Make the Home Improvements Buyers Most Want

Remodeling with an eye toward resale lets you enjoy improvements now that attract home buyers later.

The most important home features buyers want are the ones that keep them cool, entertained, and give them room to store their stuff.

Central air conditioning, a walk-in closet in the main bedroom, and being pre-wired for home entertainment and Internet were the three home features most valuable to buyers, according to the 2013 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Profile of Buyers’ Home Features Preferences.

If resale is important to you, the survey offers insights on improvements that can help when you’re ready to sell and add to your enjoyment of your home now.

Chances are your home already has air conditioning — most owner-occupied U.S. homes do. But you can add a master closet for roughly $3,000 to $10,000. Get the most from your new master closet by including a laundry area, lighting, and ventilation — three features that will make it extra special.

If you already have a master closet, improving the organization and layout will make it function better for you now and appeal to buyers if you later sell your home.

Other features you can add that are “very important” to home shoppers:

En Suite Master Bath

Of interior design features, an en suite bath was the second most important to buyers. Adding a bath can run you more than $37,000 on average. So carefully evaluate your house before doing a bathroom addition to weigh what’s important to you in terms of resale versus your own enjoyment.

Eat-in Kitchen

When you’re doing your next kitchen remodel, leave room for a table and your home might have better resale value. An eat-in kitchen is buyers’ fourth-most important interior design feature. If you can’t fit a table with chairs on both sides, you can squeeze a table in front of a window seat with storage.

Hardwood Floors

If you live in the northeastern U.S., hardwood floors are going to be especially popular with home buyers in your region. If you end up redoing the subfloor when you add hardwood, consider radiant heating. It’ll keep your tootsies warm in winter and might be a selling point later.

New Kitchen Appliances

One-third to one-quarter of home buyers are looking for new kitchen appliances, but plenty of people end up buying homes with older appliances. The buyers who didn’t get those shiny new appliances said they would have paid only an additional $1,840 to get a home with them. You can probably find an entry-level stainless steel kitchen package deal for that price. Choosing energy-saving appliances over old energy hog models can help cut your utility bill.

Basement In-Law Suite

The rooms that buyers were willing to pay the most for were a basement and an in-law suite. Thirty-three percent of buyers would pay a median of $3,200 more for a home with a basement; 20% would be willing to pay a median of $2,920 more for a home with an in-law suite.

Remodel your basement to include an in-law suite and you’ll fulfill two home buyer wishes with one project.

Other rooms that buyers rate as “very important”:

• Living room

• Laundry room

• Bedroom on the main level

• Dining room

• Family room/media room/rec room

• Den/study/home office/library

• Basement

• Utility/mudroom