The stay-at-home trend is affecting real estate. If you're spending more time in your home, your choice of home improvement projects might reflect that. If you're thinking of selling your home, you'll likely want to show potential buyers a home that's kept up with the times.
Whether for your own sake or for the next owner of your house, here are five updates to consider when people are staying home more.
Outdoor Spaces
Sometimes, spending more time at home can mean feeling a bit trapped. If that's the case, perhaps adding outdoor living space can set you free.A deck, patio, or outdoor kitchen is going to be a fairly large expense. But even smaller additions, such as a fire pit, children's playset, or a shade-providing awning or pergola can give you somewhere to get away to when you're feeling stuck indoors.
When considering possible outdoor projects, keep in mind that the large ones, while costly, are often enticements for homebuyers and can boost a home's resale value, too.
Home Theater
It used to be expensive to replicate a movie-theater experience at home, but as prices for video projectors, sound systems, and other entertainment technology have fallen, it's now in the price range for more people.It doesn't take much to turn spare space into a media room - hang a screen and a projector, or set up a giant TV, and you're mostly there. If you have unfinished space such as an attic, basement, or bonus room over a garage, you might consider finishing it as a dedicated home theater. It's the sort of project that will provide your household with something fun and useful and adds living space to your home, which increases value.
Home Office
When multiple people in the same household are working from home, it's nice to have a dedicated space for each person to work. Doing video meetings from your bedroom or taking an important call from your kitchen isn't always ideal.But even if just one person is working remotely, it can help with work-life balance to have a designated workspace. It separates your job from your home and gives you some boundaries. After all, when you work from home all the time, it can feel like you're always at work.
Like a media room, many unused or underused spaces can be converted into work areas. A spare bedroom might be big enough for more than one workspace, and, if you're selling your home, it might allow buyers to see more possibilities for how to use extra space.
Smart Home Technology
Not only are more and more homebuyers looking for smart home tech, but it can also add immediate convenience to your own living situation.A Wi-Fi connected thermostat can learn your preferences and make your house more comfortable with minimal effort from you. Voice-enabled lights and electronics, no longer luxury items, are practical and easy to use. Video doorbells or security systems can make you feel safer in your home.
Children's Playroom
If you have children, you might appreciate a separate area that they can consider their own. A dedicated playroom can give you some peace and quiet - if you keep it away from your dedicated workspace - as well as provide a place for all your kids' "stuff."Having a space specifically for children can add tranquility for the adults in the home, and it's also a way to de-clutter kids' bedrooms or common living areas.
The Bottom Line
Whether you're selling a home or expecting to stay for a while, it can be both practically and financially beneficial to do the updates that keep up with the trend of spending more time at home.
