Selling your home? Here are the top home improvements buyers could be looking for

If you’re thinking of selling your home, you’ll want potential buyers to love it as much as you do.

Preparing your home to sell is much more than plumping the sofa cushions and ensuring the aroma of freshly baked bread fills the kitchen.

Often the improvements you’ve made to your home will not only win over buyers, but it’s also likely they’ll add to the asking price when it’s time to sell. And the most effective improvements don’t always cost the most.

From setting up a dedicated home office space, to repainting a room, we’ve looked at the latest trends from Rated People’s 2022 home report. The Rated People report showcases current home improvement trends, and how these are impacting tradespeople and renovators, and in turn, the property market. Instagram and TikTok trends, and 867,000 home improvement jobs, were analysed for this year’s report, along with Rightmove data.

Top home improvement trends

Leisure spaces: home gyms & al fresco entertaining

If a home is where you eat, sleep and play, the play part seems to be a big one on home-movers’ wish-lists. Entertaining spaces or dedicated zones for hobbies or keeping fit are features home-movers are looking out for. The Rated People report found that a home gym was one of the top home renovation trends, along with outdoor kitchens (so much chicer than your typically soggy British barbecue), and al fresco entertaining areas.

Green walls and kitchens

From subtle sage to bold British racing, green decor is having a moment. Get tester pots on the go for a full room overhaul, or add pops of colour by repainting kitchen cupboards or by adding a serene green worksurface.

Flooring

What’s underfoot can transform a room, and there are plenty of styling options that are ticking the boxes of trend-seeking home-hunters. Home-buyers highly value new solid-wood flooring, while other timeless styles include a sleek herringbone floor, or earthy flagstones. There are also options to make renovating your floors more affordable, such as looking for reclaimed materials, as well as do-it-yourself installations.

Living walls

The lure of green space has stayed with us through the course of the pandemic, but it’s not just gardens that are attracting interest from home-buyers. Creating your own living wall is a clever use of space, and can be added to both interior and exterior walls. Whether you’re in shade or full sun, there’s sure to be a perfect plant type for creating those zen-inducing oasis vibes.

Maximalism… but also minimalism

Whether you de-clutter Marie Kondo-style, or you’re a self-professed shelf-filler, both of these approaches are having a moment in 2022. Carefully arranged trinkets, masses of upholstery and bold, clashy colours are the mainstays of a maximalist home, while clean lines and the pared back style of Japan and Scandinavia take centre stage in the ‘Japandi’ trend.

Home office space

With many home-buyers now sticking to hybrid working models, many are looking for a space that works as a home office. Whether this be a dedicated room, or a cosy nook set up for office working, it helps buyers visualise where they’d work from when they come to view your home.

Wall panelling

For a touch of stately home style, wall panels are one of the latest decorating trends that can transform the feel of a room. You can splash out with a solid wood version, or simply create some MDF panels with the help of an online tutorial if you’re leaning towards a budget version.