6 Home Improvements That Don’t Add Much Value

/ Luis Cuevas Realtor® | RE/MAX Cross Country/

6 Home Improvements That Don’t Add Much Value

Homeowners are used to spending money on their homes for routine maintenance.  Some will go as far as spending money on home improvements to better their home for their taste or even increasing the value.  The issue I often come across is when these improvements are completed they don’t always added value to the home.

Here are 6 Home Improvements I see all the time however don’t add much value to the home.

  1. Over The Top Landscaping - Landscaping is key to buyers it is your curb appeal and first impression of the home.  Keeping up with mowing the lawn, watering and trimming the bushes is a good for your curb appeal.  However when you decide to go over board with the landscaping that goes above and beyond the norm for the neighborhood you start to lose money.  Going over the top on landscaping can become too niche and often lead to losing money on the landscaping improvements.
  2. Improvements beyond the neighborhood - Improvements should be kept within range of the norm for the neighborhood and not go above as you start to lose your ROI.  An example would be installing wrought iron doors in a neighborhood where no one else has some, this would be difficult to justify increasing the value much.  While in other neighborhoods those doors may be the norm and are expect just to keep up with the neighborhood norm.
  3. Delayed Maintenance - Often maintenance items are confused with home improvements and this is not something that necessarily adds value.  For example a homeowner could have delayed painting, roof, a/c and new carpet in the bedrooms for year but then does this all at once.  While this may add up in expense it doesn’t necessarily add value, instead it is maintenance buyers expect and just brings the property up to par with the neighborhood norm.
  4. Inconsistent High End Upgrades - You ideally want to keep all the upgrades consistent instead of over investing in just one area & ignoring another.  So maybe you put really high end appliances however you still have old bad counters, cabinets in need of TLC and laminate floors.  Can you picture how those inconsistent upgrades might not fit in or flow with the rest of the home?  Instead spread the improvements to bring everything up to par, not just in one area but the whole home.
  5. Sunroom Additions - It is no secret in North Texas is hot and a sunroom really isn’t appealing for most buyers.
  6. Pools - Pools tend to be a niche upgrade with low demand making the ROI rather low.  Keep in mind people don’t want to deal with the maintenance, cleaning, chemicals, safety issues and the space it takes up in the back yard.  As a result I find pools don’t have a good ROI as an improvement.

I hope you found this list helpful if you plan on making improvements or had questions regarding your ROI on these projects.  At the end of the day I encourage anyone to make improvements that makes them happy.  If you have questions or if I can help please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

With a heart of a teacher I look to educate my clients about the process of buying, selling or renting real estate.  I strongly feel an informed and educated consumer will make better decisions and be less likely to be taken advantage of.

Have questions about this or other topics, don not hesitate to contact me.

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Luis Cuevas, Realtor®

RE/MAX Cross Country

1990 Justin Road

Highland Village, Texas 75077

(214) 783-0535

Luis@MakeNorthTexasHome.com

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