Home Remodeling
10 Tricks to Help Your Bathroom Sell Your House
As with the kitchen, the bathroom is always a high priority for home buyers. Here’s how we at HomesReinvented-MN help you showcase your bathroom so it looks its best during the open house.
Buyers love the allure of a fresh, beautiful bathroom that reminds them of luxury hotels or soothing spas they have enjoyed. And, most important, buyers want to envision themselves enjoying this luxury every day in their new home.
However, the reality is that most of us do not have the perfect bathroom. And we know that, in most instances, it is not a wise investment to do a full, costly renovation just for a home sale. It simply doesn’t translate into profit.
A better strategy is to maximize what you already have, on a budget. You want to transform your real-life, everyday bathroom into a five-star hotel experience that prospective buyers will love, without overcapitalizing. Here are simple ways to create havens with a wow factor.
1. Clear off the counters to create a blank canvas
Remove all of your everyday toiletries and bathroom supplies. This includes soaps, toothbrushes, cotton balls — everything. (And don’t forget the products in the shower.) Buyers do not want to see your personal hygiene products. In fact, this can make them feel as though they are intruding on your personal space, which can be distracting and a little awkward.
2. Get rid of cleaning products
Clear the space including floors, counters, shelves and shower of anything that could remind a potential buyer of work. Toilet brushes, plungers, all purpose sprays, and extra toilet paper just remind buyers that they are in someone else’s bathroom and takes away the magic of walking into a clean, decluttered space where they hope to relax, not clean.
Tip: Remove the bathroom scale, too. Remember, your buyers want a luxurious bathroom experience, not a reminder of those extra pounds they are trying to lose.
3. Maximize your storage
Storage space sells. Your buyers will be looking inside your bathroom cupboards to see how much space they offer. Make sure they are only half to two-thirds full and well organized. Store the little things you use every day (hair elastics, lip gloss) in a pretty box or basket with a lid to avoid a tidal wave of trinkets on the shelves.
Tip: If you’re running out of space to store your toiletries, keep the overflow in simple wicker baskets. When buyers are coming to inspect your home, just grab the baskets and stash them somewhere else.
4. Make minor upgrades
Rather than spending many thousands completely renovating your bathroom, it’s much smarter to spend your money only where it will show and to make small, inexpensive upgrades that will create a large impact. As a general rule, improvements that can’t easily be seen don’t translate into a higher sale price.
The best bang-for-your-buck bathroom upgrades are: repainting the walls, replacing leaking and worn taps, updating the cabinet hardware, installing new light fittings and updating towel bars.
Note: In some bathrooms it’s also worth considering changing the tiles (large white tiles always make a bathroom feel more spacious and contemporary), replacing shower screens and investing in new cabinetry and countertops. I find this is often warranted in a higher-priced property, where buyers are looking for (and expecting) a higher level of bathroom luxury.
5. Clean thoroughly
Clean everything to within an inch of its life. No, it’s certainly not exciting, but it’s super important. Buyers will pay a premium for new, so your aim is to create a new feel. Everything must be immaculate, as this creates the impression that your home has been well maintained and well loved.
6. Hang luxurious towels
Any bathroom can be instantly transformed by adding beautiful, soft towels. New is best (once towels have been washed, they never look quite the same). So it’s a great idea to keep your new towels just for display only. Pack them away between buyer inspections and reinstate them just before the prospective buyers arrive.
Tip: If there is a lot of extra counter space, you can also place a neatly folded pile of two or three matching towels on the vanity or side of the bath for extra luxury. Thick, white, luxurious towels always work well, and there are some beautiful textured options. Funky, brightly colored towels are popular at the moment too; for a more dramatic effect, you could consider adding a splash of bold color.
7. Stick with neutrals
If you are going to repaint your walls, upgrade your tiles or invest in new cabinetry, it’s always a good idea to keep to a neutral palette for these larger elements, as it will appeal to more buyers. If you want to add some fresh color, use towels and accessories.
8. Beautify with accessories
Now that you have cleared away your personal bathroom products, bring in a few well-chosen accessories to add a layer of warmth, elegance and luxury. Think about creating a spa-like experience with accessories in tranquil, soft colors. Include fragrant soaps, bath oils, natural loofahs and candles.
