You’ve heard the saying, “kitchens and bathrooms sell homes” and I agree. Kitchens and bathrooms are expensive. They are a very important investment in your home. If you’re thinking about selling, whether you have an updated, semi-updated or a bathroom in need of a total overhaul, consider these tips for making sure your bathroom shows it’s best for potential buyers.
- Cleaning your bathrooms is the most important thing you can do. When it comes to bathrooms, I think we all have a tendency to overlook the general cleanliness. After all, bathrooms are a workhorse of the house and require daily attention to keep them “shiny” for buyers. If your home is on the market, make sure and stay on top of the bathrooms, i.e. toothpaste in the sink, wipe out the tub, rinse toilet bowls daily, etc.
- Keep counters clear of extra clutter. It’s okay to display a few essentials on your bathroom vanity, but keep it to a minimum.
- Every room needs a plant and the bathroom is no exception. Plants have a way of brining “life” to a room. While I like to see live plants throughout a home, keep it simple in the bathroom with a nice faux plant.
- Set the stage for relaxation. We like to think of master suites as luxurious escapes, a nice place to wind down after a long day. If you have a soaker tub in your bathroom, stage it with a candle, book, bath salts, etc. so that potential buyers can imagine themselves relaxing there.
- If your vanity is dated, consider painting it. Painting bathroom vanities is a quick and easy weekend project to give your bathroom an updated looks.
- Updated hardware and light fixtures. Yet another easy, inexpensive and quick update for any bathroom.
- Keep towels, shower curtains, rugs and other linens neutral. You might love your themed shower curtain, but there’s no guarantee a potential buyer will. Plus, you don’t want buyers distracted by accessories.
I’m including pictures of the bathrooms in my home as an example for how to stage your own bathrooms if you’re planning to sell. When I remodeled my home, the bathrooms were challenging from a design standpoint. I didn’t have house plans so we literally sized and placed the rooms as we went. Unlike my kitchen which I had an overall vision for, and a lot of space to work with, by bathrooms needed to be very reasonably sized and fit into tight spaces.
I love how my bathroom turned out. It is a wonderful place to get ready in the morning and a great place to wind down in the evenings.
For this photo you’ll notice the addition of the rug and stool, I use these items daily.
My counters aren’t always this clear, but if I were selling, this is exactly how I would stage it.
This is the guest bathroom. I aways get questions about the floor. The flooring is by Old Chicago Brick Company and is actual bricks sliced in thirds.
The vanity was custom built for the space. The light is from Amazon.
My daughter’s bathroom was the most difficult room in the whole house to design. If you remember, I transformed the upstairs attic into living space and this bathroom is located on one side of the upstairs eve. I spent hours and hours trying to figure out how to fit a full size bathroom into the space. Finally, my plumber suggested a layout that works perfectly in the tight space.
If you’re thinking about selling, I hope you found this information helpful for prepping your bathroom for the critical eyes of buyers. And, if you’re like me and and enjoy seeing the homes of others, I hope you enjoyed the tour.