Should I Remodel Before Selling My Westlake Village Home?

One of the most common questions homeowners ask before selling is whether they should remodel first.

Maybe the kitchen is dated. The flooring has seen better days. The bathrooms could use updating. Or perhaps you've lived in the home for 15 or 20 years and aren't sure how today's buyers will react to it.

The answer isn't automatically, “Yes, remodel.”

In many cases, I would rather see a Westlake Village seller spend money strategically than complete a large renovation simply because they think buyers expect one.

The goal before selling is not to create your dream home.

It's to determine which improvements are most likely to improve the home's presentation, buyer appeal, and eventual net proceeds.

Start With the Home You Already Have

Before deciding what to change, I would first evaluate the property against the homes you're actually going to compete with.

That means looking at:

• Recent comparable sales
• Current competing listings
• Overall condition
• Floor plan
• Lot and location
• Existing renovations
• Price range
• What buyers are responding to in that specific neighborhood

A dated home in North Ranch may need a completely different strategy than a townhouse near the lake or a single-family home in First Neighborhood.

There isn't one renovation checklist that works for every Westlake Village property.

Cosmetic Improvements Often Deserve Attention First

Before discussing a major kitchen or bathroom renovation, I usually want to look at the simpler items.

Things like:

• Fresh interior paint
• Touching up damaged walls and trim
• Replacing worn carpet
• Cleaning or refreshing flooring
• Updating dated light fixtures
• Improving landscaping
• Pressure washing exterior surfaces
• Fixing small deferred-maintenance items
• Deep cleaning
• Decluttering and removing excess furniture

None of these improvements are particularly exciting.

But together, they can change the way a home feels when a buyer walks through the door — and how it photographs online.

That's important because buyers usually see the property online before they ever see it in person.

Be Careful With Major Kitchen Renovations

The kitchen is obviously important to buyers.

That doesn't necessarily mean you should spend tens of thousands of dollars replacing yours immediately before selling.

A major kitchen renovation can involve cabinets, countertops, flooring, lighting, appliances, plumbing and electrical work. Costs can escalate quickly.

You also run another risk:

You may renovate the kitchen according to your taste rather than the future buyer's taste.

If the kitchen is functional but simply dated, sometimes the better strategy is to price and market the home accordingly.

Other times, smaller improvements — new hardware, lighting, paint, countertops or selective updates — may create enough visual improvement without rebuilding the entire room.

The right decision depends heavily on the home's expected value and competition.

The Same Goes for Bathrooms

Bathrooms can certainly influence how updated a home feels.

But again, I wouldn't automatically gut every bathroom before listing.

If the bathrooms are clean and functional but stylistically dated, the buyer may prefer renovating them themselves.

If there are obvious problems — damaged fixtures, deteriorated caulking, broken hardware, poor lighting or visible deferred maintenance — those items deserve more attention.

There's an important difference between:

“This bathroom isn't my style.”

and

“This bathroom looks neglected.”

You don't necessarily need to solve the first problem.

I would usually want to solve the second.

Fix Deferred Maintenance Before Chasing Cosmetic Perfection

This is where sellers can sometimes spend money backward.

They'll consider installing expensive countertops while ignoring a leaking faucet, damaged door, broken outlet or HVAC issue.

Buyers notice deferred maintenance.

And when several small problems appear during a showing or inspection, buyers may start wondering what larger problems haven't been addressed.

Before spending heavily on aesthetics, I would identify the property's maintenance issues first.

Depending on the home, that could include:

• Plumbing leaks
• Electrical concerns
• HVAC servicing
• Roof maintenance
• Broken windows
• Pool equipment
• Exterior wood damage
• Doors that don't function correctly
• Drainage issues
• Obvious safety concerns

You don't necessarily have to repair everything.

But you should understand what's there before deciding where your preparation budget should go.

Should You Sell the Home As-Is?

Sometimes, yes.

There are situations where putting significant money into a property before selling simply doesn't make sense.

For example, selling as-is may be worth considering if:

• The home requires extensive modernization
• You're trying to sell quickly
• You don't want to manage contractors
• The likely buyer will renovate anyway
• The property has excellent location or lot value
• The renovation budget would be substantial
• You would rather adjust the asking price than complete the work yourself

Selling as-is does not mean ignoring strategy.

Presentation, pricing, disclosures and marketing still matter tremendously.

An older home can still be marketed effectively when buyers clearly understand the opportunity.

Don't Over-Improve for the Neighborhood

This is probably the biggest concern I have when someone asks me whether they should remodel before selling.

Every neighborhood has a range of values.

If you spend $150,000 renovating a property that is already near the upper end of what buyers are willing to pay for that particular model or location, there may not be enough room in the resale value to justify the investment.

This is why I like starting with comparable sales.

Before we spend money, we should have an idea of:

What is the home worth today?

What might it realistically sell for after the improvements?

What will those improvements cost?

The difference between those numbers helps determine whether the project makes financial sense.

What About Staging?

Staging is different from remodeling.

You can dramatically change the presentation of a home without changing the actual property.

Furniture placement, artwork, lighting, decluttering and styling can help buyers understand how a room functions and make listing photography substantially stronger.

For vacant or unusually configured properties, staging — including appropriate virtual staging for marketing — can also help buyers visualize the space.

This is why I consider presentation and renovation separately.

Sometimes the home doesn't need construction.

It just needs to be presented better.

My Approach Before a Westlake Village Listing

If you're considering selling, I would rather walk through the property before you begin spending money.

We can identify:

1. What I would definitely address before listing
2. What would be nice to improve but isn't essential
3. What I would leave alone
4. What comparable homes are currently offering buyers
5. How much the property may be worth before and after improvements

Then you can make the decision based on potential return rather than guessing.

The best pre-sale renovation is not necessarily the biggest one.

It's the improvement that helps the property compete without unnecessarily eating into your proceeds.

Thinking About Selling Your Westlake Village Home?

If you're considering selling and aren't sure whether to remodel, update a few items or list the property in its current condition, I can help you evaluate the options.

Every property is different, and the answer depends on your home's condition, neighborhood, comparable sales, expected price range and your timeline.

Before hiring contractors, it can be useful to understand what today's buyers are actually likely to value.

Ilan Morad
The ONE Luxury Properties
www.ilanmorad.com