westfield homes Archives - Luxury Homes/Top Towns

New construction is a hot commodity in the luxury Westfield marketplace. To keep up with newly built homes, many homeowners opt to renovate their older home before they sell. Tearing down walls to create a more open floor plan and updating the kitchen for today’s modern lifestyle may be a great idea. But don’t get rid of everything. Today’s Westfield home renovation tip is important for owners of older homes. Some of the features original to your house should never be thrown out, covered up or replaced unless they are absolutely beyond repair.

Westfield Home Renovation Tip: “Must Keep” Original Features

Hardwood Floors

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Buyers love to see these two words when looking at a Westfield home: original hardwoods. Modern construction rarely incorporates traditional hardwood flooring anymore. When ripping up your carpet or tearing into the linoleum in the kitchen, check to see if you have original hardwood flooring underneath. If they’re in good shape, you simply need to sand them down and stain them to restore them to their original beauty. Oftentimes, it’s worth the time and money involved to fix damaged hardwood floors instead of replacing them with new flooring. Consult your contractor for the costs. Then, talk to your Westfield REALTOR® about whether they believe the cost is worth it when it comes time to sell.

Fireplace

Fireplaces create beautiful focal points in most rooms. For older Westfield homes, in particular, this proves especially true. First, have the chimney and flue inspected by a professional to make sure they work properly. Soap and water work well to clean up a stone surround. But a wooden mantel requires a more delicate touch. Sand it down before applying a fresh stain or coat of paint. Pay special attention to any original detailing. Even a non-functioning fireplace can still be a focal point after you restore its appearance. Set candles inside instead of logs once you’ve finished renovating it.

Hardware

Finally, never throw out your Westfield home’s original hardware. Old fashioned doorknobs, drawer pulls, and even light fixtures can be repurposed into modern design schemes. In fact, many buyers want to see original pieces like this included in an older home. They don’t necessarily have to be put back in their original locations, though. Kitchen pulls can be incorporated into the master bathroom. Exterior doorknobs can be used on the pantry door, linen closet or master bedroom door. And light fixtures can be moved to just about anywhere in your home.

You’ve heard the saying “they just don’t make them like they used to”. Well, it’s true. They don’t. If you plan on doing a home renovation on your older Westfield property, try to keep the original features listed above as part of the new design. Create something beautiful by marrying the old with the new. Buyers will love it.

Scott Gleason, CRS at RE/MAX Select, Luxury Homes

As you are probably aware, buyers love new luxury construction. If you own an older home, you’ll be competing with newer homes for buyers’ attention. To attract these buyers, you may need to make a few updates. But that doesn’t always mean digging deep into your pockets or spending weeks to renovate. Here are a few quick Westfield home improvement projects that will make your older home look new again.

Quick and Easy Westfield Home Improvement Projects

Bathtubs

One area that can date your bathrooms is the caulking in your tub. Yellowed, cracked, and peeling caulking makes tubs look dingy. Luckily, this is one of the Westfield home improvement projects that take little time or money to fix. Visit your local home improvement store for tips on how to update the look of your bathroom in about an hour or so.

Walls

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Are your walls all the same color? Build interest in an otherwise bland room by creating an accent wall. The foyer, dining room and family room tend to be the areas of choice for accent walls in a Westfield home. You don’t have to have an accent wall in every room, though. Decide on just one room to do this in. Choose a color that ties in with the accessories already found in the room. Also, many homeowners like to refresh the look of a room with new artwork, photographs or other wall hangings. Unfortunately, this leaves nail holes behind. They can be unsightly. Take a few moments to go around from room to room filling in the old nail holes with spackle. Then, use touch-up paint to blend the spackle seamlessly into the wall.

Lighting

Next, look at your light fixtures both inside your Westfield home and out. Add dimmer switches in place of standard ones. And don’t forget your exterior lighting. Add solar lights to your walkways and around the driveway. Many options include wireless models that use the sun’s light to charge their batteries. No messy wires involved. Simply stake them into the ground wherever you want them. Just make sure the areas you place them have plenty of access to direct sunlight.

Windows

Now, let’s focus our Westfield home improvement projects on to the windows. Torn screens and broken shutters make a house look worn and uncared for. A new coat of paint freshens up old shutters. Replace ripped screens quickly and easily with a screen replacement kit that can also be found at your local home improvement store. They’re easier to replace than you think.

Stairs

Wooden stairs are beautiful. And in an older house, they can be especially pleasing to the eye. However, the treads wear down with use. Add life back into your stairway by replacing the treads with easy-to-install carpet stair treads available in a wide variety of colors and styles. You can order them online or purchase them at a home improvement store. Just fit them to the width you want, add heavy duty carpet tape, and stick them in place. Learn more about keeping your treads in place here.

Garden

Finally, the last of the Westfield home improvement projects I’ll be talking about today involves your garden. Pretty flowers and trimmed shrubs are a definite must. But you can add a little more interest simply by installing a birdbath, hummingbird feeder, birdhouse, and/or fountain. Even large painted vases add beautiful focal points and take no time at all to install.

When competing with newer homes on the market, you need to make your home stand out. To do so may involve updating your property a little. Luckily, these Westfield home improvement projects don’t take a lot of time or money to complete. But they’ll definitely make a lasting impression on buyers.

Scott Gleason, CRS at RE/MAX Select, Luxury Homes