What upgrades should I make to my West Hollywood condo before listing it for sale?
Focus on three upgrades that deliver measurable returns: fresh paint in neutral colors, replacing carpet with solid surface flooring (luxury vinyl plank if your HOA allows), removing outdated curtains that block light, and installing washer/dryer hookups if permitted by your HOA. These improvements remove immediate buyer objections without overcapitalizing on renovations that won’t pay for themselves.
Here’s what most West Hollywood condo sellers get backward. They debate major kitchen renovations while ignoring worn carpet, dated paint colors, and heavy curtains that make their unit feel dark and small. Buyers walk through, mentally deduct $15,000-20,000 for the work they’ll need to do immediately, and submit lowball offers—if they submit at all.
In 20 years of selling West Hollywood properties, I’ve learned this: strategic upgrades before listing pay for themselves. Not full renovations—targeted improvements that address what buyers notice first. The goal isn’t creating the most expensive unit in your building. It’s removing the obvious objections that cost you money at negotiation or prevent buyers from writing offers at all.
The Three Upgrades That Matter Most
1. Paint: The Highest-Return Improvement You Can Make
Fresh paint transforms how buyers perceive your entire condo. Walk through your unit and notice scuff marks on baseboards, faded colors around light switches, or accent walls in colors that seemed trendy in 2015. These details tell buyers your condo hasn’t been maintained, and they start calculating update costs before they’ve seen the primary bedroom.
You don’t need to paint every surface. Focus on walls in main living areas, kitchens, and any spaces with visible wear or bold colors. Choose neutral tones—warm whites, light grays, or greige (gray-beige blends) that work with most furniture styles and lighting conditions. Avoid pure white, which can feel sterile, and avoid continuing outdated colors even if they’re relatively fresh.
Paint costs $2-4 per square foot for professional work, meaning a 900-square-foot condo runs $1,800-3,600 for complete interior painting. That investment typically returns 100-200% in negotiating power because you’ve eliminated a major buyer objection. When buyers aren’t mentally budgeting for immediate painting, they focus on your condo’s actual features instead of deducting for cosmetic work.
Fresh neutral paint helps your unit stand out immediately. You’re not competing with full renovations—you’re positioning your condo as move-in ready compared to others at your price point.
One pattern I see repeatedly: sellers price their condos competitively but skip painting because “the walls are fine.” Their units sit on the market while similar condos with fresh paint sell within two weeks. The carrying costs during those extra weeks—HOA fees, mortgage, insurance—often exceed what painting would have cost upfront.
2. Flooring: Replace Carpet With Solid Surface Options
Here’s the reality about carpet in West Hollywood condos: buyers don’t want it, and many HOAs may allow hard surface flooring throughout units. If your condo has wall-to-wall carpet in living areas or bedrooms, you’re handing buyers two problems—they’ll need to replace flooring they dislike AND put up with the time and expense of doing it. That’s expensive and annoying, which translates directly to lower offers. If the HOA will not allow, go with new carpet.
Even if your HOA doesn’t allow hard-surface flooring, worn carpet kills value. Buyers see stains, wear patterns, outdated colors, and assume odor issues regardless of actual condition. They mentally deduct $10,000 for replacement before considering your asking price. Some buyers won’t even make offers on carpeted units because they don’t want the immediate hassle.
Replace carpet with luxury vinyl plank (LVP) before listing. Modern LVP looks convincingly like real hardwood, it’s durable, it’s quiet (important for HOA noise requirements), and it costs $4-7 per square foot installed. For a 900-square-foot condo, expect $3,600-6,300 for materials and professional installation. Choose neutral wood tones—light to medium grays and browns work in most West Hollywood condo styles and show well in listing photos.
If your HOA allows the upgrade to solid surface flooring, make this investment. The return comes through faster sales, stronger offers, and better negotiating position. Buyers pay premiums for move-in ready flooring because it signals quality maintenance and saves them immediate post-purchase work.
In buildings like The Courtyards or Kings West, I consistently see this pattern: sellers with original carpet list at competitive prices and wait 45-60 days for offers while similar units with updated flooring sell within two weeks at higher prices. The math is straightforward—the carrying costs during extended market time often exceed the flooring investment.
One specific scenario worth noting: if your HOA allows solid surface flooring upgrades, highlight this in your listing. Some buildings have strict sound-transmission rules that limit flooring options, so if yours permits quality LVP, that’s a genuine selling advantage over buildings with more restrictive policies.
3. Remove Dark Curtains and Improve Natural Light
West Hollywood condos, particularly in older buildings, often feel darker than necessary because of heavy curtains, outdated window treatments, or blocked sight lines. Buyers notice when living spaces feel dim, when they can’t see clearly into rooms, or when units lack the bright, open feeling they expect in Southern California properties.
Start by removing heavy, outdated curtains entirely. Dark drapes from the 1990s or early 2000s block natural light and make rooms feel smaller and more dated. If you need window treatments for privacy, replace them with light-filtering shades or sheer panels that allow light while maintaining privacy. In many cases, removing curtains entirely during the listing period shows your windows and views to best advantage.
This upgrade costs almost nothing if you simply remove existing treatments, or $200-800 if you replace them with modern alternatives for privacy needs. The return shows immediately in how your condo photographs and how it feels during buyer showings. Bright, naturally-lit spaces photograph better, show larger, and create positive emotional responses from buyers.
