Which Home Improvements Have the Best Return

If your thinking about remodeling your kitchen or bath even thinking of a pool, you probably want to get your investment back when you sell your home. But when it comes to payback value on home improvements, some are more profitable than others. Typically, kitchen and bathroom projects payback pretty nicely with installing a pool coming in last.

These numbers are given as guideline only, but will hopefully help you decide where you will spend your money. Some things to consider are, current market conditions and how well the improvements fit the neighborhood. If most of the homes have three baths and your has two, it would definitely help to add that bath when it comes time to sell. You can over do things as well. Adding too much to a home in a neighborhood where the homes have less will make it very difficult to get your money out of the project. And finally the popularity of the project will affect the return. Making it too individualized can be a detriment. Some things you just have to say “I’m doing for my own enjoyment” and not expect a return on investment but rather just the cost of enjoying the update.

Here are some percentage guidelines to follow:

Kitchen remodel - 90%

Bathroom addition - 90%

Add a room - 55%

Add a deck - 70%

Add a pool - 45%