It’s important to display these products as groupings rather than scattering them around the room; scattered products can look like clutter. Less is better. Think simplicity. You may want to consider using a wooden tray as a base and group items together in odd numbers. Vary the height of candles and jars, too.
“Fix It or Not?” – What to Know When Prepping Your Home for Sale
Being a Real Estate agent with NRG, many of the homeowners I am working with ask me whether a repair is worth making before their house officially goes live on the MLS, once they’re under contract.
When you make the decision to sell your home, it can be tricky to know which changes would make your home sell more quickly or boost the sale price — and which would be a waste of your time and resources. Satin Touch is not only a licensed general contract but also has a licensed Realtor, meaning we know the true cost to “Fix It or Not”. This gives my clients an advantage when it comes to selling and/or buying.
Each home (and each homeowner) is different; that’s why we’ve come up with eight key questions to ask yourself before making any changes to prep your home for sale.
General Questions
If you’re not using HomesReinvented-MN to sell your home and are looking to do a ‘Sell by Owner’ or already have a trusted Real Estate Agent in mind, these first three questions will help you take the temperature of the real estate market in your area and assess the competition.
1. How hot or cold is the market in your area?
Are homes being snapped up after the first open house, or are they languishing on the market for months? Are homes being sold at or near the asking price, or for much lower? Are open houses bustling with people, or is attendance sparse? Get a feel for the market in your area by talking with your real estate agent and checking local listings. If it’s a seller’s market, you may be able to get away with doing fewer repairs and modifications before selling, and still have good results — in a buyer’s market, expect to do more work to make a positive impression on buyers.
2. How fast are you looking to sell?
If you need to sell your home immediately — say, because you have already committed to buying another home or need to move because of work — it is in your best interest to do everything in your power to ensure a quick sale at the highest price possible. If you have more flexibility, and you feel uncomfortable making too many pricey changes to your home before selling, it may make more sense to focus on cleaning, decluttering and making small cosmetic changes (like painting) — particularly if the market is hot and favors the seller. If you aren’t getting the offers you would like, you can always decide to spring for a few bigger changes later and relist your home.
3. What is the condition of comparable homes on the market?
It can be quite helpful to know a little about the homes that buyers in your area are looking at. Examine photos of homes for sale in your area or even attend a few open houses, and make a mental note of how the other homes compare to yours. Are the kitchens updated? Are the floors in good shape? If all of the other homes you see have a certain feature (for instance, an updated kitchen) that yours lacks, consider making that a priority. You don’t need to make your home exactly like all the other homes on the market; just make sure there isn’t a single factor that could give your home a disadvantage.
The next five questions will help you assess whether or not to make a specific repair or change before selling your home.
4. Does the faulty item give the impression the property has not been well cared for?
Leaky faucets, cracked tiles, an overgrown lawn, broken appliances or anything else that doesn’t work as it should can immediately turn off buyers. At an open house, people often zip through quite quickly, and if they notice one or two things that send up red flags, they may not give your home another chance.
5. Can you find a less expensive fix?
Let’s say you scoped out the comparable homes on the market in your neighborhood, and they all have updated kitchens but yours hasn’t been touched for some time. Rather than spend big on a full kitchen remodel, why not give your kitchen a less costly refresh? For instance, you could paint the cabinets, swap out cabinet hardware, change the light fixtures and upgrade the appliances to something current and functional but not top-of-the-line. You will put some money into it but not nearly as much as with a full remodel — well worth it if it gets your home in the running in a competitive market.
6. How much will you realistically need to lower the price if you don’t fix it?
If you have a lot of costly repairs to tackle to get your home ready to sell, you may be considering selling it as is. But keep in mind that buyers looking for a fixer-upper will also be looking to discount the selling price for the repairs plus the hassle. In other words, you won’t be able to simply estimate how much the repairs will cost and deduct that from the selling price; you’ll need to deduct even more to make it worth the buyer’s time and effort. Whether you choose HomesReinvented-MN to list your home or not, discuss this with an industry professional and look into other fixer-uppers for sale in your area to come up with an appropriate selling price.
7. Is it one of the first things potential buyers will see?
First impressions are key, and that is never more true than in the real estate business! If you have a repair you are unsure about tackling, use this as a litmus test: Is it something the buyer will see as he or she approaches your house and walks through the front door? If so, fix it.
