Does The Garage Matter?

How much does the interior of my garage matter when it is time to sell my home?

You may not realize this, but the appearance of your garage matters when your home is on the market.

Even though a garage isn’t considered as living space, it’s still an extension of the home. If you come out of a beautiful home and go into a garage that’s a mess, it might cause a buyer to have second thoughts. It can be hard for someone to look beyond the clutter and mess to visualize their own space.  

Neglecting to present the garage in the same manner as the rest of the home is a mistake! You should consider staging the garage the way many people stage a living room before a sale. 

Things should be neatly stacked on shelves - not strewn about or piled up in a haphazard fashion.

Keep in mind that the standard garage is 400 square feet, and typically one of the larger rooms in the house. You simply cannot neglect this space when preparing your home for sale.

Almost all big box home improvement stores carry inexpensive accessories to enhance a basic garage upgrade. There are many reasonably priced options for maximizing storage space with cabinets and wall attachments. The point is – get your stuff OFF the floor!

You can easily build shelving for storage bins and then install hooks from walls or ceiling to thang bikes, ladders, gardening equipment and more.

If your garage has high ceilings, it is also possible to create additional storage room overhead with the addition of special attachments that suspend from the ceiling.

To make a garage even more inviting you could consider finishing any visible stud walls with drywall and paint, and even a wall panelling and hook system for storage. One great option is finishing the concrete floor by grinding and sealing it, applying a polyurea or polysporatic coating or adding interlocking PVC tiles. By doing this, you seal out the moisture and cold. Even in winter you can walk on your garage floor in your slippers or socks without freezing. This really increases the use of the garage!

For some, they turn garages into actual living spaces, including playrooms, hobby workshops, offices and home theatres. Some just enjoy to invite friends in for a casual night of games or enjoyment.  Whether you call it the “man cave” the “she shed” or just the garage, this is living space not to be ignored but celebrated!

But for the purpose of selling you need not go that far. At the end of the day you are trying to sell the home, not the garage. Therefore, the main objective is to ensure that the garage is clean, tidy and welcoming enough that it doesn’t detract from your home’s other positive attributes.