Martha Stewart: Five Renovations That Can Increase the Selling Price of Your Home

February 20, 2021

From Martha Stewart, featuring ACME’s Courtney Poulos

If you’re thinking about selling your home, you’re probably wondering what it’s worth. The quickest way to do that is to get it assessed, which is a process that also might identify a few of your house’s drawbacks, or the details that could reduce its overall value. Once you know which features aren’t popular among prospective homebuyers, strategic renovations can really come in handy. “Renovations are the greenest way to salvage a classic home and transform a place into an exquisite refuge,” says Jarret Yoshida, the principal designer and owner of New York City’s Jarret Yoshida, Inc.. “They give us, as designers and contractors, the opportunity to carefully carve away unsuccessful past renovations and create something fresh and rewarding for our clients.”

Here are some of the home renovations experts recommend to increase the potential selling price of your home.

Nix the carpets and buff those hardwood floors.

While carpets used to be a desirable home feature, they’re no longer trending. In fact, in all her 15 years of selling real estate, Courtney Poulos of ACME Real Estate has never heard a buyer positively comment on them. Instead, her buyers ask, “How much do hardwood floors cost?” Check to see if there is wood below—and, if there is, Poulos recommends getting rid of the carpets and refinishing the floors. “If you have hardwood floors, but they look a little dull, get them buffed. Stay away from high-gloss and move to water-based and matte finish products.”