Home Modifications: Style & Budget

All agents have to complete real estate continuing education, but the best don't stop there. Our industry is ever-changing, and the most successful agents are the ones who never stop learning.

That’s why we’ve put together this collection of deep-dive resources just for you. These resources go beyond what's covered in our Home Modifications: Balancing Style, Function, & Budget CE course, giving you deeper insights, fresh perspectives, and actionable strategies to apply in your day-to-day business. So dive into these expert-approved reads and keep pushing your business forward.

1️⃣ Universal Design Tips for Homeowners

For a crash course in making homes accessible to all ages, AARP’s guide is a must-read. It points out that by 2030, nearly 20% of Americans will be 65 or older, and many are eager to “age in place” rather than move. Simple upgrades like no-step entries, wider doorways, and lever-style door handles not only keep residents safe but add value to a home – older buyers will be looking for these features in a competitive market.

Real estate agents can learn how universal design elements broaden a home’s appeal and marketability for the booming senior demographic. This knowledge helps you advise sellers on tweaks that attract more buyers (and helps buyers spot homes they can live in comfortably for years to come).

2️⃣ Childproofing Your Home

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s official childproofing guide is a goldmine of safety tips for families. It highlights affordable fixes – like outlet covers, window guards, cabinet latches, and door knob locks – that can drastically cut the risk of common household injuries.

The best part? Most of these safety devices are inexpensive and easy to install, making them quick wins for home improvement. (Just remember, as CPSC notes, no device is completely childproof – determined toddlers can sometimes outwit even the best gadgets!)

Real estate professionals can share this resource with first-time parents or highlight child-friendly features when marketing a family home. It’s a great way to show you care about what happens after the sale – keeping clients’ little ones safe and sound.

3️⃣ 21 Small-Space Organizing Ideas

Got a listing that’s short on square footage? This BHG article offers clever storage hacks to make even a tiny home feel spacious and tidy. It showcases how simple tweaks – think matching bins, under-the-bed drawers, floating shelves, and wall-mounted organizers – can squeeze more storage out of every nook and cranny. The goal is to use every inch without creating clutter. In fact, these tips help give everything a “home” so you can find things more easily and avoid that cramped look.

Real estate agents can use these insights to advise clients on decluttering and staging small homes. By implementing a few of these tricks, a cozy condo or starter home can transform into a chic, organized space that feels larger and more functional – a huge selling point for buyers walking through.

4️⃣ 10 Ways to Make Low Ceilings Look Higher

A home with low ceilings doesn’t have to feel like a cave. Homes & Gardens presents ten design tricks to visually “raise” the ceiling height and open up the room. One pro tip: use low-slung furniture that hugs the floor – the more wall space you see above the furniture, the taller the ceiling appears. Another easy win is hanging tall, narrow mirrors a bit higher than usual on the wall; this draws the eye upward and can instantly “lift” the perceived height of the ceiling.

The article is full of smart ideas like these (from strategic paint choices to clever curtain placements) that fool the eye in all the right ways. Real estate agents can leverage these tips when staging properties or advising sellers on décor. By making a low-ceilinged room feel more airy and expansive, you’ll remove a potential objection and wow buyers with how spacious the home feels.

5️⃣ Soundproofing a Room from Floor to Ceiling

With more people working and studying from home, a quiet living space has become a hot commodity. This Old House offers a comprehensive guide to noise-proofing a home, full of practical tips you (and your clients) can actually use. It explains simple fixes like swapping out a hollow-core interior door for a solid one and adding weatherstripping – even small gaps around a door can let in a surprising amount of noise, so sealing them can make a big difference.

The guide also dives into bigger projects like adding insulation or hanging sound-absorbing panels on walls to soak up sound vibrations. The tone is DIY-friendly and informative, walking you through techniques to hush noisy neighbors, traffic, or just room-to-room sound. Real estate agents can pick up cost-effective ideas here to help sellers turn a loud room into a peaceful retreat, making the property more appealing to noise-conscious buyers (think home office seekers, light sleepers, and young families).

6️⃣ Homebuyers Prioritize Connectivity

In today’s market, a home’s tech connectivity is hugely influential – sometimes even more than location. This Verizon-sponsored study (conducted with Morning Consult) reveals that a whopping 90% of homebuyers say fast home internet and reliable cell service are important in their home search, outranking traditional priorities like proximity to good schools. In fact, the overwhelming majority of buyers (77%) believe access to 5G internet makes a home more valuable.

