Thinking of ways to add value to your property?

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Hang mirrors in the hall

The hall is the first thing the buyer sees, yet it is often narrow, cramped and full of prams, bikes and trainers!  A mirror on either side of the wall makes it seem magically bigger.

Concentrate on the Kitchen

If you are only going to improve one room, make it the kitchen. This has now become the showpiece area of the home. We don’t just cook in it , we do homework in it. we watch television in it and hold dinner parties there. The number one priority is creating a handsome and efficient work surface and ensuring easy access between the three points of the kitchen triangle, that is, the sink, the fridge and cooker (high street kitchen firms have got surprisingly good at drawing up designs). Install equipment that is as up to date as possible, so it won’t look outmoded in 10years. And make sure the price bracket of your kitchen matches the price bracket of your house. There is no point in putting a €25,000 kitchen in a €250,000 house;  you won’t see your money back.  Equally, put a €10,000 kitchen in  a €1million house, and you will drag down the value. Typically, a new kitchen will add 4.6 per cent to the value!

Knock down the walls

Those taht aren’t load-bearing, anyway. Buyers are more interested, in the amount of usable space, rather than the number of rooms.

Eoin Kehoe

Owner at Kehoe Auctioneers, leading auctioneering and estate agency in Carlow. Auctioneer & Valuer - Be Msc MIPAV Assoc SCSI.

Friday, October 1, 2010 in Blog