What are things that can harm the real estate value of your home?

From kitchen renovations to wasted space to basic home maintenance, it’s often the simple things that devalue your home. Applying a little forethought and practicality will help you reap the most value from the sale of your home.

Outdated bathrooms are certain to affect the sale of a house. Buyers want updated baths just as they want updated kitchens. If you are able to renovate the bathroom from top to bottom, you should recognize an 80 percent return.

If not, make small changes to update it. Add new fixtures, new lighting and if your budget allows, tile the floor. No matter how you update the space, a buyer should walk into a bathroom that is clean, fresh smelling and welldecorated.

These simple changes will do a lot for the buyer’s perception of the space.

Taste is subjective when it comes to decorating a home. What you may love, a buyer may hate. Buyers want to see themselves in the space, and if they walk into a home with red walls, shag carpeting and wood paneling, they will have a hard time envisioning themselves living there.

Instead, they will see the cost of replacing carpeting and tearing down the paneling. All of these factors could cause a buyer to offer less than the asking price or not offer at all. Before you sell, paint your home a more neutral color that has a broad appeal.

Have you ever wandered into an open house and wondered what the owners were thinking as you faced an ultra-modern kitchen or a futuristic fireplace? These design choices will be difficult to sell to the average buyer with a more mainstream style and most buyers will be thinking about ripping out a kitchen and redoing it to their liking. It will take someone with a similar aesthetic to be interested in a home with such design specific features. Keep that in mind when you contemplate any renovations.

Frank D’Ostilio, Jr., Real Living Wareck D’Ostilio, (203) 641-7072, frank@wdsells.com