What are smart ways to make your home stand out?

Today’s home buyers are demanding. They expect move-in condition homes that are exceptionally clean, freshly painted and in good repair. Updated kitchens and bathrooms are also a given.

The explosion of home improvement shows has conditioned buyers to expect more. Dramatic makeovers have a wow factor, so don’t expect your home to stand out by it just being immaculately clean and tidy.

So what can you do to differentiate your home in a competitive market? Here are two paths to consider.

You can do home improvements to the most important parts of the house — the kitchen and bathrooms. Kitchen investments generally fare well in the market and get buyers excited. Bathroom updates follow closely in impact.

While home improvements are a good option to add that wow factor, according to Home Remodeling Magazine, you are less likely to recoup major investments when selling. If you decide to do improvements, stick to smaller updates in the $15,000 range.

A second path to differentiate your home that is both faster and much less expensive is smart home technology. This type of upgrade will quickly add appeal, especially for younger buyers.

A smart home contains network-connected technologies that enhance security, save energy and add convenience. Smart home products include thermostats that learn to adjust automatically, lights and locks that can be controlled from a phone or tablet and security systems that detect people approaching your home using video analysis. Smart security cameras allow remote home monitoring, too.

In a recent Coldwell Banker Real Estate survey, nearly half of consumers said smart home technologies are important for their next home purchase.

Most of these technologies can be installed in a day or two. Costs vary but a comprehensive smart home upgrade can cost as little as $1,500. So it may be a wise decision to consider smart home improvements for a quick upgrade to your home’s appeal.

Dawn D’Auria, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, (203) 272-1633, realtordawn@aol.com