Taking on a DIY project in or around your home is an exciting prospect, but it can end up doing more harm than good to your property and its resale value, if you aren’t careful.
Put down the hammer and check that you have ticked off these four factors before you tackle that DIY project:
- Does the project need a compliance certificate? If you are planning to do a project that involves plumbing or electrics of the home, you need to get a professional in to check everything is safe and legal.
- Is the DIY project fixed to the property? Anything that is built-in or physically attached to the home will remain with the property when you sell. So, if you are building a new braai area, for example, you need to make sure it is done right, or it might end up deterring future buyers, cautions RE/MAX of Southern Africa.
- Can you afford to replace it? Let’s say things don’t go according to plan and your DIY project does not turn out as you hoped….what will it cost to have it removed and/or replaced? Future buyers will factor it into the offer they are willing to make if there are imperfect DIY projects that are expensive for them to have to fix.
- Is it just trendy for now, or will it have long-term appeal? As tempting as it may be to jump onto every hot new interior design trend, some designs might not remain popular for very long. If your DIY project is going to be a permanent feature in the home, it’s important to consider what features and upgrades are more likely to have long-term demand in your local real estate market.
- Advertisement -
