8 Home Improvement Tips to Increase ROI

 

When working on your Sudbury, MA, real estate, you want to make sure you’re making your house functional and enjoyable for you and your family. However, if you have any desire to sell your house down the line, keeping return on investment (ROI) improvements in mind can help make your property all the more valuable. By the time you’re ready to move, your old house could net you the kind of money that helps pay off your next dream home. 

Luckily, this renovation favorite is a decent ROI investment, but perhaps not how you think it is. No matter how stunning full, magazine-ready kitchen remodels are, they don’t bring in the big bucks for your house. The kitchen remodels with the best ROI are classified as minor ones. Upgrading appliances and small touches like upgraded hardware, new flooring, and more do more to increase the value of homes for sale than complete kitchen re-designs. After all, at a certain point, you’re just paying for upgrades to make your kitchen look pretty, and buyers are happy enough to get a basic but clean and updated kitchen. If they want it to look personally designed, they’ll typically do that themselves. So, if you’re spending anything more than $20,000 on your remodel, you’re likely moving into the major renovation territory and won’t get the same positive 81% ROI.

Though it sounds like an expensive improvement tip, upgrading your flooring to hardwood can be the most effective ROI tip for your floorboards. Buyers are willing to pay an average of $2,000 more for a home with hardwood flooring in its main living areas. Pick design-fitting, unique wood, and you could get even more money for your Sudbury, MA, real estate.

Any home renovator loves the potential of finishing a basement, but not all of them actually do it. If you do, though, you could add an extra bathroom and media room of value to your home, or even more. Considering 78% of single-family homes in New England have basements, you’ll have to seriously consider what to do with yours if it’s unfinished. Look at other Sudbury, MA, homes for sale, see what’s common and sells well in your area, and then build that into your own unfinished space. Are extra bathrooms popular? Then make sure to get some plumbing done. You’ll have to look up things like moisture tests and building codes before renovating, but you can put anywhere from $3,000 to $30,000 of money into your basement to boost your home value and get a decent ROI (roughly 70-75%).

Something that people tend to undersell while renovating their Sudbury, MA, real estate is curb appeal. It may seem all aesthetics, but it's essential as it's the first thing a buyer sees. First impressions matter, after all. If your home looks well-maintained on the outside, then a potential buyer will have the impression that the inside of the home is also maintained. You don’t have to make your home look pristine, but decent landscaping, stone veneer, updated roofing and siding — they all make a difference. After all, if a home looks fresh, updated, and ready to live in, someone is more likely to want to live there. Also, this category of home improvement includes the renovation with the best ROI in the 2020s: garage door replacement. If you have an old, clunky garage door, you can replace it with a more modern, durable, functional model and get up to 94.5% ROI.

Something that’s always a concern when buying a new home is storage. So if you want to improve your home for impending homebuyers, try to find new, clever ways to incorporate more storage space. It can dazzle people looking for Sudbury real estate. For example, adding more vertical storage on walls, like hanging bookshelves and hooks, can add cozy decor while giving you more space in your closets, cabinets, and other shelves. It can also help buyers see more natural storage space in their future home than they expect.

Working from home is becoming more and more popular, so one great thing you can do when renovating your property is to create a prepared home office. It doesn’t have to be a grand space with built-in cabinets, but converting a small bedroom into an office, or adding the space to your unfinished basement, can add value and interest to new homebuyers looking for Sudbury, MA, homes for sale. It’s not hard, either. If you have the room space available already, your home office could cost in the range of $400-$3,000. However, if you need to build a room, the average cost is $12,000 — still a lower price than the average minor-to-moderate kitchen remodel.

 

Updating the big items like showers and toilets are not the best ROI options for your Sudbury, MA, real estate. Renovating your backsplash, tile, counters, and bathroom accessibility is more important. So, you can spend $300-$600 on bathroom tile replacements instead of $3,000-$10,000 for a newly-installed shower, and your interested buyers will probably appreciate the former more. That’s a steal for any homeowner looking to sell.

As far as accessibility goes, choosing vanities with space for wheelchairs, seating, and making shower access easier can be a big selling point for a greater variety of buyers.

 

A fresh coat of paint is one of the most effective ways to revitalize your home without having to do any serious renovating. Painting the interior of your home can result in a 107% ROI in some real estate areas where fresh-faced, turn-key homes are particularly in high demand. So, pick your favorite warm, neutral colors to please buyers looking for Sudbury, MA, homes for sale, and you’re one step closer to selling your home for a higher value.

Ready to get your home in shape to sell? Reach out to one of the local real estate experts on the Semple & Hettrich Team for advice today! Laura and Beth are Sudbury locals and realtors with extensive experience in the market, and they are more than ready to help you prepare to move.