Laundry Room Additions That'll Improve Your Resale Value, According To Our Real Estate Expert
The laundry room likely isn't your favorite room in the house — and we understand why. Not much more than scrubbing, washing, and drying occurs here, meaning that it's probably not a serene space or household retreat. Because the words "laundry room" can conjure up mental images of the drudgery of neverending chores, most homeowners neglect to spend their design dollars here. However, a functional and well-designed laundry room is essential for adding ease to chore day and improving resale value when listing your home.
If you're interested in transforming your lackluster laundry room into a functional, attractive space that'll improve home resale value, this expert advice will help you plan for a successful remodel. In an exclusive interview with House Digest, Momooze blogger Chenise Hinds, an interior designer, home stager, and licensed realtor, shared the importance of a thoughtfully designed laundry room and the best remodel strategies for boosting resale value. "In my experience, having a laundry room can increase your home's value by 5% on average. This means a fully functioning room that helps busy families create a laundry system, not just hiding the machines in a cabinet," Hinds says. "If you can make your laundry room look inviting and also a place that makes chores easy and dare I say it, fun, you'll definitely attract more offers." The following expert tips will help you narrow down the most important improvements to ensure your laundry room remodel looks great and boosts resale value, too.
The most essential addition
If you have a drab laundry room that's hurting your home's resale value, undertaking a successful remodel can feel daunting. Knowing whether to start with appliance upgrades, flooring, or counters may make your head feel like it's on the spin cycle. Luckily, we have expert advice on where to begin. Speaking exclusively with House Digest, Chenise Hinds weighed in on the most important addition you can make if your laundry room doesn't already have one. "The most essential improvement I'd recommend is adding a sink to a laundry room for handwashing," Hinds shares. "This is such a useful addition to a home, especially when it comes to washing delicate items or even those sports clothes that need an extra soak. Buyers really appreciate an extra sink in the home for this, so laundry chores can be kept to one room instead of spilling over to the kitchen or bathrooms."
A simple fiberglass or vinyl sink ranges from $50 to 100, with stainless steel and stylish ceramic sinks costing up to $500. For a simple hook-up, you can expect to pay around $200 to a licensed plumber, but the complexity of the plumbing job may drive up the cost, so it's advisable to seek out estimates. Despite the investment, a utility sink in your laundry room is such a functional remodel choice with resale value-boosting investment returns. As Hinds notes, additions like these "tell buyers the owners of the home paid attention to the details that count."
Easy upgrades on a budget
If you're tired of yiour underwhelming laundry room and wondering if it's possible to improve your resale value without breaking the bank, the answer is yes. In her interview with House Digest, expert Chenise Hinds provided this exclusive advice on the best affordable improvements to make to this space, starting with ways to organize your laundry room for improved functionality and flow. "If you need to make some laundry room additions before putting your home on the market, I'd recommend upgrading storage cabinets, adding shelving to walls, and creating zones to store laundry at each stage of the process," says Cherise Hinds. Cabinets for an average-size room can run around $600, and smaller rooms will be able to save more.
Hinds' tips are ideal for adding an updated contemporary aesthetic without a hefty investment or major remodel. "Giving the laundry room a fresh coat of paint, adding modern lighting fixtures, and replacing any damaged flooring will add to the appeal for buyers who are looking to move straight in without big renovation plans themselves," shares Hinds. She also warns that going too bold in this space may hurt your chances of appealing to a wide audience. "Neutral colors are a safe bet when it comes to selling, so avoid bold patterns in this room." Not only do these upgrades add some domestic design bliss to your laundry room, but it's also a smart resale value-boosting investment to help your potential buyers feel right at home.