How to Update Your Old Home to Attract New Luxury Buyers

Attract New Luxury Buyers

Have you lived in your home for decades, made your mark on it, settled into it’s familiar comfort? That’s all well and good, but if you want to actually sell that house, you’ve got to think less about your own comfort and more about your luxury buyers. What looks homey and inviting to you will no doubt appear outdated and frumpy to a stranger.

Your luxury buyers won’t be able to see past the out of date mess to glean the many possibilities for a makeover. You have to update your home and present to them the wonderful possibilities that will allow them to imagine themselves living in it. From inside the rooms to outside in the yard, here is a foolproof way to update your old home to attract new luxury buyers.

INSIDE – The Rooms

Refresh Your Old Rooms: You need to make each room inviting and pleasant to look at, which means doing a makeover on old ratty spaces. Get rid of any carpet, and replace it with hardwood floor. They’re more attractive and they require less maintenance. You also need to freshen up each room with a new coat of paint, something tasteful and inviting. Finally, liven up each room with some interesting textures and focal pieces such as art. You want to present your luxury buyers with an idea of what kind of possibilities the space has. Don’t do anything too personal. You want them to be able to imagine how they might also use the space.

INSIDE – Must-Have Additions

Outdoor Living Space: Outdoor living spaces are all the rage in the luxury home market. Imagine lush gardens, surrounding natural-looking pools bordered by rocks, into which a waterfall tumbles from a decorative rock formation above. Of course, this also must be equipped with fully loaded outside entertainment areas. People want an outdoor oasis in their backyard where they can relax after a long, hard day. Add an outdoor living room to the scene with comfy couches, a warm, flickering fire pit, and maybe even a flat-screen TV.
Wine Cellar: This isn’t your normal wine refrigerator or rustic cellar. What people want today are full-fledged tasting rooms with the feel of a cozy den mixed with a sophisticated restaurant lounge. Complete the look with soft mood lighting, a fireplace, and your best wines put on display for friends to taste. But don’t get rid of the cellar. You need to keep your wine chilled at the appropriate temperature.
Ditch the Bathtub: Forget the giant opulent, sunken bathtub with its jets placed next to a big bay window so people can enjoy the sight of their lush lawn. Luxury homeowners today instead want a luxury shower experience. That means a custom designed space with an exposed rock face and streaming waterfalls meant to transport the person to some island oasis paradise. There should be multiple showerheads and a variety of jets to create the perfect shower experience. You can also add a sauna style seating area, and perhaps take out the bathtub altogether to make more room for the crowning shower centerpiece.
Smart Appliances: Today’s home appliances can practically sense what the owner wants before they even murmur a word. The entire house can be outfit with smart appliances so the owner can communicate their every want and need, perfect for keeping the home running smoothly. The LG refrigerator can alert you when you’re out of champagne or strawberries, the Nest thermostat can learn your habits and just self-adjust to what it has learned you prefer, and your oven can turn itself on, adjusting the temperature to the optimum level to get dinner cooked on time. Today’s luxury homeowner wants their house to do the thinking and work for them, made possible by connected technology throughout the home.

OUTSIDE – Curb Appeal

Front Door: The first thing luxury buyers see of your house is your entry way and it is the key to making a good first impression. Paint your front door a friendly, glossy color such as red, a color that is considered lucky in many cultures. Replace the light fixtures, the address plate, and welcome matt. Finally, you want that front door to open into a welcoming and tasteful foyer. Of course, make sure you also repaint the exterior of the house.
Clean Cut Yard: Curb appeal can have a strong influence on the attractiveness of a house. You want to present a welcoming canvas with neutral shade and clean lines that mimic luxury properties. Make sure your lawn and garden is manicured and your driveway is well-maintained. Keep the grass cut. Get that lawnmower out at least once a week. No one wants to walk through a jungle to get to your front door. You also want to make sure it looks healthy and green, so make sure you’re water it properly.
Add Some Shade: Liven up your landscape by planting more shade trees. They detract from the glare of the sun, help keep the interior of the house cooler if close to windows, and keeps the lawn green by shading the grass so it can retain more moisture.
Outdoor Lighting: Outdoor lighting is a wonderful thing to have. It can illuminate a path such as the sidewalk to make navigation easier. If placed right, the lighting will not only illuminate your house at night, but it can accent parts your yard to bring out the beauty of your landscaping. This in turn increases the overall beauty of your home.
Colorful Flowers: Add some color (but not too much) to your yard with well-placed flowers and shrubbery with different blooms. Perennials are probably the best choice, as they come in many different colors and types and last for more than a year, requiring less maintenance for you as well as the new homeowner.