How tight is Utah’s housing market? It’s a true-blue seller’s market.
First, housing prices here have been increasing over the years. Zillow now estimates that the average home price to be around $430,000, an increase of over 15 percent in the past year. Single-family properties are the most expensive as prices are about to hit $490,000.
Second, even if the buyer can provide a 20 percent down payment and pay for $500,000, these don’t ensure they can secure a property. Over the last 10 years, the population in the Beehive State rose by almost 20 percent. It has been one of the preferred destinations for millennials and immigrants as well.
In other words, if you’re thinking of selling your Utah home, the real estate climate now is ideal for you. The market is waiting, and many home buyers are willing to pay an excellent price.
But if you don’t want your property to spend a lot of time in the market listing, pay attention to one part of your house: the garage.
How to Design Your Garage
It was in the 1950s when most American homes started sporting garages. During this time, the war was long over, and the economy was recovering. Households now had a higher disposable income to purchase a vehicle.
Since then, many Americans cannot live without private transport. In fact, West Jordan has one of the highest car ownership rates among US cities. For this reason, too, potential home buyers want a property with a garage.
But these potential homeowners can also be picky with the garages they want. How can you design yours to fit their needs and preferences?
1. Consider Converting the Space to a Two-Car Garage
On average, Americans own 1.88 or 2 vehicles. While homes can have a one-car garage and then a carport, home buyers are more likely to set their eyes on an enclosed space that can accommodate at least two vehicles.
Carports are cheaper and easier to install, but they don’t provide complete protection for vehicles against environmental elements. This is especially true in the winter, when temperatures can be brutal in the state.
Now, how much will this cost you? According to Home Advisor, building a garage from scratch will cost at least $16,000 for a low-end or basic project to almost $40,000 when you want something more luxurious. If you already have a garage, you may spend less since you are more likely to extend the space.
Note, though, that you may need to get construction permits if the size of your future garage will be over 120 square feet. If it’s less, you can skip the permits but need to pay attention to zoning.
2. Create Storage
Many Americans store more than vehicles in their garage. In one of the real estate surveys, over 95 percent of the home buyers preferred this space to store various items than the basement or attic.
A well-organized garage can also attract active millennials as they can have more space for their outdoor activities and young families since a clutter-free space is safer for children.
You can design the space yourself or, better yet, look for specialists in garage cabinets. They can assess the size of the garage and produce a 3D design, identifying the best places to attach the cabinets or shelves and knowing the sizes of these fixtures.
For example, if the garage stores tools and supplies, you need low-base cabinets, so the items are easy to reach. The uppermost part may be a flat surface that can function as a workspace. Meanwhile, since skiing and kayaking are awesome outdoor activities in Utah, you can allocate tall and wide cabinets to store the equipment.
3. Install or Upgrade the Garage Doors
Garage doors are efficient, but they can also be dangerous, especially for children. It is associated with over 25,000 injuries each year. In a 1996 study, since 1974, at least 85 children died or suffered from a permanent brain injury after being trapped by these doors.
Garage doors are heavy, weighing almost 150 pounds for a steel-gauge door. Moreover, some automatic ones can be problematic. Once they fall onto a human, they may not actually reverse.
Many homeowners still prefer an automatic garage door, but it may also increase the value of your space to provide a manual mechanism. You can also keep future home buyers safe by choosing automatic doors that meet the standards of the Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
Kitchens and living rooms are still the stars in a home, but don’t ever think that other parts of the home don’t matter. Improving the garage to match the needs of these buyers will help you command a better price and avoid staying on the listing for a long time.
