Your home is your castle, and you love to be innovative and add upgrades from time to time. Here’s a list of possible luxury home upgrades that are cost-efficient, yet at the same time will make your home more marketable if you decide to sell it:
Add a Skylight
Letting the sun shine in on a dark hallway or room immediately brightens the darkest of moods. For $500 to about $3000, you can purchase a skylight that has insulated glass, rain sensors that will close the window automatically when the weather changes, or solar powered shades. Besides looking wonderful, skylights will also save you money on cooling, heating, and electricity bills
Install an Electrostatic Filter for your whole House
For approximately $600 to $1000, an electrostatic precipitator can be installed right into the HVAC ductwork. They remove the tiniest of particles in the air, including pet dander, smoke, pollen, dust, and dust mites. Your air will be cleaner, and anyone with allergies will be eternally grateful for this upgrade
Add a heated Bathroom Floor
For about $16 a square foot for installation and material (and $100 to $250 to add a GFCI dedicated circuit), you can have thin electric radiant mats which are thermostatically controlled underneath your bathroom tile. Besides helping to stop mold growth in the floor, your floor will feel miraculously warm, even on the coldest of mornings!
Install a central Vacuum
A whole house vacuum features inlet ports around the house where to plug in a lightweight 25 to 50 foot vacuum hose. You’ll never have to carry a heavy vacuum upstairs or downstairs again. A central vac has 5 times more suction power than a portable vac, and since they store dust in a collection bin usually located in the garage or basement, it’s a fantastic improvement for allergy sufferers. Cost runs approximately $1500 to $2000 for house retrofitting, plus $500 for the retractable hose
Install a Steam Shower
This bit of luxury cleans pores, opens up sinuses, soothes your aching muscles, and relaxes you all at the same time. A steam generator is attached to a sealed shower, effectively turning your shower stall into a steam room. A prefab fiberglass shower stall runs anywhere from $1000 to $5000. Additional cost for a generator and generator wiring, vapor-proofing floors, ceiling, and walls, installation of a tight-fitting door and a bathroom fan located outside the shower to catch any surplus humidity, will run you between $7000 and $10,000. Granted, this luxury is a bit more expensive, but it will improve your health and be a magnet (albeit a wet one) for potential buyers!
- Finally, buy a hot tub – There’s nothing more pleasurable than relaxing in the lap of luxury in the comfort of your own backyard, surrounded by a few sweet smelling garden plants. Sip your favorite drink, lie back and watch the sunset. Outdoor above ground hot tubs run from approximately $400 to $4000, depending on how elaborate you want your hot tub to be. Your family, friends and potential buyers will love it!
Jodi Bakst, Broker-Owner of Real Estate Experts based in Chapel Hill, NC, is known for her internet marketing skills and bringing the best service and systems to her buyers and sellers