BathEmpire

Why are new bathrooms so attractive to property buyers?

Posted on 27. Jun, 2011 by Charlotte Laing in Advice

I’m on the hunt for a new property at the moment and it’s got me thinking about what makes a property stand out to buyers.

I like to think I’m somebody who can see past cosmetic flaws and see the potential in a house or flat, but increasingly I think that it’s actually very hard not to be seduced by a property that’s ‘done’.

In particular I’m finding myself drawn to properties which have beautifully decorated bathrooms – often ones with on-trend roll-top baths and separate shower cubicles.

The places with small bathrooms crammed with dated bathroom suites are not appealing to me at all.

Now I’m someone who loves a bit of redecoration, and I certainly wouldn’t flinch at the idea of putting in a new bathroom.

So why am I still more likely to buy the property with the newly installed, attractive bathroom?

I think that the reason may be that I know there’ll be a sense of guilt if I go in and rip out a functional yet slightly old-fashioned or ugly bathroom in the property I buy. I don’t have money to burn.

I’ll feel that I should ‘make-do’ for a few years at least and will have to live with a rubbish bathroom.

If I buy the house with the great bathroom then it’s all done for me, I can’t decide to be frugal!

I think many other buyers must also have the same inclination, but perhaps for different reasons.

Certainly some buyers will be put off by the thought of all the upheaval involved in having a new bathroom fitted, so they’ll go for the property where the sellers have done all the hard work for them.

Others are simply unable to see past a bad bathroom suite and will think that the bathroom is intrinsically ugly, small or badly laid-out.

The moral of this story, if you’re a home-owner looking to sell, has to be that installing a new modern bathroom suite will make your property appeal to more buyers and may even clinch that sale for you.

Phil Spencer (of Location, Location, Location fame) agrees with me. On the Telegraph website he says that a new bathroom will add 2.88% to the value of your home – which could be far more than you have to pay to have the bathroom fitted. You can read his ideas here.

We’d love to know what you think? Are you also drawn to properties with great bathrooms, or would you only buy a renovation product and source the bathroom yourself?

Tags: attracting buyers to your property, bathroom renovations, bathroom will sell home, Roll top bath, selling property, shower cubicle, what makes house sell