Mistakes to avoid while planning your home

Even though your love for colours may take on a weird look, always keep kerb appeal in mind when picking tones for your façade. 

Don’t go with a paint colour that isn’t the norm in your neighbourhood or doesn’t fit your house’s style.

Don’t plant your trees too close to the house or driveway – remember that they will grow, which can create major problems later on. Roots can cause breaks in the pavement, which might raise your homeowner’s insurance. 

Before you plant anything, imagine how it will look in 20 years’ time.

Simple things, like a front door lock that doesn’t work properly or peeling paint in your hallway, can put prospective buyers on high alert, making them wonder what else in your home has been let go.

Putting in a pool, for example, involves a lot of costs, and people typically want to get those costs back when selling their home. Unfortunately, it rarely happens that each and every touch you add to your home ends up back in your pocket.

Think twice before you get fussy with the fireplace, especially if you’re considering painting over exposed brick. Depending on what the current trend is, it could lower your house’s value. 

And people tend to like the aesthetic of a brick wall.

Always pay for the next system up for your home’s size. Paying more initially will bring down your energy bill while you live there, and will also increase your home’s value when you sell.

Even though it might be trendy to paint the trim of a wall a contrasting colour, it distracts the eye. Rather be safe and keep it all in the same hue to maximise the space. 

From painters to plumbers, we have them all here on homify, and much more. Check out our professionals page.

People don’t want to move into a new house and start replacing appliances left and right. Pay attention to the brand and quality of your kitchen’s major pieces. 

If something is classic and well maintained, that’s always a positive. But if you can’t get something clean, it needs to be replaced.

Those little touches you overlook are what prospective buyers will be focusing on. 

Keep up with cleaning and maintaining windows, ensure lighting fixtures work, fix that peeling paint in the hallway, etc. All these touches show that the house has been well cared for.

Go through your home with a fine toothcomb when cleaning. The tracks of windows, sinks, grout, ovens, appliances… these are areas that are spot-checked by potential buyers.

Your home doesn’t have to ride the latest wave of trends – buyers are more interested in kitchens and bathrooms with classic and neutral colours that look timeless. 

If you want to add colour and personality to your home design, rather use bright accessories that are easy to change.

Rather spend the little extra money on the correct cleaners for your home. Permanent stains on that countertop, for example, will mean that the entire piece will need to be replaced.

Kitchens and bathrooms sell homes, which means you’ll need to focus on making these rooms feel more expansive if they’re tiny.

Don’t re-tile a small bathroom with small tiles, as they only make the space feel smaller. Use oversized tiles to open the room up.

A grand hardwood floor can be the deciding factor for a potential buyer, but then it needs to look good.

Have your floors buffed every few years instead of doing a complete overhaul. And stick with the correct cleaning methods – water and vinegar tend to dull wooden surfaces over time. 

For more clever advice, try these: 15 things all clever homeowners do once a year.