Ask the Experts: Best Return on Remodeling Investment

With home prices up in Orange County, especially in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Fountain Valley, Westminster, Garden Grove and immediate surrounding areas, the return on remodeling investments at  resale is wonderful. Making little changes can have big  impacts when it comes to remodeling your home to sell.

Do you want to enjoy your updates for a few years? Or do you want to make your home more immediately appealing to homebuyers?  If you’re remodeling for your own household, updating a home has a legitimate purpose that is unquantifiable. When you add square footage, update systems and fixtures, or rearrange traffic flow, you improve the functionality of your home. Refreshing wall colors,   window coverings, and flooring adds to the beauty and enjoyment of your home. Many would consider that money better spent, and if you decide to sell in 2-3 years, you’ll be ahead of the game in terms of updates that will appeal to homebuyers.

Working with the Stovall Team ensures the plan is set long before you put your home on the market, if you are considering a move.  Start with what absolutely has to be done, whether you plan to stay in your home or not.  Otherwise, stick to smaller updates that can yield big impacts in terms of curb appeal, safety and building integrity.

The top five cost-to-value projects that netted the most return in 2015 were:

• Replacing the front door with a 20-guage steel door – 102%
• Manufactured stone veneer — 92. 2 %
• Fiber-cement siding — 84.3 %
• Garage door replacement — 82.5 %
• Wood window replacement — 78 %

As you can see, the most lucrative projects for resale were all about curb appeal. Seal the deal with a new welcome mat, new sconces to complement the new steel door, and potted plants for color. Wow your buyers on the outside and they’ll be more likely to choose your home over the competition.