Sizzle Features
When it comes to renovating a house for resale, there are so many different variables to think about. Some of these include the amount of repairs needed on the house, the area the house is located, the condition of the housing market and so much more. Though these factors are crucial to making a profitable deal, here at Our Flipping Family, we have an additional principle we always keep in mind called sizzle features. A sizzle feature is what sets one house apart from the next. They are unique parts of the home that make a potential buyer remember your house over all the others. Today, we’re going to chat about why sizzle features are a must and even share some of our favorites with you.
Sizzle features are crucial because, sorry to break it to you, your house isn’t the only house on the market. Sizzle features put you a step above. For example, picture a neighborhood with two renovated houses on the block that are each for sale. Both houses are attractive and have undergone the same amount of work but House A has a beautiful barn wood mantle above the fireplace and House B does not. At this moment in the buyer's mind, House A with the mantle is far better than House B. Isn’t it fascinating that something as small as a piece of wood on a wall increases the value exponentially in a buyer’s mind? But those little items that pull on the buyer’s heart strings and make them excited are what they remember. They don’t usually walk away from a day of house shopping saying, “I loved that house with all new windows”, but instead say “I love that house that had the cute mantle and built in shelving!”
What’s even greater about sizzle features is that they don’t have to be expensive. Returning to our example with the barn wood mantle, the mantle could only cost $100 but the return on investment is through the roof. Although these features are primarily meant to set your house apart from the rest, it also allows you to potentially increase the sale price and to increase your profit margins.
When we renovate houses, we make a conscious effort to not only include one or two sizzle features but rather we build at least five. We do this because we want to secure the potential buyers emotional vote that our home is by far the best out of everything they’ve seen.
Now that we have a grasp on what exactly sizzle features are, let’s get into some of our favorite and most commonly used ones! Our all time favorite is, drum roll please… the kitchen back splash! The kitchen back splash sets a gorgeous kitchen apart from a mere pretty kitchen. It pushes your home to the next level and ultimately pulls the heartstrings of the women who want their kitchen to be perfect.
Another one of our favorites are window seats. Window seats are not only cute but allow a potential buyer walking your home to imagine themselves living there, curled up on a rainy spring day reading their favorite romance novel. Or maybe that’s just me but you get the point!
The last one I’ll go into is the beloved sliding barn wood door. It’s undeniable, there’s something special about these doors in a home. It brings a rustic homey feel that can’t be replicated any other way.
Along with these three, some other honorable mentions include built in shelves, mud rooms, entry cubbies, tile shower surrounds with accent stripes, ship-lap, and light fixtures. As time goes on and trends change, so do these features.
Be creative with your finishes and set your house above the others. We hope you take this advice and apply it to your renovation business model because the costs are minimal and the returns are great. Well, it’s time for me to go cozy up by the window and finish my romance novel, see you next time!
