The real estate market in Santa Monica has been incredibly unstable recently. In fact, almost 60% of homes sold last year were sold above the listing price. While the cost of buying a home continues to skyrocket, and with no clear indication of a significant price drop on real estate in the near future – Santa Monica homeowners are opting for home improvements instead of selling or buying a home. With this in mind, here are the top 5 home improvement trends Santa Monica homeowners are taking advantage of during this current real estate chaos.
Enhancing Curb Appeal
One of the biggest trends in home improvement is sprucing up the exterior look of homes. This can be as simple as putting up a new coat of paint, or as extravagant as overhauling your entire landscape.
When you invest in enhancing your home’s exterior, make the most out of your improvements. To explain, think about smart modifications such as installing metal driveway gates. This is a beautiful exterior improvement that doubles as a security feature for your home. This is a great example of how to make the work, money, and time you invest on the exterior of your home pay off because it’s both aesthetically pleasing and also serves a purpose.
Outdoor Living
Because Santa Monica weather is ideal for spending time outside, the hot trend right now is building outdoor living spaces. Homeowners are installing outdoor kitchens, grilling stations, and pizza ovens in their backyards in order to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors while enjoying delicious dishes with friends and family. We’re also seeing more homeowners decking out their yards with beautiful lounging areas. Selecting outdoor furniture, rugs, and decoration for the back patio can be a simple yet profound way to improve your living space without making a huge investment.
Beautify the Bathroom
Whether you spend a lot of time in the bathroom, or you’re on a schedule with other residents – there’s a reason why this is called the “necessity room.” It’s no secret the bathroom is a highly populated space, but it’s also a trending place to make home improvements. Santa Monica homeowners are rethinking the bathroom as a utility room and beginning to transform them into luxury spas. A bathroom remodel can work wonders for both increasing home value and boosting functionality. Moreover, bathroom improvements can enhance your mood, giving you a relaxing place to restore, cleanse, and rejuvenate.
Room Redesigns for Multipurpose
The pandemic was largely responsible for this home improvement trend in Santa Monica and the US. To explain, when many of us were forced to stay home, we had to get savvy about how we worked, lived, and played without losing our sanity in quarantine.
As a result, many homeowners are starting to redesign rooms in their homes with multiple purposes in mind. For example, a simple redesign can create a functional office space while still serving as a guest bedroom. Building an alcove or repurposing space under a stairwell can also create much-needed space for work, school, crafts, hobbies, or anything else you can think of that requires a bit of extra space.
Organization and Storage Space
An inexpensive yet hugely effective home improvement trend we’re seeing is building storage spaces within the home. This trend ties in with room redesigns we mentioned earlier, as it encourages function combined with beautiful design. Building cabinets, installing shelving, or putting organizational systems in rooms or closets can result in a less cluttered home. It can also be a lifesaver in terms of organizing your home and improving productivity.
The Last Word on Tending Home Improvements in Santa Monica
With the current instability of the housing market, it’s no wonder homeowners in Santa Monica are “going within” and vamping up their homes instead of looking to buy or sell. An added benefit of these home improvement trends is that any enhancements you make should add value to your home once the market begins to restabilize. Ultimately, the choice to make adjustments to your home is contingent upon your budget, needs, and aesthetics. However, we hope these current trends inspire you to make some stellar changes to your home sweet home.
