I’m in the mood to get on my renovation soapbox this morning. Mostly I’d like to address the choice of floor covering.

It seems like every year there are new flooring options. Hardwood or engineered hardwood are the most luxurious. Luxury vinyl is taking the place of laminate, but for now I still believe hardwood or engineered hardwood is typically a better choice. My take on making a decision in a house but perhaps more for a condo is look to see what the neighbours are doing. When we as realtors look at the value of a home we look at the comparables. Equivalent space having been established the next criteria are kitchens, bathrooms, and flooring. In a building where everyone has hardwood or engineered hardwood I tend to discourage the use of laminate as that would not appreciate the value of the home when comparing to others. Also of importance if you are adding a new flooring to a room – try to match what is there and ensure the transition is smooth. I once saw a condo which had a total of 9 different types of floorings: not a good look. Professionally installed is always best as they know how to scatter the different lengths to create a good look. Of course, laminate should be used in a basement. Best use I’ve seen is where the ground floor and upper floor was hardwood and the basement had a similar colour laminate.

Then of course there’s the possibility of over improving. Choosing materials that are more luxurious than what is typically used in a building may not increase the value of your condo as much as you think. Unless you live in one of the more luxurious buildings in the city. If that is the case go ahead and throw a quarry of marble at your ensuite bath.

When making renovations for yourself get those Chinese red lacquer kitchen cupboards you’ve always wanted – but if you want to appreciate the value of your home and make it ready to sell call the Molly & Claude team for guidance.

Canadian Real Estate Wealth has put together a blog post on which home improvement improve the value of your home.

• Kitchen remodeling
• Bathroom renovations
• Landscaping & curb appeal
• Energy-efficient upgrades
• Smart home technology

If you’re remodeling your kitchen for yourself and you plan on being there for sometime – knock yourself out. BUT, if you are looking to increase the value of your home make decisions on what buyers typically look for. You may want to avoid red lacquer (which I have seen and which was a turnoff). The pendulum in favour of open kitchen concepts is swinging so note that a closed kitchen is now an option once again.

Bathroom renovations of course. According to the area or building you live in I always caution people to not take out the bathtub if you only have one. The best of course is if there are two bathrooms in one you can have a walk-in shower and in the other you can have a bath.

Landscaping is good, I’d suggest keeping it simple making it something that a new person would want to adopt.

Energy-efficient upgrates – in order for those to count do remember to keep the documentation you have and be sure that the information is relayed to potential buyers as otherwise some features may not be evident.

Smart home technology – this is a new item on the list. It will be interesting to see this evolve and see how these features transfer from one owner to the next. Be careful to not be this guy!

Should you be embarking on a renovation project and aren’t sure what will bring the most return on your investment do not hesitate to contact the Molly & Claude Team we can help.

CTV news tells us why howemowners are replacing their AC units with heat pump.

Royal LePage has put together a list of recommendations to assist home sellers sell their home during a cooler market.

• DO – Make the first impression count
• DON’T – Forget about the little things
• DO – Declutter and depersonalize
• DON’T – Overspend on the upgrades
• DO – Practice good showing etiquette
• DON’T – Think in the past

Details here.

Sellers

A recent post from Royal LePage details how to maximize your return on investment with regards renovations. Of course, I always add that unless you have experience, be careful of do-it-yourself projects – if not done correctly or professionally, it may not add the value you expect. Another point to consider is don’t make any renovations too personal, try to keep it to something that will appeal to more people and not get dated. Or, if it is something that will get dated, limit how much of it there is and so it’s cost to replace is limited.

Buyers

When looking at the asking price of a home and comparing to other recently sold properties take the above points into consideration.