This Home Merchandising System brochure is one in a series that’s available from Paul Law Realty/GMAC Real Estate. Each brochure offers valuable information, tips and ideas that will help you effectively prepare your home to sell. To give your home a marketing edge, contact a Paul Law Realty GMAC Real Estate sales professional.

Remodeling for Resale

Remodeling can make your home more valuable when you want to sell your home – while meeting your current lifestyle needs. Although the cash you spend on improvements seldom yields a dollar-for-dollar return when you sell your home, some remodeling return more of your investment than others.

The following information – reprinted from the November 1997 issue of Remodeling magazine Hanley-Wood Inc. – provides annual figures detailing the cost and value of common home renovations. Although these numbers provide a solid basis for what certain renovations cost and how much value they have to potential home buyers, it’s important to keep in mind that your preferences and needs may differ greatly. Local market conditions will also influence the actual resale value of your remodeling.

Strategies to Bank On

As you consider home remodeling options, consider these guidelines to improve your chances of a good return on your investment:

• Keep the value of your property within 15% to 20% of others in your neighborhood. Buyers who can afford pricier homes will shop in more expensive neighborhoods.
• Style your remodeling for mass appeal. Buyers prefer neutral, mainstream design.
• Give buyers quality construction. Use materials that look good and wear well. If you plan to do the work yourself, honestly evaluate your ability to it right.
• Keep your remodeling compatible with the existing house. Additions and improvements that look “tacked on” may detract from a home’s appeal.

New Bath

Project Specs

Add a second bath to a house with on or one and a half baths. The 6 by 8 foot bath should be within the existing floor plan in a spot convenient to the bedrooms. Include cultured marble vanity top, linen storage, vinyl wallpaper, ceramic floor tile and ceramic tile walls in the tub area.

• Job Cost*: $11,645
• Resale Value: $10,593
• Cost Recouped: 91%

Bathroom Remodeling

Project Specs

Update an existing 5 by 9 foot bathroom that is at least 25 years old with new standard size tub, toilet and solid surface vanity with integral double sink. Install new lighting, faucets, mirrored medicine cabinet, ceramic floor tile and ceramic tile walls in the tub/shower area. Use vinyl wallpaper elsewhere.

• Job Cost*: $8,423
• Resale Value: $6,480
• Cost Recouped: 77%

Minor Kitchen Remodel

Project Specs

Update an existing 200 square foot kitchen with 30 lineal feet of cabinetry and countertops, refinish existing cabinets, install new energy efficient wall oven and cook top, new laminate countertops, new mid priced sink and faucet, wall covering and resilient flooring. Repaint. Includes new, raised panel wood doors on cabinets.

• Job Cost*: $8,507
• Resale Value: $8,030
• Cost Recouped: $94%

Major Kitchen Remodel

Project Specs

Update an outmoded 200 square foot kitchen with a functional layout of new cabinets, laminate countertops, mid priced sink and faucet, energy efficient wall oven, cook top and ventilation system, built in microwave , dishwasher, disposal and custom lighting. New resilient flooring. Finish with painted woodwork and ceiling. Include 30 lineal feet of semi-custom grade wood cabinets and counter space, including a 3 by 5 foot center island.

• Job Cost*: $31,846
• Resale Value: $26,482
• Cost Recouped: 83%

Family Room Addition

Project Specs

Add a 16 by 25 foot, light filled room on a new crawl space foundation with wood joist floor framing, matching wood siding on exterior walls and matching existing fiberglass shingle roof. Drywall exterior with bat insulation and hardwood tongue-and-groove floor. Use 180 square feet of glass, including atrium-style exterior (doors, windows and two operable skylights). Tie into existing heating and cooling.

• Job Cost*: $31,846
• Resale Value: $26,482
• Cost Recouped: 83%

Master Suite Addition

Project Specs

Add a 24 by 16 foot master bedroom over a crawl space with a walk-in closet to a house with two or three bedrooms. The master bath should include a dressing area, whirlpool tub, separate ceramic tile shower and double-bowl vanity. Carpeted floor in bedroom, ceramic tile floor in the bath.

• Job Cost*: $36,472
• Resale Value: $30,530
• Cost Recouped: 84%

New Deck

Project Specs

Add a 16 by 20 foot deck of pressure treated pine supported by 4 by 4 posts set into concrete footings. Include a built-in bench, railings and planter (also of pressure-treated pine.)

• Job Cost*: $6,172
• Resale Value: $4,459
• Cost Recouped: 72%

Replacement Windows

Project Specs

Replace 10 existing 3 by 5 foot windows with aluminum clad windows, including new trim. Replace sash, frames and casings. (Option: replace sash only; existing frames remain in place.)

• Job Cost*: $6,112
• Resale Value: $4,536
• Cost Recouped: 74%

Re-Siding with Vinyl or Aluminum

Project Specs

Replace 1,250 square feet of existing siding with new vinyl or aluminum siding, including trim. (Option: use painted wood siding and trim instead of aluminum or vinyl.)

• Job Cost: $5,376
• Resale Value: $3,774
• Cost Recouped: 70%

Home Office

Project Specs

Convert an existing 12 by 12 foot room into a home office. Install custom cabinets configured for desk, computer workstation, overhead storage and 20 feet of plastic laminate desk. Rewire the room for computer, fax machine and other electronic equipment, as well as cable and telephone lines. Includes drywall interior and commercial grade, level-loop carpeting. Job

• Cost*: $8,103
• Resale Value: $5,423
• Cost Recouped: 67%

Attic Bedroom/Bath Addition

Project Specs

In a house with two or three bedrooms, convert unfinished space in an attic with rafters to a 15 by 15 foot bedroom and 5 by 7 shower bath. Add four new windows and a 15 foot shed dormer. Insulate and finish existing walls. Carpet unfinished floor. Extend existing heating and central air conditioning to a new space. Retain existing stairs.

• Job Cost*: $22,840
• Resale Value: $19,083
• Cost Recouped: 84%

2-Story Addition

Project Specs

Add a 24 by 16 foot, two story wing over a crawl space, including a first-floor family room and a second-floor bedroom with full bath. Addition features a prefabricated fireplace in the family room, 11 windows and an atrium-style exterior door. Floors are carpeted and walls are painted drywall. The 5 by 8 foot bathroom has a fiberglass bath/shower, standard grade toilet, wood vanity with ceramic sink top, ceramic tile flooring and mirrored medicine cabinet with light strip above. Bathroom walls are wallpapered. Add new heating and cooling system to handle the addition.

• Job Cost*: $55,687
• Resale Value: $46,236
• Cost Recouped: 83%

The Smart Move to Make. Paul Law Realty GMAC Real Estate

Our approach is to simplify the process of homeownership and provide you with all the services needed to do it.

• Exclusive real estate services bring you more value and expertise.
• Global relocation services move you to any destination.
• Trusted financial services add one-stop convenience.

For more information call Paul Law Realty/GMAC Real Estate 530-274-SOLD

Source: 1997-1998 Cost vs. Value Report, REMODELING MAGAZINE HANLEY-WOOD, INC. * National Average