Home improvement ROI chart

Everything depends on the buyer
Poor color choices and cheap products detract overall

You remodel the bath like in my picture it will be polarizing to say the least. People will over pay or run.

My trick is a few over the top chandeliers..the women fall for nonsense usually..

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All white...Reminds me of a hospital restroom minus the shower.
 
If you have the olive Green 70's bathroom its probably 200% ROI to upgrade.

The color is avocado...and for some of us it's highly desired. The quality is far above the overseas-made crap from the big-box stores. So many people watch too many home renovation shows and go straight for shades of grey, cheesy subway tile, and accessories from Amazon. Much better if simply left alone. There's a lot to be said about originality.

I'm over halfway through our home renovation, basically un-doing a lot of the shoddy "upgrades" the previous owner made.
 
In CA I would rate attic insulation at near 0% ROI. No one cares. The rest seem like reasonable estimates.

In So Ca where temps are moderate I agree.

In Nor Cal here in the Sierra foothills we get 2+ months of 95-105 degree days and keeping that heat out of the house is worth every penny.

This combined with a white high reflectivity roof made an astonishing difference.
 
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The chart does not sit right with me. It is difficult to predict what improvements will appeal to buyers, because all people are different. Most of these charts strike me as designed to rationalize spending, and perhaps over-spending, on a house.

In general, keep your home clean and in good order, de-clutter it and spruce it up a bit when selling (have it professionally cleaned, painted, etc.) and unless the market is really bad you will get a fair price, accounting for the market at the time, and how much interest there is in the house.

Final thought is that a house is an investment only in the sense that there will be some appreciation (particularly given the restrictions on new housing), there are tax benefits, and sometimes you get lucky and buy in a hot area and do very well. But a home also has significant maintenance costs, sales and refinancings have high transaction costs, and real estate generally is somewhat illiquid in good times (cannot sell and close in less than 30 days most of the time) and can be really illiquid in bad times (2009-2012 or so). As a result, the average person would be far better off ensuring that he or she is not house poor and has adequate income to be able to regularly invest in a diversified portfolio of stocks in a retirement vehicle like an IRA or 401K. In my opinion, that is a much better way to build liquid wealth than relying on a primary residence as a retirement plan as well.
 
I think its another by=product of or more evidence of the way of the world... Meaning many young home buyers are of the instant satisfaction generation. The shiny object syndrome is real and does not allow them to understand that you buy a structure based on its bones, not its cosmetics. I think its pretty sad when an individual is so under educated that they buy a house with a modern garage door, but a failing foundation, or a failing heating system or out of date bathroom even..
 
I think its another by=product of or more evidence of the way of the world... Meaning many young home buyers are of the instant satisfaction generation. The shiny object syndrome is real and does not allow them to understand that you buy a structure based on its bones, not its cosmetics. I think its pretty sad when an individual is so under educated that they buy a house with a modern garage door, but a failing foundation, or a failing heating system or out of date bathroom even..
Also a world of sleeping in math and no financial literacy classes
 
Sometimes it's better to not remodel, and sell the place for less. It gives the new owner the option of remodeling to their tastes.
 
In So Ca where temps are moderate I agree.

In Nor Cal here in the Sierra foothills we get 2+ months of 95-105 degree days and keeping that heat out of the house is worth every penny.

This combined with a white high reflectivity roof made an astonishing difference.
The over-insulating of our Los Gatos home has made a ton of difference. As you know, we get a lotta sun...
 
My ROI methodology is to have the worst house on the street. Let others drive up the value...
Here's the back of the garage; Bemjamin Moore paint and solar panels for the win!
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I have been beaten and jailed in better dumps than that.... 😆
Jk of course
You would not believe the condition of this house when wifey and I got it. Owner's wife was a shut in fundamentalist and he was a cross-dresser at night. Animal lovers, the Rotty went through screens when he wanted out. Orange shag carpet smelled putrid. White walls gray from cigarette smoke. Popcorn. It was a disaster.

There was no other way I could have gotten into this neighborhood. Oh yeah, the ROI has been off the freakin' charts. Who knew? Sometimes you get lucky.
 
You would not believe the condition of this house when wifey and I got it. Owner's wife was a shut in fundamentalist and he was a cross-dresser at night. Animal lovers, the Rotty went through screens when he wanted out. Orange shag carpet smelled putrid. White walls gray from cigarette smoke.

There was no other way I could have gotten into this neighborhood. Oh yeah, the ROI has been off the freakin' charts. Who knew? Sometimes you get lucky.
I could tell you some stories.
Too old to mess with all of that again. The last one did me in.
 
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