These DIY Home Improvements Can Make a Negative Impression on Potential Buyers

Many homeowners enjoy changing, updating, and renovating their homes—and many enjoy tackling those changes, updates, and renovations themselves.

But if you’re planning on selling in the future, it’s important to recognize that potential buyers might not be as impressed with your DIY handiwork as you are.

So, what are some of the DIY home improvements that might make a negative impression on buyers, and potentially make it harder to sell your home?

A recent article from realtor.com outlined some of the DIY projects that can come back to haunt you if and when you decide to sell, including:

• Converting your garage into additional living space. While it might make sense for you and your family to convert your garage into additional living space (like a home office or game room), a lot of buyers have “garage” on the top of their non-negotiable list—so think twice before you transform your garage space into anything other than a garage.
• Painting your walls… Painting your walls is one of the fastest, easiest, and most affordable DIY home projects. And, if you do it right, there shouldn’t be any problem when it comes time to sell. But if you don’t know what you’re doing (and the paint job looks sloppy, uneven, or unprofessional), it could make a negative impression on potential buyers.
• …or your kitchen cabinets. Instead of buying brand new cabinets, many homeowners choose to add a coat of fresh paint to older cabinets to breathe new life into their kitchen. And while that’s a fine decision if you’re planning on staying in the home, if you’re planning to sell, it’s important to recognize that a fresh coat of paint won’t fool buyers into thinking the cabinets are newer or more modern than they actually are.

The Takeaway:

So, what does this mean for you? There’s nothing wrong with taking a DIY approach to home renovation projects. But before you do, it’s important to make sure you know what you’re doing—and to consider what kind of impression those DIY projects are going to have on potential buyers if and when you’re ready to sell.