Survey Data
Which Home Repairs Result in the Greatest Return on Investment (ROI)?
In HomeGain's Prepare-to-Sell study, real estate agents said that it is the small improvements that pay the biggest dividends when a home is sold. The majority of agents who were surveyed normally advise homeowners to do as little as possible – such as perform touch-ups on floor tiling instead of replacing the entire floor or shampoo the carpets instead of replacing them.
The following is a summary of the results of HomeGain's 2007 national survey, based on the ten areas of home improvement identified by real estate agents in HomeGain’s original survey in 2003.
| Project | Typical Cost | Price Increase Return on | Investment* % of Agents | Recommending |
| Lighten & brighten | $233 - 370 | $1,178 - 1,566 | 355% | 97% |
| Clean and de-clutter | $190 - 318 | $1,505 - 1,937 | 578% | 97% |
| Landscape front/back yards | $378 - 546 | $1,718 - 2,158 | 319% | 97% |
| Stage home for sale | $403 - 584 | $1,938 - 2,431 | 343% | 91% |
| Repair electrical or plumbing | $436 - 621 | $1,205 - 1,590 | 164% | 93% |
| Repair damaged flooring | $628 - 878 | $1,633 - 2,061 | 145% | 94% |
| Update kitchen & bathrooms | $1,404 - 1,828 | $3,216 - 3,934 | 121% | 87% |
| Replace or shampoo carpeting | $562 - 808 | $1,532 - 1,950 | 154% | 98% |
| Paint exterior walls | $663 - 938 | $1,757 - 2,205 | 147% | 88% |
| Paint interior walls | $651 - 920 | $1,741 - 2,179 | 150% | 97% |
HomeGain surveyed over 2,000 real estate agents in each of the U.S. regions. All agents might not necessarily agree on the same pre-sale strategy. See "% of agents recommending" column above. Differences of opinions may vary based on the climate of the market, region of the country or condition of the home in question. The percentage of agents that agree on the positive impact of a particular pre-sale activity is summarized here.
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