Thorne Home Blog | Marin County, CA

124 Surrey Ln, San Rafael CA The very first question we get when we meet with a homeowner who wants to sell their home - what do I need to fix or remodel for resale? As real estate agents, we like to meet with sellers at their home to walk through the property and discuss specifically which repairs to prioritize. But it also helps to have a more general idea of what's going to give you the most bang for your buck. You might be surprised which items are at the top of the list! A recent report by the National Association of Realtors® shows which projects offered the highest returns. The Remodeling Impact Report estimates the following cost recovery at resale: 1. New Steel Front Door: 100% 2. Closet Renovation: 83% 3. New Fiberglass Front Door: 80% 4. New Vinyl Windows: 74% 5. New Wood Windows: 71% 6. Basement Conversion to Living Space: 71% 7. Attic Converstion to Living Space: 67% 8. Full Kitchen Renovation: 60% 9. Minor Kitchen Updates: 60% 10. Bathroom Addition: 56% 11. New Primar...

Fix the worst flaw! Savvy investors know that adding square footage and renovating kitchens and baths are among the best returns on your investment. But truly, you could do those things and still have a blaring issue with selling your house. So while expensive renovations may increase the value, you’ll have a terrible time selling the house, possibly going through several price reductions, so what’s the point? Let’s say you bought your starter home when you were a young bachelor or bachelorette and it happened to be on the corner of a busy street. Hey, that’s all you could afford and you really loved the house! In this situation, you could build a master suite and renovate the heck out of the kitchen, but buyers would still put a big "X" through your house because of that busy street. So consider your home’s biggest flaw first - road noise and privacy. Perhaps your money is best spent on the tallest fence allowed by your local ordinance. Or perhaps you could plant ...