A Little Goes a Long Way!

You might be surprised to learn that the simpler the home renovation, the more likely you are to recoup your costs when you sell. Basic renovations should enhance your home’s "livability," while avoiding over-customization.

While buyers may pay top dollar for elaborate improvements in "hot" real estate markets, appropriate touch-ups in the kitchen and bathroom prove effective in more moderate markets. The kitchen and bath always draw the most attention from buyers, and remodeling those rooms will likely result in a quicker sale.

Without tearing up your kitchen and having to eat out for two weeks, you can simply install new cabinet fronts and hardware for a fresh look. Another easy and relatively inexpensive option for the kitchen and the bath is to replace dull scratched sinks and update the faucets.

In 2005, REALTOR® Magazine partnered with Remodeling Magazine to publish its Cost vs. Value Report. One unsurprising result that was reported is that major kitchen renovations typically recoup more than 90 cents on the dollar. Sounds pretty good, right? Then consider another result that reported minor jobs will recoup almost 100% of the cost.

Take care of these improvements in advance of your first showing, because when your home first hits the market is when buyers will have the greatest interest, and you will stand the greatest chance of an early sale at full price.