All else being equal, most potential buyers would prefer to step into homes that are brand new, renovated, or nicely updated rather than dated and worn. While some homes are well-suited for full makeovers, the optimal sale preparation for others may be as simple as basic refresh touches in key locations. In this guide, we will distill years of our Lowery Premier Team’s expertise to help you get a sense of what options may be available when preparing your Arizona home for sale. Let’s dive in!
Evaluating Your Current Home
We will share various ideas for your home refresh or renovation shortly, but one of the most important things to do is to create an honest assessment of the current status of your home.
When evaluating the appeal of your current space to potential buyers, it becomes imperative that you separate your preferences from the items that appeal most broadly to your desired buyer pool. If there are particular features or finishes of your home that you love, that’s great, but what matters the most is what a potential buyer will consider valuable and attractive. With that mindset firmly in place, take a walk around your home and evaluate each of the following items on two scales: condition and appeal.
Condition - Regardless of style, how “like new” is this item or feature?
Appeal - How broadly desirable is this item or feature?
We suggest considering the following major items (feel free to include others as they come to mind). If it helps, you can write your items down in a list, grading each on a scale from 0-5 for condition and A, B, or C for appeal.
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Interior Paint
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Cabinets
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Countertops
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Flooring
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Doors, Baseboards & Casing (the trim around your doors)
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Showers & Tubs
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Plumbing Fixtures
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Electrical Fixtures
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Exterior Paint
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Exterior Wall Finishings (Stucco, Stone, Siding, etc.)
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Grass & Landscaping
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Pool Deck & Surface
By the end of this exercise, you should have a decent sense of the condition of various parts of your home, as well as some concept of how broadly your finishes appeal to the general pool of potential buyers. With that said, nothing replaces getting expert eyes on your home, so we also recommend utilizing the following link to submit your property for a proper market analysis: REQUEST MY HOME VALUATION
Now, let’s take a look at some of the items that are most likely to attract larger volumes of buyers here in Arizona.
Selections to Attract East Valley Homebuyers
Most often, your goal before listing your home will be to prepare it to attract as many potential buyers as possible, particularly those who are willing to pay for desirable features. In pursuit of that objective, let’s go through some different areas of the home to suggest features and finishes that are most likely to draw buyers in.
Kitchen
Without a doubt, your kitchen is one of the most valuable areas of your home when it comes to grabbing the attention of a potential buyer. These spaces often see frequent use throughout the day and have even become a common part of the home where time may be spent during gatherings.
While cabinetry can be a huge focus of the kitchen, it is usually only appropriate to replace cabinets if they are very dated, in particularly poor condition, and/or if everything around is also being updated. Otherwise, refinishing existing cabinets or updating surrounding details may be a wiser use of funds prior to listing. Painting your cabinets may be a less-expensive option, but you’ll want to be sure to use a high-quality contractor to get this detail right.
Focus on countertops, sinks, and the right backsplash to maximize appeal while controlling costs. For countertops, choose man-made Quartz for durability and low maintenance or natural Quartzite slabs for a more natural feel. Avoid Marble as it is prone to staining and does not possess good heat resistance. Pair your new countertops with a composite (or even stainless steel) sink that complements the surface color, as well as a relatively neutral backsplash tile. Swapping your kitchen faucet and cabinet pulls can round out this solid kitchen refresh.
Bathrooms
While replacing kitchen cabinetry can be expensive and time-intensive, bathroom vanity cabinets tend to be more readily accessible, making replacing them a more schedule-friendly option. However, even just replacing countertops, adding basic white under-mount sinks, and updating flooring can go a long way toward making your bathroom look fresh.
If it’s in your budget, brand new shower tile can also make a great impact, but even a new acrylic shower insert could be just what a dated bath needs to make it feel much more welcoming. If changing the shower isn’t an option, completing your update with new plumbing fixtures can help to make your space look more up-to-date.
Flooring & Trim
When it comes to flooring, you’ll find porcelain tile and luxury vinyl plank (LVP) to be some of the best-suited materials for Arizona’s climate. Both resist water fairly well in kitchens and baths and stand up to more wear and tear than many other materials.
At the same time, many people are comfortable having carpet through bedrooms thanks to the comfort and sound-dampening that it can provide. Using a cost-effective carpet strategically in these areas may allow you to stretch your budget to include preferable materials throughout the rest of the home. For Lowery Premier clients, our most common suggestion is to use a wood-look LVP through much of the house, with a fairly neutral tile on the floors of bathrooms and the laundry room.
If you do choose to replace LVP or tile flooring it will also likely be appropriate to install fresh new baseboard, while it is usually more achievable to leave baseboard in place if you are simply replacing carpet.
