Local realtor James Long shares his column this week on selling homes but still needing improvements.
Selling but need improvements?
When making the decision to sell your home, many people have to get their home “show ready” and sometimes that means doing a few home improvement projects in order to get the best price possible on the market. However According to Zillow Group CEO Spencer Rascoff and Chief Economist Stan Humphries in “Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate,” not all remodels give the same return on investment (ROI) when it comes time to sell.
Here’s the inside scoop on remodeling projects that can affect a home’s value.
Not all home improvements are created equal
Spending more for an upscale renovation isn’t necessarily a better investment than spending less for a mid-range renovation. For example, on average, a mid-range bathroom remodel — replacing the toilet and light fixtures, adding a second sink and putting up some wallpaper and a new shower glass panel — results in a $1.71 return for every $1.00 your homeowner spent on the project. But doing an upscale bathroom remodel that includes jet massage showerheads and gold-plated washcloth cubbies results in a return of just $0.87 for every dollar spent.
The pattern of mid-range remodels giving a higher return than upscale remodels proves true for window and kitchen renovations as well. Rascoff and Humphries attribute this to the law of “diminishing returns,” which has to do with function versus fashion. Installing new windows likely improves the functionality — keeping out the cold and reducing the heating bill — and livability of the home. Using a professional service, such as Graceland Windows Austin, can ensure that your windows are good quality and can make your house look smarter. But installing stained glass windows with cherry trim doesn’t make the windows work better; it just makes them look pretty. As a result, the fancy windows don’t significantly increase the value of the home. This is why when you are preparing your house to be sold, you should have the mindset of “Function of Fanciness” and I guarantee that you will see your house price raise in value! Using window companies like MWT Windows to install double glazing for all bedroom windows in the house is a good example of a functional upgrade that will increase your house’s value.
Renovations don’t guarantee returns
If your sellers think a kitchen remodel will add thousands to the home’s value, you’ll have to tell them to think again. Both mid-range and upscale renovations return only about half the cost of the project — $0.52 and $0.51, respectively — one of the lowest returns on the home improvements that Zillow analyzed. If homeowners want to redo their kitchens, Rascoff and Humphries recommend they do it for the pleasure they’ll get when preparing meals, and not for the perceived value it might bring when the home goes on the market.
Even lower than a kitchen renovation are the returns on a basement remodel: $0.48. Add a story to the home however, and sellers will recoup about $1.02 for every dollar they spent. There’s no hard-and-fast rule that explains why; it could be that a new story is a visible component that increases the home’s usable space, while basements are unseen from the curb, arguably creepy and don’t add any new square footage.
Practically all home renovations increase a home’s value to some extent; you can’t put a dollar figure on how much a family will enjoy any particular improvement, however renovating your home will boost your property value.
When sellers ask you which home improvement they should undertake to increase the value of their home, the hands-down answer is a mid-range bathroom remodel — and they should also know that results will vary as one person’s definition of “upscale” could mean “mid-range” to another. Whatever they choose, homeowners have many available options when they’re wondering about remodels.
Thank you for the article. I found it very informative and helpful.