8. Could it be a deal breaker?
Some home repairs, like a new roof, are just so major that they will scare off all but the most determined buyers. If the market in your area is hot (see No. 1) and you have ample time (see No. 2),
there’s no harm in trying to sell without making the big repair, as long as you are willing to price it accordingly (see No. 6). If it’s a buyer’s market but you don’t have time to make the repair before
listing, you could offer to pay for it as part of the sales agreement — otherwise it’s probably best to make the change first and then put your home on the market.
Are you or a friend/family thinking about selling? For home analysis and a professional recommendation to “Fix It or Not”, call HomesReinvented-MN today (612) 393-8976
Top Takeaways From A Recent Kitchen Trends Study
Storage is a major focus, the open-concept floor plan is losing steam, and project scope is scaling back.
As people spend more time in them, homeowners remodeling their kitchens are transforming these spaces for the way we live now, according to new research from Houzz. That includes upgrading cabinetry to create the right storage. Homeowners also are less likely to turn their kitchens into open-concept spaces (where the kitchen is open to other spaces). And they’re seeking a connection in their renovated kitchens to the outdoors.
Kitchen Storage Is a Major Focus
Nearly all homeowners (94%) renovating their kitchens improve the cabinetry in some way, according to the report. Most (63%) are replacing the cabinets entirely, while 1 in 3 opts for a partial cabinet upgrade.
“Storage has really come into focus as people have spent more time at home during the pandemic,” says Liza Hausman. “We’re seeing an increase in the amount of cabinetry added in renovations”. And, as homeowners reach out to HomesReinvented by SatinTouch for help making their kitchens work better, we find our clients have the same storage concerns, or the lack there of.
Of the 31% of renovating homeowners choosing partial cabinet upgrades, 28% add at least some new cabinetry to the renovated kitchen — nearly four times as many as in the previous year. Others opting to partially upgrade their cabinets are refinishing the exteriors or replacing doors only.
The share of renovating homeowners adding or upgrading a pantry space also increased, with 46% upgrading their pantry cabinets, up 3 percentage points from the prior year. The share of renovating homeowners adding a walk-in pantry grew to 13%, up from 10% the year before.
Open-Concept Kitchens Lose Appeal — Except When They Open to the Outdoors
The share of renovating homeowners opening their kitchens to create open-concept floor plans (43%) dropped significantly this year compared with two years ago (53%). Many people have experienced the downsides of this setup while they’ve been home during the pandemic, often with two partners working at home as kids attend virtual school from home.
While a smaller share of remodeling homeowners want their kitchens to be open to other indoor spaces, more than 1 in 5 are choosing to open their kitchens to the outdoors. That’s consistent with a steady trend they’ve seen on Houzz of increased demand for outdoor home professionals.
Neutral Kitchen Palettes Reign
Renovating homeowners are continuing to seek out neutral tones for their remodeled spaces. The top colors for upgraded cabinets in renovated kitchens are white (41%), medium wood tones (13%) and gray (10%). Neutrals are also trending for kitchen walls, with gray (28%), white (26%) and beige (21%) the top picks.
Still, some homeowners are introducing more colorful alternatives to their kitchen walls, like blue (7%) or green (4%). Some are bringing color in through backsplashes or appliances. White may be the top backsplash color pick (37%), but nearly 1 in 5 of those upgrading their backsplashes chooses a multicolored option. And 1 in 10 upgrading appliances chooses black stainless steel, while another 6% are selecting black appliances in another material.
Kitchen Islands Stand Out
While neutrals are popular for wall cabinetry, many renovating homeowners (41%) are choosing contrasting colors for their kitchen island cabinets. Blue (27%) and gray (20%) are the top contrasting color picks among those who choose a contrasting island color, whereas just 13% are choosing these colors for their main cabinetry.
Median Spend Is Flat as Remodeling Scope Decreases
A large share of renovating homeowners are upgrading major kitchen features like countertops (88%), backsplashes (83%) and sinks (80%) during their kitchen remodels. That said, for the third year in a row, homeowners are scaling back project scope. For instance, a smaller share of homeowners are upgrading their light fixtures (74%) and appliances (51%) compared with the previous year (79% and 56%, respectively).
Meanwhile, the median spend on major kitchen remodels — those in which all the cabinets and appliances are replaced — completed in mid-2021 stayed steady from the previous year at $50,000. This number reflects all project types, both with and without professional help.
