Planning to put your home on the market? You may want to consider bathroom updates to sell for a better return on investment. For most home buyers, the most important room in the home is the kitchen, and next most important are the bathrooms.
Bathroom updates to sell: an interview with stager Karen Dayton
We hear from our buyers what they do and don’t like in remodeling and decor, and of course have our own opinions about what looks good or not. Today we wanted to hear from our stager, Karen Dayton of Staging Pros, about bathroom improvements that give the best bang for their buck when sellers are preparing their homes for the market.
Best return on investment items
I’ll indent her quotes to make them easier to find. First, regarding bathroom updates to sell, I asked her where the best return on investment can be found – a big boost for low cost.
Paint is basically ‘money in a can’—it’s one of the best return on your investment. Fresh paint makes everything feel and look (and smell!) new again.
And it’s not just for the walls. Most vanities could use a fresh coat of white paint too. Nobody ever complains about white cabinets! Keep it simple, don’t overthink the color. White is classic.
If the countertops are outdated or showing wear, it might be worth applying a “Miracle Method” type epoxy coating. Also, adding fresh white caulking is a simple, low-cost touch that makes every bathroom feel clean. Lastly, replacing the toilet seat is a small, affordable upgrade that buyers will definitely appreciate—no one really wants to sit on an old toilet seat!
Fixtures
After paint, a good idea is to consider newer hardware. What is needed is a very clean, neutral palette.
Karen talked about how buyers are attracted to new fixtures and hardware. She said it’s important for things like light fixtures, towel bars, faucets, and other hardware to match and not look like a random mix. Mirrors, on the other hand, are lower on the list for bathroom updates. If it is necessary to replace a mirror, she mentioned that frameless mirrors are usually affordable, and bigger is always better!
If you’re swapping out the vanity light, she suggests choosing ones with downward-facing globes for better lighting. It’s another budget-friendly upgrade that makes the bathroom feel more updated.
The image above was taken from home that Clair and I sold not long ago. All of the metal hardware in the shower is a matte black, including the showerheads, and drain, which matches the accent trim. The matte black towel hang and large black framed mirror in the separate vanity pull it all together while the brushed brass pulls and faucet give the vanity some harmonious distinction. Not really visible from this angle, the toilet handle and light fixtures (barely shown) also match the rest of the hardware to polish off the look. Karen’s finishing touches complete the picture, tying together the elements of the room to make it even more inviting and inspire potential buyers see themselves living in the home.
Metal finishes
It is almost dizzying to consider the options for bathroom fixtures. What’s in? What’s out? Do any of these go together? If mixed metals are OK, how much mixing is OK? Here are a few of the many available metallic finishes that you might encounter when planning bathroom updates to sell:
Black (matte)
Chrome (shiny)
Brushed nickel
Brushed gold
Copper
Oil rubbed bronze
Antique brass
Satin brass
Brass (shiny)
I asked Karen what kind of finishes that she would you suggest using, any to avoid using, and thoughts on mixing metals generally.
If it’s mixed metals, no more than two, but one metal is fine, doesn’t need to be mixed metals. Do consider the doorknob when deciding, since you don’t want to end up with three different metals in the bathroom.
Black is neutral and can work with almost anything. Flat gold and black matte work well together – we can pull them together with staging accessories. Also brushed nickel and black go together.
I asked about what’s out of date – are there any finishes dated and to be avoided?
Shiny brass is out, and shiny chrome is on its way out. That said, you want to consider the home. For historic homes you may want something in chrome because it is a better fit for the historic look.
We have seen homes with brass doorknobs and a different prominent metal in the bathrooms. To tie them together, homeowners sometimes purchase a towel rod or light fixture with both metals. This photo is of a towel rod was installed in one of my bathrooms to tie together existing brushed nickel and shiny brass elements (the doorknob and light fixture were shiny brass, but the other bathroom hardware such as the faucet and toilet hardware were brushed nickel).
We’ve seen all kinds of hardware come in two tones: light fixtures in brushed gold and matte black, faucet sets with brushed nickel and gold or brass, towel rods with two different colors and finishes, and more. Sometimes all you need is one or two items to pull the room together (and it may not need to be a fixture, it could be staging). Getting the room down to two finishes are among the best bathroom updates to sell that a home owner can do.
What about doorknobs?
If you’re swapping out the fixtures, drawer pulls, and handles, should you also swap out the door handle? Not unless you’re doing the whole house.
You don’t have to redo the whole bathroom, but when it comes to door handles, you’ve got to update all of them if you change one—otherwise, it looks odd. (One new handle makes the others look outdated!) Door handles usually come with strike plates, and if the hinges don’t match, swap those too. They’re not that expensive.
Final thoughts
Any final thoughts on bathroom updates to sell for a good return on investment?
When discussing cosmetic upgrades with homeowners, Karen avoids using the word ‘spending.’ Instead, she encourages viewing these changes as smart investments that will yield the best return.
Whenever we recommend pre-sale work, whether it’s fresh paint or some bathroom updates, our goal is that if you spend a dollar you’d get $3-$4 back (though sometimes it is $2 back). What each home needs, and where your investment will have the most impact, is different for each home and each seller, so if you’re thinking of fixing up your home to sell, have a chat with your Realtor first. (And if you’re thinking of selling but don’t have an agent, we’d love to chat with you!)
About Karen Dayton
Karen Dayton is a talented Master Home Stager who’s been beautifying properties to sell for over 20 years. She has a dedicated team helping her, some of them family members, and all of them caring deeply about the quality of their work.
Karen has been my stager since 2015 and she is as pleasant to work with as she is creative and hard working, delivering outstanding results each time. Learn more about Karen Dayton here. Her website includes a contact page, too, where you can send her a message.
