Kintsugi is the Japanese tradition of repairing broken items with a resin material mixed with gold or silver. It is a way to highlight the flaws and imperfections in broken items as an event in the life of said item. All the sudden, the newly repaired item has life again, and a story to go along with it, to make it even more beautiful and more valuable than before.
There are additions and features that everyone thinks of when they think about adding value to their home (granite or quartz counter tops, stainless steel appliances, subway tile, and hardwood floors come to mind), but there are also a few that are pretty unexpected. Zillow Digs recently did a study of the most sought-after features in homes being sold today by researching home listings and the keywords they use, and although you may feel like the 'rough-around-the-edges' looks may be fading fast, they couldn't be hotter. Below are 3 unexpected 'rustic' looks and features (and inspiration pictures) that will give your home that little nudge to the top of someone's list.
Zillow looked at 60 key words and found that listings that described homes as being 'craftsman' sold better than any other single style, selling 14 days faster than your ranch or tudor homes.
Of the key words analyzed, shaker cabinets not only helped homes sell 45 days faster and for almost 10% more than their expected values, but according to Dr. Svenja Gudell, Zillow's chief economist, the good-ol plain fronts also hint to potential buyers at other uber-desirable features.
This one was a shocker to me. One of the easiest additions you could make to most spaces actually has the greatest effect on home value and time spent on the market. Homes that featured a barn door went off the market 57 days faster than homes without them, and helped those same homes sell an average of 13.4% over their expected values. Who knew a door you could pick up at Lowe's and install in a short weekend would get quite that bang for your buck!?
