We went back through sixty listings and compared what sellers spent before going to market against what the house eventually closed for. The pattern was clearer than we expected.
What paid for itself
| Work | Typical cost | Effect on close |
|---|---|---|
| Paint, interior | $2,000–4,000 | Consistently positive |
| Landscaping and entry | $1,500–3,000 | Consistently positive |
| Deep clean and declutter | $600–1,200 | Largest return per dollar |
What did not
Kitchen remodels completed specifically for sale returned less than they cost in every case we tracked. Buyers either liked the choices, in which case they paid roughly what the kitchen was worth, or disliked them, in which case they discounted for the work of undoing it.
Bathroom additions were similar. A new bathroom adds value over years of ownership; it rarely adds its own cost in the eight weeks before a listing.
The jobs that pay are the ones that remove objections. The jobs that do not are the ones that try to add taste.