3 Must-do Resale Home Renovations

It is indeed a buyers’ market with many opportune deals to be found. This is particularly true for resale properties, where some sellers are pricing their units below market valuation in the hopes of closing a quick sale.

Renovating a resale unit need not be too difficult, or stressful

Now, if you do decide to cash in and purchase a resale unit, you’ll have to be aware of the additional costs you may need to fork out to renovate it. Regardless of the type of property, you’re definitely going to feel cash-strapped, so here are some simple tips on what you should, and should not, bother renovating.  

1. Concentrate most on the toilets and kitchen

Tackling home renovations requires strategy - it’s about how you’re going to allocate a fixed budget towards improving the different areas of the house. Skimp on certain parts of the house and you’ll be guaranteed to regret doing so years down the road. This is especially so for resale properties; Ignoring necessary repairs can drive up maintenance costs, or worse, create whole new problems.

Forget the living room. The kitchen should be the primary area to renovate if you’ve bought a resale house Source: 8design

That said, you should always focus your attention on the toilets and kitchen when remodeling your house. These are two areas that will be regularly used, and as a result, will suffer the most from wear and tear. Also, both of them have water fixtures and pipes running through them, increasing the chances for water damage. If you’ve bought a resale property, you’ll know what we mean. Heavy-duty cooking can easily leave tiles discoloured and/or stained with grease. Frequent usage of the cabinets can result in them being chipped and steam from the stove may cause its veneer to peel. The same applies for bathrooms; Floor and wall tiles will collect grime and because of its damp environment, creates the perfect conditions for mildew and mold to grow. Due to these considerations, at least half of the your total renovation costs should go towards refurbishing the kitchen and toilets in order to improve its functionality and quality.  

2. A fresh coat of paint will do wonders

If the previous owners of the resale property you’ve bought were lacking in the taste department, then we’re certain that it’ll most likely need to be repainted. This also applies to homes with walls that have peeling or chipped paint. Homeowners tend to under-estimate the benefits a good paint job brings. Aside from making your home look presentable, choosing the correct colour helps set the overall mood. On the other hand, a bad paint job can make your property appear dated and run-down.

Leave the painting to the professionals to avoid worsening an already bad paint job the previous owners did Source: Dulux Singapore

If you need to paint your home, try to hire qualified professionals to do the job. If you use cheap paint, or if the walls are not properly primed/paint is not properly applied, unsightly streaks will appear, bringing you back at square one. Pro tip: for the best deals, try looking for contractors from paint company websites, such as Dulux. If you’re lucky, you might be able to engage their services at discounted rates.  

3. Making small upgrades can go a long way

When it comes to home improvements, the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” may not necessarily be true. Sometimes, doing renovations are not just about “tearing it all down,” but more of introducing incremental upgrades to certain components in each room. If you’re the frugal type, you’ll be pleased to know that there are simple steps you can take to make your resale property appear brand new while avoid extensive (and costly) renovations. Faucets, shower doors, and lighting are some of the basic, low cost upgrades you can make. All three of these items are affordable, easily fixed, and most of all, make an immediate aesthetic impact.

New faucets can make a bathroom look slick Source: Hansgrohe

Faucets tend to get rusty with time, so it is worthwhile to replace them with durable chrome or stainless steel ones. You can even be creative and install one with an avant-garde design, to show that you too can be fancy. The best part is that you don’t have to break the bank – at an average of around $270 - $300, to purchase and get a contractor to replace it for you. The same goes for the shower doors. It is recommended to change them when you move in as they can have mold and mildew breeding on their surface. This can happen especially if the showers doors are made from cheap plastic, or if a shower curtain is used instead. Replacing the shower doors with frameless glass may cost around $1,000, but it is definitely worth the investment. As for lighting, older properties tend to have dimmer fluorescent lights. You might want to consider installing track lighting or LED lights so that you can control the amount atmosphere and mood in each room to your liking.