Increase Your House Value With These Ideas: What Pays Back in 2026

Updated October 2026. Which home upgrades add value, which mostly add enjoyment, and what that means if you plan to sell. Cost recovery figures come from NAR’s remodeling reports, read October 27, 2026.

The upgrades that pay back the most at resale are usually small. In NAR’s 2025 Remodeling Impact Report, a new steel front door recovered an estimated 100% of its cost and a closet renovation 83%. Outdoors, standard lawn care recovered 217% and a new patio 95% (2023 outdoor report). Big kitchen jobs bring joy, but rarely their full cost back.

Jump to: 💲 What pays back · 🏠 Inside ideas · 🪜 Outside ideas · ⏱️ Before you sell · ❓ FAQ

This is a refreshed version of our old list of home value ideas. The ideas are still here, from stair runners to a sauna. What’s new is the numbers, so you can tell an upgrade that pays for itself from one you’ll simply enjoy.

Which home improvements add the most value?

NAR and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry publish the Remodeling Impact Report. It compares what a project costs with what REALTORS® think it adds when you sell. The 2025 edition found that Americans spent about $603 billion on remodeling in 2024 (NAR, April 2025).

Read these as estimates, not promises. They’re national averages from surveys, and your street matters more than any table. A patio in a Phoenix suburb and one in a Boston triple-decker don’t add the same value.

Notice what’s missing from the top of the list: the big kitchen. The 2025 report gives a kitchen upgrade a perfect “Joy Score” of 10 for how happy owners felt afterward. REALTORS® also saw the biggest jump in buyer demand for kitchens (48%), roofs (43%) and bathrooms (35%). Buyers want those rooms done. That doesn’t mean you’ll get every dollar back if you do them.

What inside upgrades are worth doing?

Stair runner carpets

A stair runner is a small job with a big visual payoff. It protects hardwood treads from scratches and grit, quiets the stairs and makes them safer for kids and pets. There are gray stair runner carpets that suit a modern look, red ones for a pop of color, and patterned ones for a traditional hall. Pick something neutral if you’re selling within a year. For other rooms, our guides to carpet, wood, bamboo or tile and choosing a bedroom carpet go further.

The kitchen

If you’re staying for years, a kitchen you love is worth it on its own terms. If you’re selling soon, think smaller. New cabinet hardware, a fresh coat of paint, better lighting and one new appliance can make a tired kitchen look cared for. Our tips for updating your kitchen help you plan either way.

Bathrooms

Swap dated faucets and the shower head, regrout the tile and replace a stained vanity top. Water-saving toilets cut the bill and look newer. Heated floors and a soaking tub are lovely, but they’re comfort upgrades, not value plays.

A home sauna

Saunas are a wellness upgrade more buyers notice, especially in colder states. Specialty sellers like Select Saunas offer indoor, outdoor, traditional and infrared models, from one-person units up to eight-person barrels. NAR’s reports don’t measure what a sauna returns at resale, so treat it as something you’ll use, with a possible bonus when you sell. Check your electrical panel first: many heaters need a dedicated 240-volt circuit.

Paint, closets and the front door

This is where the numbers are strongest. Half of REALTORS® in the 2025 survey recommend painting the entire home before listing. A closet redo recovered 83%, and a new steel front door 100%. None of these needs a permit or a contractor for months. Our home renovation checklist helps you order the jobs.

What outside upgrades raise home value?

A deck or patio

A new paver patio recovered about 95% of its $10,500 cost in NAR’s outdoor report. Decks give you more space on sloped lots. Either way, choose materials you can maintain. You can customize your deck or patio with a fire pit, lighting or a built-in bench. For wood decks, read choosing the right deck builder and picking a deck design for your home’s style. Leftover boards? Here’s what you can make with decking boards.

Landscaping

Ninety-two percent of REALTORS® recommend sellers improve curb appeal before listing (NAR). The cheapest step had the best ratio: six seasonal lawn treatments, $415, estimated to add $900. A full landscape upgrade with a flagstone walk, planters, shrubs and a tree cost about $9,000 and recovered about $9,000. Trim, edge and mulch before photos.

Energy-efficient windows

Double-pane windows with low-E coatings keep rooms more even, cut outside noise and block UV that fades floors. They also help the monthly bills, which buyers ask about. They’re a bigger spend, so get two or three quotes and ask about local utility rebates before you choose.

What should you do first if you plan to sell?

Start with the cheap, high-return jobs: paint, small repairs, the front door, the lawn. Then price the house. A free property value calculator shows where you stand before and after.

Don’t remodel to chase a number. Some sellers do better selling as-is and pricing for it; our guide to selling as-is and still getting value explains when that works.

When you’re ready, listing costs matter as much as the upgrades. Beycome lists your home on the MLS from $99 with $0 at closing. Enhanced, at $399, adds pro photos, so your new patio actually shows. Concierge, with experts who handle the sale while you stay in control of every decision, is $1,399. See the flat fee MLS plans.

Buying a fixer-upper to improve? The Beycome buyer program is open to every buyer on homes listed by other agents (the commission credit can’t apply where no buyer-agent commission is offered, like most FSBO homes, or on homes listed by Beycome sellers). Beycome keeps 1% of the price, minimum $1,499, and credits the rest at closing, with lender approval. That credit can go toward your first projects.

Frequently asked questions