The median refers to the midpoint spending level nationally, self-reported by homeowners. Because it is the midpoint, it indicates that half of renovating homeowners spent more, while half spent less.
For a free Design Consultation, call
HomesReinvented by SatinTouch Today (763) 954-0744
The Top Benefits Of 24 Hour Restoration Services
Right after a fire or flood is the most emotional time for many people. It is the moment that you return to your house and survey how badly your home was effected, and you realize just what it will take to return to normalcy. It can be tempting in that situation to put off working on your home. Perhaps you contact a restoration company with limited hours of operations and accept that they will return your call after the weekend. This ignores the many benefits of calling someone who has a 24-hour emergency service.
Preventing Mold
Mold can start growing in warm, moist conditions within 48 hours. Those spores are sneaky, and they can hide out in the forgotten crannies of your house until a flood or a fire gives them the ideal growth medium. Don’t forget, fires that are put out with water will leave waterlogged sections which can give mold a place to grow before you have even moved your furniture. A company that provides 24-hour emergency service can get to all those potential mold hot spots before the mold can become a problem.
Protecting Your Lungs
Smoke from even small fires can get into your HVAC system and leave soot circulating through your home long after the fire has been extinguished. Mold spores can also grow in the vents after they have been soaked to extinguish a fire. Either of these situations can hurt your health: the soot can scar the alveoli of your lungs and the mold spores can trigger allergic reactions. Restoration companies that get to work on your home right after you call clean out the soot before it gets embedded in the duct work and becomes part of the air you breathe.
Prevents Further Damage To Your House
The worst part about fires and floods is that their initial damage is not the end. No, the water introduced from putting out the fire and bacteria brought in with the flood water fester in tiny nooks of your home, slowly eating at the wooden substructure of your home. Termites, mold, and wood rot follow. A professional who gets into these tiny nooks within the first 48 hours after a disaster protects your home from those outcomes.
Smooths Over The Insurance Process
Paperwork can only get worse the longer you ignore it. You forget important items and details of the disaster. However, having a third party catalog the items that got damaged immediately after the emergency ensures that nothing is lost or forgotten. You can also focus on filing everything that needs to be filed if a professional has already squared away the physical signs of the disaster.
Saves Your Favorite Furniture
The sooner that you remove your sofas from a flooded room, the less damage it will sustain. The mold spores won’t have a chance to start growing on the fabric if it is dried out quickly. The wooden parts of the furniture don’t have a chance to warp, and the soot particles can’t get ground into the fabric so that your furniture smells permanently of smoke. Depending on how badly your house suffered, you could also need to protect your furniture from the elements. Holes in the wall can expose your beds and chairs to rain and UV rays, which will further damage them. A 24-hour service can pack them up and clean them up before any of those things happen.
Contact A Professional Who Has 24/7 Emergency Services
We at Satin Touch understand how distressing floods and fires are. This is why we can be reached at any time at 763-954-0744. Once you call, we will pack out damaged furniture and ship it to a warehouse to repair. We’ll provide a week’s worth of clothing for you, and, space permitting, find you and your family temporary housing.
Satin Touch performs a variety of home repair. We have experience in water intrusion, storm damage, fire damage, remodeling both commercial and residential properties, and painting. If you have any question about home repair, contact us. We’re here to help.
How Satin Touch Works With Your Insurance
If you have suffered fire or water damage to your home, you are going to need to deal with your insurance company along with a restoration company. Satin Touch understands this and works with your insurance company to make it a smooth process from start to finish. The first thing is emergency mitigation. Our technicians will get the cleanup or water removal process started so life can return to normal as quickly as possible.
First Things First
Safety is vital, and the first thing our company worries about. We make sure your family and pets are in a safe environment, even if that means moving into temporary housing. If the situation calls for it, we offer counseling resources as well. Once you are settled, favorite snacks included, then it’s time to move onto problems such as dealing with insurance. No need to stress – we work with all kinds of insurances. With over 30 years of experience, we make the process go smoothly.
Know Your Policy
Before you begin the claim process, read through your insurance policy. Most policies will state that immediate notification is crucial. The policy should explicitly state what type of damage is covered and what is not covered. If you cannot stay in your home, keep track of expenses. This can include hotel fees, food purchased, or receipts from restaurants and gas receipts for required travel. Understanding your policy will ensure you are able to make a claim for what you are entitled to with no wondering what is covered.
