‘Unsellable Houses’ Highlights the Only Renovations That Really Count When Selling a House

On “Unsellable Houses,” Leslie Davis and Lyndsay Lamb admit that the current market is “very difficult” for sellers. But there is hope, and the latest episode proves sellers don’t need to shell out oodles of cash to market a property.

In the Season 4 episode “Vanity of Vanities,” the sisters meet Tom and Cassie, who have had trouble selling their Mukilteo, WA, home. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house has been on the market for a month at $750,000 and hasn’t attracted much interest.

Davis explains that buyers “have high expectations right now. So if you’re going to pay top dollar, then you want everything to be at that top-dollar level.”

The sisters set a modest budget of $75,000 to fix up this ’80s home. While that’s not a ton of money, the HGTV stars make important, cost-effective improvements that get the place sold. Read on to find out which renovations truly pay off when selling a house.

Exterior paint is a good investment

While Lamb and Davis want to keep their costs low, they know there are a few big-ticket upgrades that need to get done in order to interest buyers. They decide that painting the exterior is well worth the $7,000 cost.

“The cream exterior that Tom and Cassie had on this home just made it kind of disappear into the neighborhood,” Davis says. “So I’m going with a beach blue with white trim. Painting the exterior of a home is not cheap, but having the exterior stand out, especially in this market, is absolutely going to attract those buyers.”

After the house is painted, it looks beautiful. The new color makes the home pop among surrounding foliage and gives it the refreshed, coastal look the sisters are going for.

Can’t paint everything? Do just the doors

Paint made a big difference outside, but painting the entire interior as well would be pricey. Instead, the sisters invest in just a few more cans of paint and focus on the doors.

“To keep the cost down, we are reusing all of the doors,” Lamb says, “but we’re painting them this stunning gray-green to give it a Pacific Northwest pop of a coastal vibe.”

The new color makes these old doors stand out next to the white walls and allows Lamb to pick muted, relaxed furnishings during staging.

A statement island is enough in the kitchen

In the kitchen, the sisters focus a lot of their attention and budget on removing a kitchen wall and adding a huge island with plenty of storage. They want the new island to be the focal point of the space, so they don’t want to spend too much cash on other flashy features.

While these real estate experts note that they’ve designed homes with “chunky” hood vents in the past, this kitchen calls for a “sleek” vent in a color that will blend in with the backsplash.

“One thing that we always say is you want a focal point, and if we try to do too many in here, it’s going to be overload,” Davis says. The hood should “fade in a little.”

In the end, the hood vent proves to be a great addition. At just $600, it’s a beautiful feature that doesn’t take away from the statement island.

Save money by using new tile in multiple rooms

Lamb and Davis know that new tile can quickly refresh a dated bathroom. But they also know they can save some cash by using the same recycled glass tile in both bathrooms. And to make the spaces look unique, they use the material in different ways.

“The recycled glass tile is going on the shower pan in one but across the entire floor in the other,” Lamb says. “That saves us on budget and keeps the look very cohesive.”

In the end, both bathrooms have an updated, beachy look that buyers will love.

Rethink the layout to add more space

The bathroom upgrades don’t stop there: The guest bathroom is already a good size, but Lamb and Davis decide to open it up.

When she sees the space, Cassie is shocked by the transformation.

“It’s so open, what happened?” she asks on reveal day.

“We took out the pantry that was here and put in a double vanity,” Davis says, referring to the tall cabinet that had previously clogged up the bathroom’s entryway. A double vanity in any bathroom is a great selling point for buyers, and by taking out the vertical storage, the sisters make this room look much bigger.

How does this unsellable house turn out?

Lamb and Davis poured $75,000 into the renovation of this home, and it looks amazing. They list the home for $875,000. While plenty of people tour the home, the sisters aren’t able to get a full-price offer.

They do, however, get a bid for $840,000. After Lamb and Davis get their investment back, there’s a profit of $15,000. This means the HGTV stars walk away with $7,500, and Cassie and Tom get the same amount on top of the sale of their home.

“In this market, where homes are not selling quickly,” Davis says, “I think the great news is there’s still a profit out of this home.”

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