Getting The Best Bang For Your Home Improvment Buck in Some Surprising Places...

As home owners prepare to put their homes on the market this spring, I'm interested if you're seeing the trend in major upgrades in the garage around the country...Or is another area of the home a bigger deal?

Solid consumer information, Lola.  I find that many homeowners are asking the wrong questions in the current market.  When prepping a home for sale, I am often asked what improvements will return.  The right question for my market is not one of dollar for dollar return, but what are the most cost effective improvements that will greatly improve the possibility of a sale.  With fewer listings ultimately selling, profit from the value added is a distant second to the simple goal of producing a sale.  I might just have to write a post of my own on the subject.  Thanks for spurring the thought!

You're absolutely welcome Paul.  Ultimately, the greatest return on your investment is the one which creates a SALE.  I wonder if this is different in areas around the country.  My personal experience has been that kitchens and bathrooms tend to be Tops in buyers minds.  But, I'm intrigued by the increased documentation about the remodelling of garages...

We have a friend that is meticulous about his garage.  One could probably live in it.  My husband teases him about it, I look at it and think "resale!" :-)

Lola it always saddens me when homeowners without consulting anyone do a beautiful home improvement job, but will never recover the cost of the improvement because of focusing on the wrong items.  I find baths Kitchen and in the North East a garage are uppermost in the consumer's mind.  Before undertaking the improvement the seller should know what his house is worth, what is the highest value in the neighbor hood and then structure improvement in such a way that his profit will not evaporate.

I love to see a finished garage. In CA my garage was carpeted (indoor-ourdoor) and we loved it! This is not the case here and I think the weather has a lot to do with it.

your friend in Charlottesville

Lola,  I would have to agree with Jennifer. Many people do not take into account the reason for improvements. If they were to make the home better to live in, then some depreciation has to be deducted from the investment. Buyers simply will not assign full value to a remodel and will assign a higher cost for any repairs.

Thanks for the mention of my blog

I believe that different areas of the country affect which home improvements are worth more $$ at sale or just the WOW factor.  Garages are seeing increased pressure for more storage as we get more "things" that need to be housed.  I think the milder climates are much more likely to spend real $$ on improving the garage and seeing this affect the sale. Timely post, Lola, but not planning on "pimping" my garage anytime soon.

Kris, those "meticulous" garages are amazing to me!  We have not achieved that by a long shot. :)

Jennifer, you make a good point.  Sometimes home owners make improvements which are based on a huge attachement to the home.  Or sometimes they don't understand what really is needed to sell a home if they are making improvements to sell the home.  The end result is wasted money.  I know this is challenging, because I had to resist making this mistake myself when I placed my home on the market.  I had to remember I was selling my home...NOT buying new carpet for myself.

Wow Charles,  That sounds like a really nice garage.  With the ice and snow here in Michigan, I think that would be more challenging.

Absolutely true Gary. Thanks for responding to my question on Trulia and providing the link.  I've already shared that information with a client today. :)

Hi Bonnie, Thanks for stopping by to read and comment. I'm just trying to get my garage organized.