Many homeowners throw money at new kitchen backsplashes and bathroom tile but ignore the plumbing behind the walls. When buyers’ inspectors find rusted pipes or a corroded water heater, sellers are shocked when they start negotiating for thousands of dollars off the asking price. Plumbing upgrades can make or break a sale, but not every upgrade is desirable.
Some plumbing upgrades pay for themselves tenfold while others are like burning money in the middle of the street. The difference lies in which upgrades buyers want and which ones just sound good.
The Upgrades That Actually Pay Off
For most sellers, the best plumbing upgrade to invest in is a new water heater. If buyers see a 15-year-old tank hot water heater, they instantly subtract that amount from their offering price. If they see a new tankless or high-efficiency water heater, they see that the seller was proactive and gets bonus energy savings attached to it. There’s a good return on investment because sellers remove a negotiating tactic before negotiations even start.
Second, buyers notice copper pipes. If you have galvanized piping from the 1950s or 60s, that’s a negative for anyone who’s semi-knowledgeable about home inspections. Galvanized pipes erode from the inside out, create narrow passageways, and infiltrate the drinking water with metals. Repiping can be expensive, but it negates a huge liability. Buyers are not shelling out top dollar if they have to rip up walls in a few years.
Getting rid of low water pressure before selling is vital because it gives buyers a different showing experience. If potential buyers turn on a shower and get nothing but a dribble or have to shower with the faucet on full blast, they will remember that, even if other plumbing works flawlessly. Either low water pressure comes from older pipes, pressure regulators not working properly, or too much mineral deposit build-up in the pipes. Many homeowners discover these issues last-minute when getting their home ready for showings and need to contact Plumbers Denver (or another local area) to address the problem quickly.
Another plumbing upgrade with a decent ROI is modern fixture upgrades. However, there’s a catch. If you’re switching out builder-grade finishes for higher grade faucets, that’s fine. If you’re adding a pot filler or some luxury shower system, you’re losing money. Buyers like quality finishes but will not pay for boutique faucets that cost three times as much as a highly acceptable medium-grade faucet.
Where Homeowners Waste Money
Where sellers waste money is where they should either avoid it altogether or save it for after they sell. For example, whole-house filtration systems look stellar and lend credibility to homes with poor water systems, but buyers will not pay for them, especially if there’s no known water quality issue in the area. The only exception where this could be the case is if someone is on well water, then, it’s essentially expected, but otherwise, it’s a waste of time.
High-end smart plumbing systems are also a waste. Yes, it’s cool to detect leaks before they become visible or potential flood issues, but buyers may not pay you back for them, and most people don’t even know how to use them until it’s too late once they’re actually living in the home. This is not something to get to spring into action.
Luxury additions appeal to niche markets that rarely pan out for sellers during negotiations. Adding a bidet, installing a recirculation pump for instant hot water or putting an outdoor kitchen with running water are big-ticket upgrades some buyers will appreciate, and others will find odd. If you’re selling in an area where homes routinely sit stale, these niche benefits can hinder buyers from purchasing your home.
The Hidden Problems That Kill Deals
Most sellers focus on improvements that should pay more attention to repairs instead. For example, if there’s a slowly draining toilet in the guest bathroom, that’s a red flag. When an inspector finds an entire drain line that’s corroded and $2,000 to replace, that’s a problem. Buyers who want to avoid other problems in the house won’t pay for replacements, which puts in their head they’ll have to wait on necessary repairs until after closing, at least two additional months.
Sewer line issues will kill deals. If your sewer line hasn’t been replaced after forty years of use, there’s a good chance there are problems. Tree roots, settling or deteriorating clay pipes don’t affect a passive buyer’s experience but will come up during a sewer scope inspection. Getting ahead of this with camera inspections before selling can prevent a deal from falling apart three weeks before closing day.
Old leaks under sink areas tell buyers there’s been poor maintenance over the years. Even if you fixed the leak five years prior, and there’s no obvious sign of it any more, stains under sinks or pink watercolor spots near the hot water heater render buyers nervous that other areas of the house haven’t had proper maintenance throughout the years. Replacing cosmetic damages from previous plumbing issues costs little in comparison to what buyers may think when they see clear signs.
What Buyers Actually Care About
Buyers rarely understand plumbing on their own; they largely rely upon what inspectors recommend, and those recommendations are often off-base. An inspector may find multiple small issues; while they’re minor individually, he’ll report them en masse to sound catastrophic. Suddenly three tiny plumbing problems become “significant concerns with the plumbing infrastructure,” and buyers want $5K off.
This is where strategic upgrades come into play: providing homes with items that prevent negative inspection comments. Good pressure in the house, newer shut-off values, secured pipes without visible leaks, and non-previously leaking areas with good consistent pressure help maximize potential selling price.
New caulking around all tubs/sinks costs little but makes things look completed. A quick switch of new supply lines under the sink takes thirty minutes but prevents one of the top ten inspection flags noted. These give homes better chances to meet their goals than bringing value unnecessarily.
Timing Your Investments
The worst time to make these changes is before listing because you won’t be able to respond in time should other issues arise during repiping (or whatever work is needed). Discovering a full repiping needs to happen two weeks before you’re set to sell opens stressors, but looking into selling six months beforehand helps your cause.
Selling intentions should come with evaluation months before hitting the market for seller’s inspection pre-qualifications pre-marketing idealization opportunities. Find what’s actually wrong instead of guessing what’s wrong, then make decisions based on worthwhile feedback.
Some sellers decide to provide credits instead of making repairs on their own but this may or may not work in their favor. Buyers often have inflated values on repairs, and ask for more credit than what the repair would actually cost at first, for example, $2K down on selling price instead of fixing something that only cost $1,200.
The Bottom Line on Plumbing ROI
No buyer ever walks into an open house and marvels at superior plumbing. It basically turns into an afterthought yet makes all the difference as to why certain homes sell for asking price while others have thousands carved out because sellers refuse to spend money on upgrades.
Focus on functionality over flair; buyers want to know that there won’t be expensive surprises six months after closing. They want confidence in what they’re receiving within their walls, and that starts with good-working mechanical systems as opposed to questionable plumbing behind nice-looking facades.
The upgrades that pay off are the ones that eliminate problems rather than add features. Replace what’s failing, update what’s outdated, and fix what’s broken. When it comes time to sell, homes with solid plumbing infrastructure will always command better prices than homes with fancy fixtures but questionable systems behind the walls. That’s where the real value shows up in final offers.
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Meet the blogger behind Life In Velvet – Bec, a mum of 4 currently living on the US East Coast with her kids, husband and numerous pets. Bec shares her favourite things on this award-nominated lifestyle blog – especially recipes and baking, crafts, home and interiors, DIY, her love for all things seasonal, and a good motivational quote!