Raven Home Co. logo — North Dallas real estate advisory led by Raven Mok
    Renovated kitchen with arched opening in a North Dallas home

    Renovation ROI

    You Are About To Spend Forty Thousand Dollars To Get Back Twenty Seven.

    Remodeling Magazine's annual Cost vs Value report tracks the resale return on common projects. The average across roughly 20 project types has been running near two thirds of what the project cost. Renovation is a lifestyle decision. It is rarely an investment decision, and almost never one you should make in the ninety days before you list.

    Ranked By Return

    Best to worst, with a verdict on each

    Directional national ranges from published Cost vs Value reporting. North Dallas returns vary by neighborhood and price band.

    Garage door replacement

    Typical cost

    $4,000 to $7,000

    Recouped

    Near or above 100 percent

    Do it, cheapest curb appeal win there is.

    Manufactured stone veneer or entry refresh

    Typical cost

    $8,000 to $12,000

    Recouped

    Roughly 90 to 150 percent

    Do it.

    Minor kitchen refresh, paint cabinets, hardware, lighting

    Typical cost

    $8,000 to $28,000

    Recouped

    Roughly 70 to 95 percent

    Do this instead of the full remodel.

    Kitchen with warm wood cabinetry, updated hardware and lighting
    Paint, hardware, and lighting. This is the version of a kitchen update that returns most of what you spend.

    Exterior paint and landscaping

    Typical cost

    $5,000 to $20,000

    Recouped

    Roughly 70 to 100 percent

    Do it before photos.

    North Dallas home exterior with fresh paint and maintained landscaping
    Exterior paint and landscaping set the buyer's expectation before they open the door.

    New front door

    Typical cost

    $2,000 to $5,000

    Recouped

    Roughly 65 to 100 percent

    Do it.

    Deck or patio addition

    Typical cost

    $18,000 to $45,000

    Recouped

    Roughly 45 to 65 percent

    Only if the backyard is currently unusable.

    Bathroom remodel

    Typical cost

    $25,000 to $60,000

    Recouped

    Roughly 40 to 60 percent

    Only if it is genuinely dated or broken.

    Major kitchen remodel

    Typical cost

    $60,000 to $150,000

    Recouped

    Roughly 30 to 50 percent

    Do not do this to sell. Do it to live.

    Fully remodeled kitchen with an arched opening and custom cabinetry
    Beautiful, and roughly a third to a half of the cost comes back at resale. Build this one for yourself.

    Primary suite addition

    Typical cost

    $110,000 and up

    Recouped

    Roughly 20 to 40 percent

    Do not do this to sell.

    Pool

    Typical cost

    $60,000 to $120,000

    Recouped

    Often well under 50 percent, and can be negative

    In North Texas a pool helps the house sell to a narrower buyer pool. It is a lifestyle purchase, not a value add.

    Backyard swimming pool at a North Texas home on a summer afternoon
    Families with small children often screen pools out entirely. That is the part the cost estimate never shows you.

    The Honest Answer

    The two things that actually raise your number

    1

    Condition, not upgrades

    A spotless, well maintained, neutral home in original good condition beats a half renovated one at almost every price point. Buyers forgive dated. They do not forgive dirty, broken, or unfinished. The full fourteen day version of that work is here: how to prepare your home for sale.

    2

    Correct pricing plus correct photography

    I have watched an unrenovated home outsell its renovated neighbor because one was priced and photographed correctly and one was not.

    The pricing method is here: the 90 day sale guarantee. The photography and launch plan is here: the 30 day marketing plan.

    The Exception

    Where remodeling does pay

    • You are staying five or more years. Then you are buying the use of it, and resale return is a secondary question.
    • The item is broken or failing. A dying HVAC or a leaking roof is not a remodel, it is a repair, and it will be priced against you either way.
    • Your home is genuinely below the neighborhood standard and that is capping your value.

    If your home is the only one on the street with 1990s finishes in a fully updated neighborhood, that is the one case where a targeted update earns its cost back, because you are closing a gap to the comps rather than trying to exceed them.

    Raven Mok, North Dallas real estate agent with eXp Realty

    The Former CPA Read

    I spent years reading returns before I sold real estate, so I look at a remodel the way I would look at any other capital outlay: what goes out, what comes back, and when. On most of these projects the honest answer is that you are buying enjoyment, and that is a fine reason as long as you are not calling it an investment.

    Raven Mok

    Active eXp Realty DFW | CLHMS | Former CPA

    Before You Write The Check

    Should you renovate before you sell?

    Send me your address and what you were planning to spend. I will tell you what it will and will not return in your specific neighborhood, before you write the check.

    One Number Changes Everything

    Start With The Number

    Every decision a seller makes runs through one figure: what the market will actually pay for your house right now. Put in your address and I will send back a real value range built from live comparable sales, not an algorithm.

    Active eXp Realty DFW | CLHMS | Former CPA