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Real Appeal

Decorating to Sell Your Home

By Sarah Van Arsdale

However, sprucing up the place doesn't necessarily mean that you must invest in a remodel of the kitchen or bath – removing clutter, making a few small updates, such as new drawer pulls and other accessories, as well as a thorough, professional cleaning may be enough. And sometimes a big investment won't be what your potential buyers want.

"What one seller might choose as stylish and expensive is often ripped out and re-done by new buyers," Wildowsky says. "We see this all the time in Manhattan. Beautiful new countertops, kitchen cabinets, appliances – sometimes never used – get ripped out and thrown away so that the new owners can install their particular style."

Campbell agrees, pointing out that while baths add value, so do extra bedrooms, porches and in-ground pools. "The value of any improvement is relative to the total value of the home and its current condition relative to its neighborhood," he says.

As with everything else, a solid comparison with the other homes in your area and price range will help with these decisions. "A small kitchen remodel in a small home in a neighborhood of homes where most have been remodeled is a good thing and will always pay for itself if not more," he says. "A grand, expensive kitchen remodel in the same home will probably not pay for itself and might possibly overprice the home for its market when it's time to sell."

But if you're thinking of selling in a year or two, and your kitchen or bath is clearly outdated, doing the remodel now – so that you can enjoy the new kitchen or bath for a year or so – will still pay for itself when the time comes to sell.

While our survey isn't exactly scientific, the National Association of Realtors did conduct a research project on the values of various housing characteristics. They found that the number of bathrooms in a home does dramatically influence the selling price, with each full bath adding about 24 percent to the selling price, so if you're considering adding a bath, this may be the time to do it.

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