Not every renovation to your garage produces a return on investment. While any improvements to your garage can boost curb appeal, buyers rank certain improvements as more valuable than others. Whether or not you’re looking to sell, the garage improvement ideas below will add considerable value to your property and give you a sense of pride every time you arrive home.
Add Smart Storage
Homebuyers rank garage storage space as one of their top requests when viewing properties, and many homebuyers include a tidy garage on their wish list. Plus, a cluttered garage gives the impression that there isn’t enough storage space in your house. A few hooks on the walls and stacks of storage containers lack the level of sophistication that purposeful shelving or built-in cabinetry can achieve. While the primary function of these additions is obviously for storage, they will also make your garage interior more aesthetically appealing. And if you’re not quite ready to sell, upgrading your storage solutions can only help you stay organized now.
Paint the Interior
Here’s an inexpensive idea you can do yourself that will instantly add a wow-factor to your garage: painting the interior walls will add a pop of color that sets you apart from other real estate listings. When selecting your paint color, be sure to keep your home’s exterior in mind. You’ll want something that compliments the outside of your home when the garage door is open. For example, if your home exterior is red, painting your garage interior green will give off holiday vibes year-round. Neutral colors such as beige, tan, or gray are easy to clean yet still bright enough that they improve the space’s lighting conditions.
Epoxy the Floors
If your garage is covered in oil stains and small cracks from dropped tools or equipment, epoxy is the solution. Coating the floor with a quality epoxy solution will have it in shining clean condition, and will protect it from further damage. If an oil spill happens, you can wipe it up without it penetrating your garage’s porous concrete surface. As a bonus, the smooth, slick epoxy surface will make sweeping and cleanup easier. Many people feel comfortable taking on this DIY project that will make a boring concrete floor shine in a buyer’s eyes.
Automate Your Garage Door
Does your garage door open manually? You may have become used to using your muscles, but a manually operated garage door is a major turnoff for homebuyers. The good news is that many existing manual garage doors can be automated, adding value to your home — not to mention security. Automatic garage doors allow you and your family to lock the garage door before exiting a vehicle, and can deter thieves who look for unsecured doors.
Replace Your Garage Door
It’s said that first impressions are everything. When prospective buyers pull up to your home, a garage door is a major focal point that influences their overall outlook on the rest of the house. Upgrading a drab garage door to something more eye-catching can vastly boost your home’s curb appeal. More than two-thirds of realtors suggest you can sell your home faster with a new garage door, and studies estimate that upgrading a garage door can increase the perceived selling price of a home by up to 4% — meaning it’s very likely the cost to replace your garage door pays for itself. Now that is a return on investment!
