Which home improvements give the best payback?

This entry was posted in Home Improvement on September 28, 2010

If you’re thinking about remodeling your kitchen, or finishing your basement, you probably want to get your investment back when you sell your home. Unfortunately in most situations you are not going make back all the money spent, ask professionals here about any home construction or renovation projects to know what you are getting into. When it comes to payback value of home improvements, some are definitely more profitable than others. As a general rule, kitchen and bathroom projects usually get a nice return on investment, typically 90% or more, even the smallest things will add up, for example if you use a good and efficient gas sevices at home then the future buyer will not need to worry about replacing it, which is a point in your favor. Things like adding rooms or finishing basements tend to pay back the least. Finishing a basement usually returns less than 50%, so it’s not a project likely to show profit at selling time.

There are a number of factors that go into determining how well a project will pay back. Payback value depends a lot on the current market conditions in your area. If the market is hot and homes are selling fast, you can expect a higher payback value than you would get in a slow market.

The type of project you do and how it fits in with other homes in The Central Susquehanna Valley have a big influence on payback too. If you put your money into the wrong type of improvement, you won’t get your money back. But if you’re smart about what you do, you can make money. The payback will be better on improvements that are in demand and conform to neighborhood standards. Adding a second bathroom in a neighborhood where most homes have two bathrooms will give a high return on investment, specially if you make sure they have the best plumbing features, for this, you can hire a company like the Ground Zero Plumbing & AC.  Building a large addition that makes your home twice as big as the other homes on the block probably won’t pay back very well. Likewise, the popularity of a project will factor into how much it pays back. An improvement heavily customized to your wants and needs won’t pay back as well as something more common to other homes in the neighborhood.

Another factor to consider is the cost of the improvements. If you can do the work yourself, you can save significantly on the cost of the project and greatly improve the chances of getting a good return on the investment. The list below is compiled from several published surveys and shows typical payback for some popular remodeling projects:

  • Kitchen remodeling – 90%
  • Add a bathroom – 90%
  • Bathroom remodeling – 80%
  • Install central heating – 90%
  • Install central air – 75%
  • Add a deck – 70%
  • Replace windows – 70%
  • Add a room – 55%
  • Build a pool – 45%
  • Finish a basement – 40%