That’s a powerful insight: it means features like strong Wi-Fi coverage, fiber-optic internet, or even a simple cell-signal booster can boost a property’s appeal. Real estate agents should explore this report to understand how the rise of remote work and smart devices is driving buyer preferences.

Use it to your advantage – highlight a listing’s great connectivity or advise sellers on easy tech upgrades. A well-connected home is easier to market, and this source shows it can even command higher offers from today’s tech-savvy buyers.

7️⃣ Survey: Pets Drive Homebuying Decisions

For many clients, fur babies are family – and they’re influencing real estate decisions more than ever. This National Association of REALTORS® survey highlights how pets are shaping homebuying and renovation trends. Did you know 66% of U.S. households have at least one pet? It’s true, and about 1 in 5 recent home buyers say they considered their pet’s needs when choosing a neighborhood or home.

An entire design movement called “barkitecture” has emerged, integrating pet-friendly features into homes (think built-in dog washing stations or cat “catio” patios). The survey even found that nearly 80% of consumers wouldn’t be deterred by seeing signs of a pet in a listing – as long as there’s no damage – and 20% said a pet-friendly home would make them want to increase their offer!

Real estate agents should dig into this one for ideas on marketing to pet owners. By highlighting a big fenced yard, a mudroom that’s perfect for a litter box, or nearby walking trails, you could tap into a huge buyer segment and maybe even fetch a higher price for your seller’s home.

8️⃣ Home Security Upgrades

Smart home technology isn’t just about convenience – it can actually make a home more sellable. This CNET article focuses on smart security upgrades and cites some eye-opening stats, like 78% of homebuyers would be willing to pay more for a home with smart devices included.

In other words, adding a few well-chosen gadgets (think video doorbells, smart locks, security cameras, or smart thermostats) can translate into real dollars on the closing table. The piece explains why: today’s buyers love the idea of a “move-in ready” smart home where they can lock doors or adjust the thermostat from their phone. Even a simple device like a smart doorbell can add high-tech curb appeal and signal to buyers that a home is modern and well-maintained.

For agents, this is a great resource on the latest smart home trends – it can help you advise sellers on affordable tech upgrades that might make their home stand out, sell faster, or even command a premium in a competitive market.

9️⃣ 10 Low-Cost Energy-Efficient Upgrades

Sustainable and budget-friendly – it’s the holy grail of home improvements, and this Bankrate guide delivers. It runs through 10 eco-smart upgrades that save energy (and money) without a big upfront cost. For instance, one tip is to use smart power strips to cut off “vampire” power draw from electronics in standby mode – those idle devices contribute to an estimated $11 billion in annual energy waste in U.S. homes.

Another recommendation is swapping in a steel insulated exterior door to better seal in heating and cooling. Surprisingly, a new energy-efficient steel front door isn’t just good for comfort – it can recoup over 100% of its cost in resale value on average (talk about a win-win).

Many of these upgrades qualify for federal tax credits or rebates, too, thanks to recent clean energy incentives. Real estate agents can benefit from this rundown by guiding cost-conscious sellers or buyers: point out easy fixes that lower utility bills, or highlight green features in a listing (like LED lighting, low-flow fixtures, or good insulation). It’s a friendly, quick read that connects the dots between sustainability, savings, and a home’s appeal.

🔟 Aging-in-Place Remodels

Your CE course probably touched on modifications for aging in place – now take a closer look at how those changes play out when it’s time to sell. This Bankrate article tackles the big question: do accessibility upgrades help or hurt resale value? The verdict from experts: if done right, they’re “a definite value-add,” not a drawback.

The key is following universal design principles (which are attractive to all buyers) instead of installing clunky, clinical-looking equipment. So a bathroom with a curbless shower and stylish grab bars can be a selling point, whereas a rickety aluminum wheelchair ramp slapped on the front porch might send buyers running. In fact, the article notes that if modifications are too institutional in appearance, they can make a home feel like a hospital and cause buyers to mentally subtract the cost of removal from their offer.

For real estate agents, these insights are gold. You’ll learn which upgrades to celebrate in your marketing (e.g., a first-floor primary suite or widened doorways) and which ones might need a design tweak before listing. It’s all about making homes accessible and appealing, and this resource shows it’s entirely possible to do both – boosting quality of life now and market value later.