We previously answered this question after selling our first house — spoiler: we bought near the market peak and sold during a downturn — and now we’re doing the math again for our most recent sale. This time the financial outcome landed more in our favor: we sold in a somewhat stronger market and we didn’t have to invest in large structural replacements like a new roof or new windows.
We sold this house for approximately $23,000 more than our 2010 purchase price. After estimating the value of the improvements we made that remain with the property (excluding furniture and personal decor), we figure we invested roughly $14,500 in upgrades. That leaves a net gain of about $8,500. Below is a breakdown of the main projects and their estimated costs, focused on items that convey with the home:
- Kitchen renovation (appliances, new flooring, backsplash, lighting, counters, opening the wall, etc.): $6,955
- Deck building, staining and sealing: $1,783
- New patio: $1,252
- Custom built-in desk in the office (conveys with the house): $124
- Laundry appliances and built-in shelving: $712
- Hall bathroom update: $168
- Guest bathroom update: $51
- Crown molding added throughout the house: $218
- Fireplace upgrade with new tile and mantel: $147
- Board and batten in the hallway: $57
- Pergola over the carport: $214
- Porch column updates: $198
- Window boxes and plants: $132
- Paint and stain for every room, built-ins and outdoor areas (furniture painting excluded): $800
- Landscaping, light fixtures, curtains and other miscellaneous items that remain with the house (for example, new border tile and a toilet in the main bath): $1,700
- Total: $14,511*
*Some project totals include items that we actually took with us (art, accessories, or decor), so the tally is an estimate rather than an exact accounting of only conveyable improvements.
What the numbers mean
Netting roughly $8,500 after accounting for the cost of improvements feels like a modest win. We also paid a 3% fee at closing to cover the buyer’s agent commission — a cost that’s worth remembering when you calculate final proceeds. (In our case, working without a traditional seller’s agent saved us from a potentially higher commission.)
We aren’t house flippers trying to extract a large profit; instead we’re homeowners who enjoy improving and personalizing our spaces. The real value to us went beyond the dollar amount: the renovations allowed us to live more comfortably while we owned the home, and when it came time to sell we were able to capture some of that value back.
One tangible payoff is how the sale affected our next home purchase. By rolling the equity we accumulated across our first two homes into the new purchase, we were able to reduce the new mortgage balance significantly — nearly cutting it in half — which makes the move financially meaningful beyond the immediate sale proceeds.
Which improvements seemed to matter most
From our experience and the feedback we hear from others, kitchens, bathrooms and usable outdoor “square footage” like decks and patios are often the most influential on resale appeal. In our case the kitchen investment was the largest single expense and likely the most impactful. Outdoor upgrades (the deck and patio) also contributed to the home’s attractiveness to buyers.
Smaller, thoughtful features can also add perceived value. We especially like built-ins — the custom desk in the office, the built-ins we inherited in the dining room, and the shelf units in the laundry all made the home feel more functional and polished. The two built-ins we added cost under $125 each, which felt like high value for relatively little expense.
Final thoughts and a question for you
After tallying sale price, renovation costs and fees, we likely broke about even in cash flow terms, but we gained a lot in equity and the freedom to move into a new home with a much lower mortgage burden. If you’ve sold a home, have you added up what you spent versus what you received at sale? Did your kitchen, bath updates or outdoor living improvements move the needle? Are built-ins part of your renovation strategy?
We’d love to hear whether certain projects felt especially worth the investment for you, or whether you found other improvements that delivered the best return on investment in your market.