Consider Your Timeline
According to Pasadena, Calif., realtor Tracy King, "If you want to sell your house in the next few months and are considering putting in a $20,000 kitchen, you may not get your money out. But if you're going to live in the house for another few years, putting in a $20,000 kitchen makes more sense," she says.
Maximize Your Home's Value
The only certain way to add value to a house is to increase square footage, says King. "Turning a two-bedroom, one-bath house into a three-bedroom, two-bath house is going to significantly up the value, although if you're adding a bedroom to a five-bedroom house," King continues, "this probably won't make much of a difference."
"Remodeling your kitchen or putting in a new bathroom may indeed add value to your house," says Michael Kienzl of Los Angeles, president of Bradco Kitchens and Bath, a full-service showroom and contracting firm that specializes in kitchen and bath projects. "But be careful to choose designs that are consistent with your home's style and character," he cautions.
