What you need to know about remodeling your home to sell

Lower-cost home improvements, such as exterior paint and updated or new windows, may provide a higher return on investment in a down market, than an expensive new kitchen or bathroom, according to a recent” Remodeling” magazine survey of real estate professionals. Nationally, major home projects today return 70cents on the dollar, down from as high as 90 cents during the housing boom and from 80 cents in 1994. That year, a kitchen remodel got you a 93 percent return; today, the same remodel would cost about $6,000 more and return only about 83 percent of that cost. (Not bad if you ask me.) New windows, updated energy systems and landscaping are seen as more practical upgrades in the current real estate market and also help a home show better. I agree that landscaping should be one of the main areas you should remodel. Curb appeal will be the first thing a buyer sees. If your home is not attractive from the exterior, a lot of buyers won't even get out of their cars. Living in Newport Beach or any where in California, we spend a lot of our time outside. Remember this when you are looking at your home from the eyes of a buyer. For more information on selling your home, please visit my website at: www.YourNewportHome.com