Common sense tells you that renovations will increase your home’s value.
While some home improvements can indeed boost your asking price, others may leave you with little return on investment or even in the red.
Zillow mined through its data to try to understand which home improvements do the least for your house’s value. So before you pick up that sledgehammer, check out this list and make sure you’re not about to make a costly mistake:
It might seem trendy to renovate your kitchen and make everything white, but Zillow (Z) says white kitchens are currently hurting sellers more than helping. It suggests going for dark gray tones instead if you are looking to redo your kitchen.
If you want a deck, go ahead and build it, but don’t expect a huge return on your investment when you go to sell your house. Zillow says a wood deck costs about $17,000, but only tends to add around $8,500 of value.
Zillow cautions against turning your garage into a bedroom or some other kind of indoor-only space for resale purposes.
DIY is great — if you do it correctly. And while you might be okay with your DIY that didn’t turn out perfect, Zillow said it might drive away buyers.
This is another example of something to do because you want it and not because you expect a major return on investment. Zillow says luxury bathrooms don’t always add as much value as sellers want, in part because they’re so expensive to build. An upscale remodel that costs $77,000 is likely to only net you a 37% return on investment, Zillow said.
Bamboo flooring is less popular than it has been in the past, and listings with it are selling worse than previously, Zillow said.
Expensive faucets and chandeliers are fun but probably aren’t what’s going to sell your house. Zillow recommends staying away from them if you’re focusing on resale value.
