The simple switch you could make to add $20k to the value of your house

Catherine Halloran, a freelance real estate agent based in Canberra, knows all too well that buyer impressions are essential when selling a property. 

“I had a property with a decorative Union Jack toilet seat one time, and it was amazing how something that would be so easily and cheaply fixed caused prospective buyers to pause,” Halloran says. 

In fact, research from Money.com.au suggests that the simple act of swapping your toilet for a better one could have a tangible impact on the value of your home. 

According to Brisbane-based buyer’s agent Andrew Pizzino, it all comes down to replacement value. 

“When two properties are nearly identical on paper – same dwelling type, land size, suburb, and floor plan – how do you tell them apart? In these cases, we look at replacement value to determine a property’s worth. 

“For example, a property with an imported bidet toilet seat, or, even better, a fully functioning Japanese-style toilet, can add anywhere from $500 to $20,000 in value,” he says.

The scale and quality of the changes made will have a lot of influence over the amount of value that’s ultimately added. 

Halloran estimates that a basic bathroom renovation – with a matching toilet – could add $10,000 to $15,000 in value to a standard family home. 

Some thrifty homeowners, such as Geelong property investor Charles Corby, have even turned to second-hand options.

Corby sourced an unusual black toilet from Facebook Marketplace for just $70. With the help of a cheap wall-mounting system from eBay, he created a unique bathroom feature that “everyone comments on”. 

“Most people haven’t seen that one before,” he says. “Changing the colour of the toilet seems like a simple choice compared to how much value it’s added to the home.”