Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa Real Estate Investor Magazine - October 2017 | Page 26

IMPROVING
Hidden Potential
Don’t forget to fix
the bathroom
BY MONIQUE DU TOIT
S
pending money on renovations or additions is only
worthwhile if it leads to an increased income from your
property. Whether you're planning to sell your invest-
ment property after renovating, or renting it out, few would
argue that the bathroom is a crucial room to focus on.
According to Rhys Dyer from ooba, kitchen and bathroom
renovations can bring a return on investment of between 60-
80%.But what makes a good bathroom renovation, and what
ends up being a money pit? The first step is knowing what
the goal of the renovation is: are you looking to rent out an
apartment to young professionals, aiming to sell in a market
filled with retired buyers, or somewhere in-between? In order
to know this, you need to have a good idea of your target mar-
ket: be aware of rental or sales trends in your neighbourhood,
familiarize yourself with the predominant demographic in the
area.
Sweating the small stuff
Not every bathroom renovation needs to be expensive or elab-
orate. Sometimes, all it takes to increase the value of a property
is taking care of the details. Cleanliness is important in any
room of the house, even more so in the hygiene-hub of the
home. The first step of upgrading your bathroom should be
to clean it: this includes minor wipe-downs as well as more
substantial projects like tile grout and mould.
Another simple way of improving the overall impression
of a bathroom is to look at the lighting. Consider upgrading
light fittings or adding downlighting to key areas (for example,
above the mirror). Cheerfully cheap, this promises to make a
major impact on the look of your bathroom. Similarly, look
into adding a larger mirror to create the impression of space
in what might otherwise be a tight space.
Any room can benefit from a fresh lick of paint - and the
bathroom is no exception. Depending on the size of the room
(and your own energy levels) this can be done within a day for
relatively little money.
With current water crises not showing any signs of slowing
down, installing water-saving fittings is considered an essen-
tial. Especially relevant in the rental market, you’ll be doing
yourself (and the planet) a favor by installing these sooner
rather than later.
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OCTOBER 2017 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine
INCORPORATING GREEN FEATURES
Having proven itself as much more than a passing
trend, eco-friendly fixtures and fittings are good
ways to increase the value of your property. Here
are some easy ways to incorporate it into your
bathroom:
• Solar geysers
• Grey-water systems
• Adequate insulation
• Sufficient natural lighting (thus reducing the
need for excessive electricity usage)
• Water-saving taps and shower heads
• Dual-flush toilet system
• LED energy saving lights
Mountains and molehills
Some projects are larger and more expensive than others.
Bathroom additions are a surefire way to increase the value
of your property, so this is worth investigating if you have the
space and budget for it.
Sometimes paint and soap isn't enough to fix a dated bath-
room. Within reason, consider retiling the space. This is espe-
cially relevant in older properties, where bathrooms can often-
times scare off potential buyers. Upgrading bathtubs and other
hardware can also provide a much-needed lift to a dated space.
Structural problems are more likely to arise in a bathroom
than in most other rooms in the house. Ensure pipes are in
good order to avoid costly repairs down the line.
SOURCES
Private Property, RE/MAX, ooba, Fin24, Smarten, Homebuild-
ing & Renovating