Some Home Improvements Are Worth Skipping
Homeowners aren’t recouping as many improvement costs as they could in recent years, according to a recent study by Remodeling magazine. In fact, real-estate agents advise clients not to overdo it, regardless of what the local market conditions are like.
To keep costs down and spend remodeling dollars wisely, consider the following tips:
1. Ask for advice.
Before making any remodeling plans, clear your home of clutter and rent a storage unit, if necessary, to hold extra stuff while the home is on the market. Then, get some advice from a local real-estate agent on how the home stacks up against the competition.
Cleaning the carpets, painting the walls and removing wallpaper are common fixes. It is wise to budget for these tasks before putting money aside for more expensive projects.
2. Dig deeper.
It also could pay to look below the surface by getting a home inspection before even listing the property for sale. That way, problems that could hold up a sale are addressed in advance.
Some estimate that for every dollar of perceived defect, buyers want a $2 to $3 discount. If that’s true, it might pay to spend $2,500 to replace an old furnace before a buyer demands $5000 off for them to have to replace it.
Also, replacing something as necessary as a furnace helps create a favorable perception of how well a seller took care of the home. If there is a problem with an essential element of the house, a buyer might think, "If that was neglected, what else was?"
3. Look outside.
Pay attention to exterior details like the condition of siding and windows.
According to Remodeling magazine’s 2007 Cost Vs. Value Report, a wooden-window replacement recovers on average 81.2% of its cost at resale, and siding replacement recovers on average 83.2% of its cost. The payoff for those projects is much better than for an upgrade that a buyer might not need. A home-office remodeling, for example, recovers only 57% of its cost on average. The estimates are national averages for midrange homes, not upscale ones.
4. Spend time in the bathroom.
Freshening up the bathroom doesn’t have to be expensive, but it could be important.
It’s most important for the bathroom to be clean, but sellers should also consider replacing the fixtures, tub, sink and toilet — if they need it. Replace cracked tiles and curled linoleum.
The replacements don’t have to be expensive. A toilet can cost less than $250, and it is recommended that you consider taller, handicap replacement toilets to appeal to an aging population.
5. Keep it small in the kitchen.
The other room that often sells a house is the kitchen, but it might be best to keep renovations modest. Remodeling magazine’s report found that homeowners could recover 83% of the cost of a minor kitchen remodel at resale, compared with 78.1% of a major kitchen remodel.
Use caution when thinking about replacing refrigerators, stoves or dishwashers. Buyers considering remodeling the kitchen will likely have their own preferences.
Along those same lines, sellers should replace a countertop if it is crumbling but not if its only fault is that it is outdated. Even then, seriously consider material costs: There is no need to update to granite unless the competition has granite countertops as well.