Lighting & Hardware
It is not uncommon for older homes to be lit dimly, so we recommend replacing existing ceiling lights with new LED recessed can lights, even adding additional cans where necessary. You may also be able to add under-cabinet light strips in some cases to boost the appeal of your kitchen lighting. Through the rest of the home, swapping ceiling-hung fixtures, bathroom vanity lights, and ceiling fans rounds out your lighting upgrade.
As you swap light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, cabinet pulls, door handles and hinges, etc., do your best to maintain a cohesive finish theme throughout the home. For example, avoid pairing hyper-traditional items with ultra-modern touches, and only mix metal colors if you have a designer-approved finishing plan.
PRO TIP: Stay away from bright gold colors, instead opting for a finish more like Delta’s Champagne Bronze that looks classy without being audacious.
Paint
Interestingly enough, the principles for painting your home prior to sale are fairly straightforward:
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Stick with neutral, timeless colors (lean toward whites with a very faint undertone in them that matches the finishing hues around your home).
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Avoid accent walls, as most aren’t in style anymore (don’t kill the messenger). If you’re going to utilize a color with more depth, paint the entirety of a room in that color, such as an office or a den.
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Use washable sheens like eggshell or satin for walls.
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Use semi-gloss for doors and trim.
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Use a flat sheen for ceilings.
Refresh tiers, budgets and timelines
We know that is a lot of detail for you to digest, so let’s break it down into a few upgrade “Tiers” to give you a sense of common options and costs. Please keep in mind that your selections in each of these areas can have a significant impact on the final cost of your refresh. You may be able to do some of these items for more or less, but we’re trying to guide you to some approximate “ballpark” figures.
Tier C: Quick, Low-Cost Refresh
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Budget: ~$5-$9 per SQFT (depending on what is chosen)
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Timeline: Approx. 2-3 Weeks
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Potential Scope Ideas:
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Whole-house neutral paint.
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New light fixtures, outlet covers, and switch plates.
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Replace cabinet hardware and plumbing fixtures.
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Exterior landscape cleanup.
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When to choose: You need to list quickly or you’re more price-sensitive. This tier is low disruption and geared toward making the home feel fresh and clean.
Tier B: Maximum-Impact Midrange Update
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Budget: ~$15-$25 per SQFT (depending on what is chosen)
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Timeline: Approx. 3-6 Weeks
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Potential Scope Ideas:
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Whole-house neutral paint.
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Cabinet repaint/refinish (may replace bathroom vanity cabinets).
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Countertop upgrade to quartz and new backsplash.
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New sinks, plumbing fixtures, mirrors, and hardware in kitchens and baths.
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Update lighting throughout the home.
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Replace dated or damaged flooring in key areas.
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Replace sod or add plants/gravel as appropriate.
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When to choose: You have a little more time and money available and want to maximize the attractiveness and “move-in-ready” feel of your home, while still controlling cost.
Tier A: Extensive Remodel
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Budget: ~$50-$70 per SQFT
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Timeline: Approx. 6-12 weeks
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Scope ideas:
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Key, non-structural layout adjustments.
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Replace cabinetry and countertops throughout the home.
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Replace flooring and trim throughout the home.
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Demo and install tile in shower/tub areas.
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Replace plumbing and electrical fixtures throughout the home.
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Replace hardware, pulls, and other finishing details throughout the home.
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Whole-house neutral paint.
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Exterior repair, cleanup, and strategic landscape updates.
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When to choose: Older finishes or layouts are likely to dissuade a large percentage of your potential buyer pool. You’re not in a major hurry to list the home and you would like to maximize the sale price. The neighborhood must support your planned list price.
FAQs
What are the fastest kitchen and bath updates before selling my home?
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Paint, landscaping, hardware swaps, lighting upgrades, and plumbing fixture replacements are usually some of the fastest updates to make prior to selling. However, the Lowery Premier Team’s premium contractor can create a schedule that maximizes the updates that you can complete in a limited time.
How much should I budget for a midrange refresh in Gilbert?
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A typical Tier B refresh may run about $15-$25 per square foot and often takes around 3-6 weeks, covering cabinet painting, quartz counters, backsplash, updated fixtures, and more.
Do I need permits for kitchen or bath remodels in Arizona?
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Cosmetic work usually does not require a permit in Arizona, while structural changes, significant electrical reconfigurations, and major plumbing relocations typically do require a permit.
Which materials appeal most to East Valley homebuyers right now?
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Neutral paint, quartz countertops, porcelain tile or wood-look LVP flooring, neutral shower tile, cohesive hardware finishes, and (of course) fresh paint are widely preferred by East Valley homebuyers.
Conclusion
Whether you’re in Scottsdale, Mesa, Gilbert, or one of the surrounding cities, the Lowery Premier Team has you covered with expert real estate analysis, premium construction resources, and a fantastic design relationship. Simply contact our team today to explore options for your home!
