainment for guests. A major kitchen remodel (that includes a floor plan conversion, new appliances, upgraded flooring, and new countertops) can range in price anywhere from $68,000 to over $100,000, but you can expect to get roughly half of that back when you sell. When selling in a buyer's market, major upgrades like these will radically improve your chances of multiple, high offers.
Tips on selling lakefront homes
Below are some more tips to help you get the most out of your lakefront real estate:
â—¾ Stage it.
â—½ Lakefront homes that are professionally staged sell faster and for more money than those that are not. You can benefit from staging the home yourself—or having it virtually staged to appeal to online buyers.
â—¾ Get professional photos taken.
â—½ Most buyers find properties they are interested in online, thus, hiring a professional real estate photographer to take high-quality images of your house is crucial to appealing to your ideal buyer. Focus on the areas you’ve updated, and don’t forget to have plenty of pictures taken of your home’s waterfront.
â—¾ Work with an experienced real estate agent.
â—½ A professional local agent will help you price your home competitively, develop a strategic marketing campaign, and identify which offer best fits your needs.
If you’re looking to list your lakefront home (or are hoping to buy while interest rates remain low), reach out to real estate agent Lucas Haun for trustworthy, local expertise. Lucas and his team are happy to provide clients with guidance for every stage of the remodeling, buying, or selling process.