September 23, 2024: Best ROI Home Upgrades to Skyrocket Your Home’s Value
If you’re thinking about making some improvements to your home to sell it for top dollar, you might want to put down the hammer and read this first. The truth is, if your home feels dated, you may need to make some updates to sell it quickly and for a good price. But not all updates are created equal when it comes to boosting your bottom line.
After listing hundreds of homes in the Kansas City metro, I’ve seen firsthand which improvements help sellers cash in and which are a waste of time and money. If you’re not doing a full home flip, you don’t need to gut your kitchen or completely redo the bathrooms to see a return on your investment. In fact, those projects can often be too costly for the value they add.
So, what should you focus on to get the most bang for your buck? Let me walk you through my top recommendations for home improvements that will give you the best return when selling your home.
Floors are a huge factor when it comes to boosting your home’s selling power. Even if you have new countertops, fresh paint, and shiny appliances, outdated or damaged flooring will hold your home back. Think about it—flooring spans the entire house, and it’s one of the first things people notice when they walk through the door. Old, stained carpets or bubbling linoleum can make a home look both dirty and dated.
While many sellers think offering a buyer an allowance to replace the flooring themselves might be a good option, in practice, it can deter potential buyers. Most people don’t want to deal with the hassle of tearing up old flooring and moving furniture again after just settling into a new home.
The good news is that updating your flooring doesn’t have to be a huge expense. There are plenty of affordable and great-looking options out there. Carpet can be as cheap as a couple of dollars per square foot, and it can instantly refresh a room, making it look cleaner, brighter, and more modern. However, don’t go for the lowest-quality option. You want something that looks good and holds up. The flooring you choose should match the rest of your home in quality, giving potential buyers a cohesive and well-maintained feel.
2. A Fresh Coat of Paint: The Easiest Face-Lift
If flooring is the foundation, paint is the finishing touch. A fresh coat of paint covers up the scuffs, marks, and everyday wear and tear that cleaning just can’t fix. Even more importantly, it’s one of the simplest ways to modernize your home’s look.
You can search online to see what wall and cabinet colors are currently trending with buyers, but I recommend consulting a professional stager. At Nelson Home Group, we provide all our sellers with a free home staging consultation, which includes personalized tips on which colors and styles will appeal to today’s buyers.
This advice extends to your home’s exterior as well. If the paint around your window sills is cracked or chipped, make sure to address it. This not only boosts curb appeal, but it could also prevent issues during the appraisal process for buyers using VA or FHA loans, which can flag peeling paint as a repair requirement.
3. Lighting: Brighten Up Your Home (and Your Listing Photos)
Lighting is an often-overlooked detail, but it makes a huge difference in how your home feels to potential buyers. It’s not just about the fixtures themselves, although updating them to something more modern can certainly help; it’s also about the quality of light.
Dimly lit rooms don’t photograph well, and a dark home feels less welcoming during showings. Replacing outdated fixtures in high-traffic areas—like entryways, kitchens, and bathrooms—and swapping out old light bulbs for brighter ones with consistent warmth levels can completely transform the mood of a space.
Changing out light fixtures and bulbs doesn’t have to be an expensive project either. You can find modern, stylish options at home improvement stores for around $100. Plus, it’s a relatively simple DIY project—just make sure to turn off the breaker before you start! And if you’re nervous about electrical work, don’t hesitate to hire a professional. It won’t break the bank, and it’s worth the peace of mind.
Here’s something interesting I’ve learned after years of listing homes: buyers will often prioritize cosmetic updates over big-ticket mechanical improvements. Sure, things like a newer HVAC system or updated plumbing are important, but they aren’t always as immediately noticeable as fresh paint or new flooring. In many cases, cosmetic changes—what I like to call “putting lipstick on a pig”—can make a huge difference in how quickly your home sells and for how much.
That said, functionality should always come first. If your home needs major repairs, those should take priority. But once the big stuff is in order, focus your remaining budget on cosmetic updates that will make the home look its best without breaking the bank.
Get Professional Help Before You Start
Before you dive into any home improvements, be sure to consult with your real estate agent. I always do a thorough walkthrough with my sellers to help them prioritize where their money will go the furthest. Every home is unique, and what works for one house may not work for another.
I’ll leave you with one example: early in my real estate career, a seller installed cheap flooring throughout his five-bedroom house, thinking it would save him money. But the low-quality product was obvious and didn’t fit the scale of the home. He also bought an expensive new refrigerator, which didn’t add any value to the sale. Had I been able to advise him beforehand, I would have suggested better-quality flooring and skipped the fridge altogether.
Wrapping It Up
To recap, the top three improvements that will give you the best return on your investment when selling your home are flooring, paint, and lighting. These changes are affordable, easy to make, and can drastically improve the appeal of your home.
If you’re in the Kansas City area and want to know what your home is worth, feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to help!