Filing Your Claim
The first step is filing your claim. This is typically done by phone or the internet but can be done by mail as well. You speak to a representative from your provider. At some point, you will need to talk to your agent to make sure you fully understand what needs to be done. It may be wise to talk to your agent in person from the beginning to things from becoming confused.
Your Property Adjuster
Once your claim is submitted, and the ball is rolling, you will be assigned a property adjuster. The adjuster is the one who will continue the claim process. He will do an in-person inspection of the property and assess the damage. Then he will continue the paperwork and let you know what else is needed to keep the claim moving forward.
Work with Your Insurance Company
Once your claim is filed, and Satin Touch is on the scene, the rest is in the hands of the insurance company and us. We will keep them appraised every step of the way. Your insurance provider should be willing to work with you to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. We understand the terminology and what is required for claims to go smoothly.
Getting Paid for Damages
How you get paid for restoration can vary with each insurance company. Some payments will go straight to the restoration company, and parts of the bill are taken care of immediately. In other situations, the money will get sent to you, and you pay portions of the bill directly. No matter what the payment situation, Satin Touch works with you to take care of all the financial stress.
Work With a Restoration Expert You Can Trust
Satin Touch restoration has the experience to give you your home back. It doesn’t matter whether it’s fire or water damage; we are prepared with trained technicians to clean, repair, and restore. When it comes to your home, don’t settle for less than the best in restoration. Contact Satin Touch, and let us help you come home.
How To Find The Best Home Remodeling Company in Minneapolis
You love your home’s location, but you’re ready for a change. Maybe it’s just that your kitchen is outdated and dysfunctional, or your bathrooms are worn and aged. Perhaps you want to transform your entire home into a stylish, new space that functions as well as it reflects your taste. Remodeling projects aren’t something you take on every day and finding the best home remodeling company in Minneapolis can be daunting. But,don’t worry, by following a few simple tips, you’ll be able to find the perfect remodeling company for your project.
Be Clear About What You Want
The process of finding the best home remodeling company starts with you. Before you start contacting contractors, or asking for quotes, you need to have a very clear idea of what you expect. For example, are you interested in a complete remodel of your kitchen and dining rooms, or just new cabinets, paint, and flooring? Write out, in detail, your plan for the remodel and your vision for the end result.
Ask Friends and Family for References
If you know someone who has recently had a home remodel project completed, ask if you can see the results. Inquire about the contractor they used and whether they’d hire them again. Consider the scope of work on their job to the work you expect to be done on your project. These personal references can be a good way to narrow down a list of potential contractors, but don’t base your choice solely on this information.
Research Remodeling Companies Online
Reliable remodeling companies in Minneapolis will have some type of web presence, usually a website and maybe a social media account. This is a good place to get information about the company and read reviews from previous customers. You can also find the company’s Better Business Bureau rating, which lets you know how the company handles complaints and other issues.
Meet With Remodeling Companies In-Person
After you’ve gone through the process of getting recommendations, reading reviews, and researching remodelers online, it’s time for face-to-face meetings. During these meetings, you’ll want to ask for the contractor’s license, insurance, and other information. Then, you’ll share your plans, vision, budget, and timeline and discuss the remodeling company’s ability to complete the project you’re requesting.
Ask for References and View Examples
Most often, remodeling companies have a portfolio of their work for potential customers to view. After all, they’re proud of the work that they’ve done and want to show it off. But, pictures only tell part of the story. The experience of the homeowner is also important. A truly reputable remodeling company will happily give you a list of references and encourage you to contact their past customers.
Get Detailed Written Quotes
As you narrow down your choices to just a couple of remodeling companies, it’s time to get a solid bid for the work. Any quote that you receive should be written in an extremely detailed way. Everything from the demolition of the original space to the materials that will be used in the new space to the time it will take has to be accounted for. Once you have several quotes, you can compare them side by side to choose the right one.
If it’s time to remodel your Minneapolis home, you can rely on the professional, responsive remodeling services offered by Satin Touch. With more than three decades of experience reinventing homes in the area, you can rest assured we’ll get the job done right, on budget, and on time, every time. Contact us online today, or call 763-954-0744 to schedule a consultation today.
