Do Plantation Shutters Increase Your Home Value?
Before we make major purchase decisions, most of us want to make sure that the purchase makes sense. The same is true for window fashions. According to HomeAdvisor, the average cost of installing custom plantation shutters in Florida is $5,488. While this amount depends on the size and the amount of windows you have, it is still an investment that is worth thinking twice about. So let’s figure out: Will plantation shutters increase home value?
Plantation shutters’ return on investment can reach as high as 75% of the purchase price. Even tho this seems to be a best-case scenario, plantation shutters add value in a couple of unexpected ways with greater buyer appeal and fewer days on the market.
Plantation shutters are very popular in Florida, and can improve the appeal of a home- if they’re done right. So, what should you think of when designing window treatments for a home?
Will plantation shutters affect the buyer’s appeal?
Custom plantation shutters done RIGHT will have a positive effect on buyers. It saves the future owner from having to make a large investment in window treatments themselves. It also provides them with privacy and protection from day one. Custom plantation shutters, perfectly designed for the home are an excellent way to increase the curb appeal and the first impression of the home during showings.
On the other hand, incorrectly made or outdated window treatments will have the opposite effect. How many times have you driven by a house with broken blinds and immediately assumed what the house would look like on the inside? It can bet that you don’t think of the house as a well-kept home.
Window treatments shouldn’t be the focal point of the home. Instead, it should act as a beautiful upgrade to the home, letting the home shine to its full potential. To do this you should aim for light colors, and allow for as much natural light as possible to come through the windows. Often the view of a property is a major selling point. Make sure you don’t hide this feature of the home.
Aim for white plantation shutters with large slats to reach the full potential of buyer appeal. Make sure you work with a professional who will custom-make the shutters to your windows. The shutters need to fit the windows perfectly to look like they’re a part of the home and not like an afterthought. If we don’t reach this level of design then the interior shutters immediately become an eye sore instead of an improvement.
What window treatments should be taken down before selling a home?
So, you lived in your home for a couple of years and designed it to your style and liking. As you get your home ready for sale it’s time to start staging your home.
Staging your home is very important cause it allows the buyers to visualize themselves in the space. This means that you should remove personal photography and family photos, declutter your home, do repairs, and maybe even rearrange the furniture.
Home staging also means that it’s time to remove any window treatments that make the home look dark. Now it’s time to remove any heavy valances, dark draperies, or window treatments that are broken. Aim to only leave white sheers in the window, or light window treatments as plantation shutters or motorized shades that can allow for a good view out. We want to make sure that we let in the maximum amount of light and maximize the size of the space we’re working with.
Any blinds purchased in a big box store should be removed, as it is rarely customized to perfectly fit the window.
Should you update your window treatments before selling your home?
We learned that we should remove any window treatments that don’t serve us during the sale of the home. But, would it be valuable to purchase window treatments before putting the home on the market?
As window treatment specialists we usually tell our clients to not spend any money on window treatments before selling the home. But, we do encourage them to remove anything that is broken. Partly due to the first impression, but also to avoid any extra headache after inspection.
The reason we rather not have our clients spend money on new window treatments is that we know how personal window fashions can be. Not just cause we have different tastes in style, but we also have different concerns regarding privacy for example. In this case, it’s better to leave an empty canvas for the new buyers.
