In the San Francisco market, where prices are high and inventory is low, many homes will sell no matter whether you renovate first or not. However, many people get into their homes and realize they want to do some work to make that home even more amazing, either because they are ready to live there for years or because they are doing a flip and then want to sell the home fast and for a competitive price. Regardless of what matters most to you, adding wow factor can be the way to stand out in the San Francisco housing market and get the multiple-offers situation you want.Â
Take Advantage of a View With a Terrace or Patio
If your property has any kind of view, be it of the Bay, an iconic area of the neighborhood, or a green space, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have some kind of terrace, balcony, or patio. Adding outdoor space in San Francisco’s temperate climate is a slam dunk, giving your potential buyers a way to imagine themselves enjoying the outdoors and taking in a scenic vista with their coffee. While many homes will use big windows or skylights to get plenty of natural light, if your home has any darker areas, adding more windows and light can almost always add an air of elegance, particularly if there are good views to be had.
Small Physical Footprint? Renovate the Roof or Finish a Basement
San Francisco’s neighborhoods can be a bit tightly packed, so if your property is fairly small physically, build up and down. Renovating a roof into a terrace or more open space and building finished space in the basement can give you more square footage and allows for more whimsy: whether you want a wine cellar and a beautifully designed bar area, a game room, or a rooftop container garden, you can do fun things with these additional spaces that help your home stand out from the crowd.
Beautiful Materials Turn Ordinary Into Extraordinary
If you’re updating an older home with dated look or worn-out bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas, a great way to step it up is to consider luxury materials. From top sources of durable hardwood to beautiful quartz countertops, you can turn a simple home into an elevated, elegant space by using the kinds of materials that a high-end real estate shopper is expecting to see. What’s more is that, by combining any historic charm with new appliances and modern lighting, you can give people who have multiple interests a great option. A couple where one wants all-modern interiors and the other wants the classic look of an older San Francisco bungalow can get everything they are looking for in one house.
While adding luxury upgrades may or may not fully yield a return at selling time, the true advantage of these updates is that you get to live in a house that is like no one else’s and is fully optimized for you. When it does come time to sell, you also have an easier time garnering competitive offers because you’ve put so much love into making this property uniquely wonderful.