5 Ways to Increase Resale Value - How to Choose a New Home that will Sell
Building a Home with Resale in Mind
When building a custom home, keep in mind how many years you plan to live in it. It may be important to balance your wish list with features that will gain you the highest resale value.
Here are the five best ways to increase the resale value of your new home, when custom building in central North Carolina:
1. Main Floor Master or One Story Floor Plans
The most sought-after type of floor plan is a main floor master or one story home.
Main floor master homes are perfect for retirees with future mobility in mind, or empty nesters who no longer need to be next door to small children.
One story homes cost more per square foot than two story homes, but adding a basement or room or two upstairs (like a game room for the kids to hang out in) can help with the cost difference.
2. Open Island Kitchens and Homes with an Open Layout
Open floor plan designs are extremely popular among homebuyers - and open kitchens with an island and eating bar can be a must for many families.
"Open floor plans" can mean different things to different homebuyers.
A home with the kitchen open to breakfast and great room, 9 foot ceilings, archways, and fewer formal spaces can have a higher market value.
3. Plans with 3 or 4 bedrooms
Floor plans with three or four bedrooms are some of our most commonly searched for homes.
Two bedroom homes are hard to appraise, and hard to sell. A four bedroom home is most often the starting point for home searches.
With home offices becoming more common, a fourth bedroom gives homebuyers the flexibility they need as families grow and needs change.
4. Green Homes with Energy Saving Features
The new ENERGY STAR 3.0 requirements are now in place, and have placed ENERGY STAR homes at the front lines of energy efficiency, again.
ENERGY STAR and Green Certified Homes were found to have a statistically significant market advantage, compared to similar code-built, uncertified homes, in each of these categories:
- Selling for a higher sale price
- Selling for a higher price per square foot
- Having spent fewer days on the market prior to sale
The greater up-front cost of "going green" also pays off with:
- Reduced energy bills
- Reduced reliance on natural resources and greenhouse gas output
- Savings through government incentives and energy company discounts
- Healthier indoor air
5. Homes with Two Master Bedrooms
A second master suite can add value to your investment.
Two master bedroom homes in high demand can contain:
- A 2nd master bedroom
- An in-law suite
- A guest bedroom with attached private bathroom (especially a guest bedroom on first floor)
Each of these second master bedroom types will add instant resale value to your new home. And each can be designed to be very different, in reflection of lifestyles and preferences.
Read more about adding value to an NC custom home, in each of these related articles:
How Tall Should Ceilings Be for Best Resale Value?
Open Concept Floor Plans - What does an "open floor plan" look like?
Main Floor Master Homes - Floor Plan Ideas
One Story Homes - Floor Plan Options
Built-in Home Offices - What Features are Important to Homebuyers?
Energy Star Homes Sell for More
How Two Master Bedroom Homes are Worth More in the Market