With house prices falling, many will be looking for ways to add value to their property. However, what they should also consider is what devalues a home. Alex Goody, property expert at webuyanyhouse.co.uk, has shared five features that are sure to devalue a house and put buyers off.
1. Extending a room, but loosing a bathroom
It may seem like a good idea to many to knock through a wall in order to create a larger space, especially if households don’t often use one of the rooms.
However, if the knocking through involves losing a bedroom, “this may only serve to decrease”, warned the expert.
He explained: “While larger, more open feeling spaces are popular, reducing the number of bedrooms will reduce the number of potential buyers interested in your property, especially families.
“Many people will instead prefer having a separate room, so you should think carefully before undertaking any work like this.”
READ MORE: Four features that ‘instantly’ devalues a property – ‘puts off’ buyers
2. Putting up expensive wallpaper
Wallpaper is one of those decor features that people either love or hate. Patterned wallpaper especially is known to divide opinion and people’s tastes differ greatly.
Alex said: “It’s therefore best to avoid this if you think it’s likely you’ll need to sell in the future as chances are that buyers will not agree with your taste in wallpaper and will want to change it.”
However, for those set on using wallpaper in their home, use it on something like a feature wall and paint the rest.
This way, households can add their desired style to their home, and potential home buyers only have to remove it from a single wall and not a whole room if they don’t like it.
3. Turning a room into a media room/home cinema
While this may be a dream for some, converting a room or garage into a media room dedicated to watching films or playing video games “will not appeal to most buyers”, who will want a more practical space, according to the property guru.
He claimed: “Having built-in systems, such as a large screen, projector or sound system will make it even harder for new owners to do their own thing with the room and will mean they will have to fork out a lot of money to do so.
“Doing this will also be expensive and will likely decrease the value of your home unless you own a mansion with plenty of excess rooms.”
As with all home renovations, personalisation can deal to a decrease in home value and built-in technology that can quickly become outdated is no exception.
READ MORE: 3 features that ‘significantly’ devalue your house – ‘puts buyers off’
4. Installing a swimming pool
A swimming pool will always be a standout feature for any property and will distinguish a home from the rest.
However, installing a swimming pool will cost upwards of £60,000 and requires year-round maintenance.
Although it may add value to a home and make it more desirable among buyers, it is unlikely that households will receive a return on their investment, warned Alex.
He added: “In addition, certain buyers will be put off by a swimming pool. Some will not want the hassle of the upkeep and with the climate in the UK, many will see it as a pointless feature that will only get used a handful of days out of the whole year.”
5. Pebble dash
Pebbledash, which was at the height of its popularity in the 1920s can be a useful addition to a home as it protects the building from bad weather and is extremely hard-wearing, but they simply are not in fashion anymore.
Alex said: “The style looks dated and those selling a pebble dashed home can expect to see lower offers compared to similar non-dashed homes.
“It is expensive to remove and therefore people may think twice before offering on a pebble-dashed home.”
If selling, repainting the pebbledash can disguise its appearance, making it more attractive to more buyers – just stick to spray paint, as for obvious reasons, rollers and brushes can’t easily complete the job.
