5 Easy Home Updates for Best ROI

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the Austin housing market, you might be tempted to sell your home and cash out. But before you do, it’s a good idea to consider doing a few renovations to ensure you get top dollar.

Even in this Sellers’ Market, homes in the best condition with certain upgrades always sell faster, and for more.

And while there’s a long list of possibilities for what renovations you can do to your home, we’ve selected these 5 as the best because they are somewhat small scale (read: not demo heavy or a huge financial investment) and deliver a really powerful bang for your buck when it comes to getting a return on your investment (ROI).

So without further ado…

1. Add Manufactured Stone Veneer

The curb appeal on your home can make or break a potential buyer’s decision. Buying a home is most often an emotional decision, and people want to feel good when they drive up to their potential new house.

And if you haven’t noticed, here in Texas stone is kinda a big deal when it comes to the overall aesthetic of a home’s curb appeal.

If you have siding or stucco on the exterior of your home, consider replacing at minimum the lower half of your front elevation with manufactured stone veneer to give it an upgraded look fairly simply.

2. Upgrade Your Garage Door

Visualize yourself driving down almost any street in any suburb here in the Austin area (or most anywhere in the U.S. for that matter), and what do you see as a major focal point? Yup, it’s the good ol’ garage door.

This is something that, as a homeowner or seller, you might not give much thought to. But as a buyer, seeing an attractive garage door can really make a home stand out from the crowd.

3. Simple Kitchen Upgrades

We know, we know… when you hear the words “kitchen remodel”, visions of dust and exposed cabinets and loud power tools fill your head and you want to run screaming the other way.

But a kitchen remodel doesn’t have to be a big deal to get a big return on your investment. And considering that, after curb appeal, kitchens are the next thing a buyer looks for in a home, it’s worth it to just hear us out.

You can do simple upgrades and replacements that can be done in a weekend, but that will still make a big impact. These can be things like replacing your backsplash, updating your countertops or faucets, and getting new appliances.

4. Add or Resurface an Outdoor Deck

Texas is alllll about outdoor living, and especially after the pandemic, people are eager to have outdoor spaces that are ideal for entertaining and spending time with friends and family.

Consider adding an outdoor wood deck that will paint that picture for a potential buyer, or if you already have one, spruce it up! This may mean resurfacing it, or if it’s still in good condition, just be sure to reseal or refinish it to give it a fresh, new look.

5. Upgrade Your Front Door

This is another one that a lot of people don’t think about, but that really delivers that “Wow Factor” that has the power to set your home apart from the others.

Fun fact: when we were house hunting, we had looked at a TON of homes but ultimately chose the house we did because of the beautifully dramatic front door!

So take a tip from us and upgrade that front entryway by replacing your boring front door with something more dramatic and memorable.

So those are out top 5 picks for small scale renovations you can do to your home before selling to give you a great return on investment and make your house stand out and fetch top dollar.

Do you agree with our picks? Do you have any other renovation ideas that you would add to the list? Let us know in the comments! And if you want to chat about what specific upgrades or renovations we’d recommend for YOUR home, you know we’re here for ya. Reach out anytime 🙂