If you’re going the extra distance, replace outdated lighting fixtures with recessed cans. Old ceiling fixtures, brass or chrome designs from the 1980s and 1990s, or insufficient lighting makes spaces feel dated and dark. Modern recessed lighting provides clean, contemporary illumination that makes your condo feel current and well-maintained. Expect to budget $150-300 per fixture installed, or $1,500-3,000 for comprehensive lighting updates throughout a typical condo.
In buildings along Santa Monica Boulevard or Sunset where many units face limited natural light exposure, maximizing available natural light becomes even more critical. Your condo might be priced competitively, but if it shows dark and cave-like compared to others, buyers remember it as “that dark unit” and move on to brighter options.
The Washer/Dryer Hookup Question
Here’s a reality about West Hollywood condo buyers: many will skip your listing entirely if you don’t have washer/dryer hookups. In-unit laundry has moved from “nice to have” to “essential” for a significant portion of buyers, particularly those moving from other areas or upgrading from older buildings with shared laundry facilities.
If your HOA permits hookup installation and your unit doesn’t currently have them, seriously consider this upgrade. Yes, installation may cost around $10,000 depending on how far hookups need to run from existing plumbing and electrical sources. That’s not cheap. But the return comes in two forms: you’ll attract more buyers who won’t even consider units without in-unit laundry, and you’ll justify higher pricing compared to similar units lacking this feature.
Check your HOA rules first—some buildings prohibit adding hookups due to plumbing capacity, electrical limitations, or structural concerns. But if your building allows it and comparable units in your building lack in-unit laundry, this $10,000 investment can be the difference between your listing getting clicks and showings versus being filtered out of searches entirely.
The math works like this: a unit without laundry hookups might sit on the market for 60-90 days while similar units with hookups sell in two weeks. Those extra weeks of carrying costs—HOA fees, mortgage, insurance—plus the likely price reduction needed to attract buyers willing to compromise on laundry, often exceed the $10,000 installation cost. And that’s before considering that buyers increasingly won’t even view units without in-unit laundry options.
What Not to Spend Money On Before Listing
I understand the temptation to tackle bigger projects—full kitchen renovations, new windows, high-end appliances. Here’s what doesn’t pay for itself in most cases: Full kitchen renovations rarely return their cost unless your kitchen is genuinely non-functional. Buyers have different style preferences, and you might spend $25,000 creating your ideal kitchen only to attract buyers who want something completely different.
New windows sound valuable, but they’re expensive ($800-1,500 per window installed) and buyers don’t typically pay premiums for them unless existing windows are visibly broken or damaged. Custom built-ins, accent walls, or elaborate tile work reflect your personal taste, not broad buyer preferences.
Keep improvements neutral and functional. The goal is removing objections and making your condo show well against comparable inventory, not creating a custom showcase that appeals to a narrow buyer segment.
FAQ
Should I remove all window treatments before listing?
Remove heavy, dark curtains that block natural light and make spaces feel smaller. If your windows face directly into neighboring buildings or need privacy coverage, replace dark treatments with light-filtering shades or sheer panels that allow natural light while maintaining privacy. The goal is maximizing brightness without sacrificing necessary privacy. For most West Hollywood condos, removing outdated curtains entirely during showings helps units photograph better and feel more spacious. You can mention in listing notes that window treatments can be reinstalled if buyers prefer them.
How do I know if my HOA allows washer/dryer hookup installation?
Review your HOA’s CC&Rs and architectural guidelines, or contact your property manager directly. Some buildings prohibit hookup installation due to plumbing limitations, electrical capacity, or structural concerns. Others allow it with approval. If installation is permitted, expect costs around $10,000 depending on how far hookups need to run from existing plumbing and electrical sources. This upgrade typically appeals strongly to buyers and can justify price premiums, but more importantly, it prevents your listing from being filtered out by buyers who won’t even consider units without in-unit laundry. Only pursue this upgrade if your HOA allows the work.
What if I can’t afford all the upgrades before listing?
Prioritize paint first—it delivers the highest return for the lowest cost and affects how buyers perceive every other aspect of your condo. Second priority is flooring if you have carpet, especially if your HOA allows hard-surface flooring. Third is removing dark window treatments, which costs almost nothing if you simply take down existing curtains. The washer/dryer hookup decision depends on your building—if most comparable units lack them, you may be fine skipping this upgrade. But if comparable units have hookups and yours doesn’t, this becomes essential to stay competitive. Discuss specific prioritization with your agent based on your condo’s current condition and comparable inventory currently available in your building and price range.
Making Strategic Upgrade Decisions
These upgrades—paint, flooring, maximizing natural light, and washer/dryer hookups—consistently deliver returns because they address what buyers notice immediately and what affects whether they’ll even view your listing. They’re not about creating the most expensive unit in your building. They’re about positioning your condo as the obvious choice among comparable options in your price range.
Start by evaluating your condo honestly from a buyer’s perspective, or ask your agent to walk through and identify objections that will surface during showings. Focus on improvements that remove obstacles to offers, then prioritize upgrades that help your condo show better than similar inventory currently available. The right upgrades before listing pay for themselves through stronger offers, faster sales, and better negotiating position when buyers aren’t calculating their renovation costs against your asking price. Written by Damian DiCesare Licensed California Real Estate Agent Douglas Elliman Real Estate | DRE #01267505 Damian.DiCesare@elliman.com | 310-291-3636
Disclaimer: Damian DiCesare is a licensed California real estate agent with Douglas Elliman Real Estate (DRE #01267505). The information and opinions expressed in this article reflect general market observations as of the date published and are provided for informational purposes only. This content does not constitute real estate, legal, financial, or tax advice. Market conditions vary, and readers should consult with appropriate professionals regarding their specific situation.