$\"Home$ \n

Whether you\u2019re planning to move soon or not, it\u2019s smart to be strategic about which home projects you take on. Your time, energy, and money matter \u2013 and not all upgrades offer the payoff you might expect. As U.S. News Real Estate<\/em> explains:<\/p>\n

\u201c. . . not every home renovation project will increase the resale value of a home.<\/em> Before you invest in a swimming pool or new addition, you should <\/em>consider whether the project will pay itself off by getting prospective buyers in the door when it\u2019s time to sell.<\/em><\/strong>\u201c<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That\u2019s why, before you pick up a power tool or call a contractor, your first step should be talking to a local agent.<\/p>\n
Planning Ahead Pays Off<\/strong><\/h4>\n
If you plan to move relatively soon, you\u2019ll want to get a jump start on your to-do list. And even if moving isn\u2019t on your radar yet, life can change quickly \u2013 and a new job, a growing family, or shifting priorities can fast-track your plans. You don\u2019t want to be scrambling to fix up your home if your timeline changes.<\/p>\n
Smart updates now = fewer headaches later.<\/strong><\/p>\n
By planning ahead, you can spread out the work over time, which is easier on your wallet and your stress levels. Plus, you\u2019ll get to enjoy the upgrades while you\u2019re still living there and have the peace of mind your house is ready to impress when it\u2019s time to list.<\/p>\n
What Buyers Want (and What\u2019s Actually Worth Doing)<\/strong><\/h4>\n
If you\u2019re not sure which projects are worth your time and money \u2013 here\u2019s some information that can help. A study<\/a> from the National Association of Realtors<\/em> (NAR) shows which upgrades typically offer the best return on your investment (ROI) (see graph below<\/em>):<\/p>\n
$\"a$ <\/a>If an update you\u2019re already thinking about overlaps with those high-ROI upgrades, great. Odds are it\u2019ll improve your quality of life now and your home\u2019s value later.<\/p>\n
But don\u2019t take this list as law. This is based on national data and is the sort of thing that\u2019s going to vary based on what\u2019s most sought-after where you live. That\u2019s where your agent comes in. As an article from Ramsey Solutions<\/em> says:<\/p>\n
\u201c<\/em>The best way to gauge what you can expect in terms of resale value on home improvements\u2014especially if you\u2019re planning to sell soon\u2014is to talk to a real estate agent who is an expert in your market. <\/em><\/strong>They\u2019re sure to know the local trends, and they can show you how other homes with the features you want to add are selling. That way, you can make an educated decision before you start ordering lumber and knocking down walls.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
You\u2019ll just want to make sure you don\u2019t overdo it. Too many high-end updates can make your home the priciest in the neighborhood. That might sound great, but it can actually turn buyers away if it\u2019s outside their expected price range for the area. The right agent will help you make smart updates that buyers will love, without going overboard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whether the project is big or small, it pays to be strategic. And an agent is a key piece of that strategy.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Bottom Line<\/h3>\n
It doesn\u2019t matter whether you plan to move soon or not, it can still pay off to make strategic updates that\u2019ll help you love your home now and stand out later.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s one upgrade you\u2019ve been thinking about \u2013 and wondering if it\u2019s worth it?<\/strong> Connect with a local agent to make sure it\u2019ll pay off when the time comes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Whether you\u2019re planning to move soon or not, it\u2019s smart to be strategic about which home projects you take on. Your time, energy, and money matter \u2013 and not all upgrades offer the payoff you might expect. As U.S. News Real Estate explains: \u201c. . . not every home renovation project will increase the resale […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5682,"comment_status":"registered_only","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12],"tags":[29,27,20,18,28],"class_list":["post-5681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate-insight","tag-idaho-real-estate","tag-north-idaho-homes","tag-rain-silverhawk","tag-real-estate","tag-sandpoint-idaho"],"aioseo_notices":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250512-Header-Image-original.png?fit=750%2C410&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdz2Zu-1tD","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}