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The great outdoors, we Aussies love it. And why not, we have the perfect climate for doing some of our "living" outdoors. If your renovation project doesn’t have an outside entertaining area of any kind – invent one. An entertainment area appears on most buyers “wish list”. Regardless of whether your outside living room is a deck above ground or a patio area on ground level it can add an additional dimension to the homes saleability. Think dinner parties, casual BBQ with friends or just a lovely warm spot to read the paper on a Sunday morning.
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Keep it simple. It is easy to get carried away with colours and themes as seen on TV shows. A truly successful outdoor living area renovation needs to be great to look at, but it must be one that is inviting and functional. Consider formal and informal uses and identify an area for quiet time. Think about how to achieve privacy to the area and capitalize on natural light. Use plants, paving and furniture to bring a sense of consistency, otherwise it can look cluttered and confusing to the buyer. An appealing outdoor space is one that flows easily from inside the house. The best way to achieve a simple but effective link between indoor and outdoor spaces is to create a wide opening. Consider using bi-fold or sliding doors.
Target your market. As with a house renovation as a whole, don’t forget to identify the finished products “target market” when working out what to do with the outside living space. This will help you complete things that will make the most money at sale time and not waste time and resources on things that don’t matter to buyers. Identify your target and do things that they place value on. Singles, professionals, young families, landlords, retirees, all have individual wants and needs.
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Young couples will see value in a home that has an outside room for children to occupy, in safety or in rainy weather. To a mother, being able to see the childs play area from the kitchen or living room is a great selling point. Young professionals don’t need a big space but will place great value on an outside area they can see themselves entertaining their friends in. Likewise older folk will appreciate an area where they can push the furniture aside and use as a work area. Rental properties that have a deck or entertainment area rent quickly and for more.
Don’t under estimate the edge you can get by the correct attention the outside living area or deck. Aesthetics are very important, but you must aim for a perfect balance between good looks, reasonable cost and functionality.
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