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Home Upgrades Buyers Want

November 12, 2020
Published by Garrette Custom Homes

Despite what you may think, demand is high for new homes in Portland Oregon and the Puget Sound Area right now, as people search for homes that will better fit their current lifestyle. If you’re selling a home, there are some aspects that you should highlight to make your home even more appealing to buyers. If you’re buying a home, look no further than our range of home designs. We offer a variety of flexible floor plans with plenty of bonus rooms and options and upgrades that people are looking for, ensuring your new home fits your needs now and for years to come.

If you are selling a home and want to make sure it ticks all of the boxes on a potential homebuyer’s list, there are some upgrades and even simple staging options that will make your home appealing.

First and foremost, it’s important to have rooms or areas of the home that can clearly be used for homeschooling and home offices. With more people working from home and many schools doing remote schooling part of the time, buyers are looking for homes that give them dedicated space, not just making do with the kitchen island. If you have a space that is usually just a guest room, try staging it to look like a real home office, down to lighting, a desk and chair, and filing. Don’t forget to make it look inviting, though, because people want a space that they’ll feel comfortable spending lots of time in every day.  Demonstrating a space that offers organization, style, and privacy will go a long way in winning today’s buyers.

Fortunately, if you’re buying one of our new homes, many of our home designs already feature a study/den/home office option. We also have a number of bonus rooms and lofts in our home designs, which are ideal for both home offices or for those looking for a dedicated homeschooling area, especially if you have multiple children. If your children are young enough to need some supervision, but you still need to work, you could potentially set up a home office in one end of the bonus room and have their schooling area in the other part of the room.

Another feature that buyers are looking for these days is a space for a home gym. If you have a semi- or fully-finished basement, set up an area to look like a personal home gym, even if it’s just a matter of leaving out your yoga mat, an exercise ball, and setting up a tv or a tabletop that holds small hand weights and includes a display stand for a tablet. When showing your home, the point is to let buyers see the potential for various spaces. Of course, with the wealth of space in our home designs and the many options, setting up your own home gym won’t be a problem.

Open plan designs are always going to be popular for the sense of space and the convenience they offer. However, if there are ways to create some separation, you may want to add in some french doors, pocket doors, or sliding barn doors in areas where this is possible. With the whole family spending more time in the home, having the option of separate areas is appealing. You may still be working and need some quiet for business calls and don’t want to be interrupted by the noise of kids playing video games, for example. This investment upgrade could go a long way in getting you an even better price for your home.

Many of our homes have these options and even include separate dining rooms, studies, and other areas that can easily be used to give each member of the family the privacy they need. Many of our floor plans have family rooms and kitchens that are set off from other areas of the home to provide a sense of definition, while still maintaining the comfort and convenience of open plan living.

These are some of the main elements that are key for today’s buyers, so try to make them a selling point in your own home. Consider giving the laundry room a spruce up and makeover, and even though winter is coming, make sure your outdoor patio areas look good, as people will be thinking about the options come springtime. With the proper upgrades and display, your existing home could sell for much more, and when you buy one of our homes that already meet so many of your needs, you’ll be happy you invested in one of our new homes in Portland Oregon or Puget Sound.

Categorized in: Builder Awards, Community Info, Design Tips, Floorplan Tips, Home Decor Tips, New Home Tips

This post was written by Garrette Custom Homes