Bathroom Updates Before You Sell

Every bathroom below is on this site with its photos, so here is the range in practice.

The refresh. At Haven Pl. in Allen, both bathrooms kept their layout and got painted vanities, new mirrors, lighting, tile, and fixtures. Buyers saw new bathrooms; the whole house finished in three weeks and sold with a $143,000 return at closing.

The primary bath in its existing footprint. At Prestwick Ln. in Dallas, the same room got a freestanding tub, a chevron marble-look tile wainscot, a brass tub filler, painted cabinetry, and a chandelier, as part of a six-week whole-home update. At Azure Ln. in Addison, a marble-look tile shower, a freestanding tub, and a new double vanity with brass hardware helped a home priced at $750,000 sell for $1.1 million.

Keeping the house? Layout changes, new primary baths, and designer finishes are on our luxury bathroom remodels page, from a glass walk-in shower in Plano to a five-week primary bath in McKinney.

What buyers look at in a bathroom

The vanity and the mirror first, then the shower glass and tile, then whether the tub is one they would use. A garden tub nobody uses and a single sink where the neighborhood expects two are the two layout problems worth solving before listing. Everything else is finishes, which is why a bath refresh typically takes three to six weeks.