The projects that pay you back here are almost all on the outside of the house. In our region a garage door replacement returns about 282% of its cost at resale, a steel entry door about 235%, and a minor kitchen refresh about 101%. A major kitchen remodel returns 48%. A primary suite addition returns 20%.
That is not a small gap. It is the difference between making money on a project and donating it. Here is the current data for our region, what it means for an older Oakland County house, and the short list of things we tell sellers to skip.
Which home improvements have the best return in Metro Detroit?
The numbers below come from the most recent Cost vs. Value report, East North Central region, which is the regional set that covers Michigan. “Cost recouped” is the estimated resale bump divided by the job cost.
| Project | Job cost | Resale value | Cost recouped |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garage door replacement | $4,357 | $12,298 | 282.2% |
| Entry door replacement (steel) | $2,339 | $5,494 | 235.0% |
| Manufactured stone veneer | $11,193 | $21,337 | 190.6% |
| Minor kitchen remodel (midrange) | $27,005 | $27,318 | 101.2% |
| Siding replacement (fiber cement) | $23,515 | $23,805 | 101.2% |
| Wood deck addition | $18,090 | $16,733 | 92.5% |
| Vinyl window replacement | $22,054 | $17,937 | 81.3% |
| Basement remodel | $49,713 | $39,141 | 78.7% |
| Bathroom remodel (midrange) | $24,910 | $17,662 | 70.9% |
| Asphalt shingle roof | $29,253 | $20,252 | 69.2% |
| Major kitchen remodel (midrange) | $83,113 | $40,038 | 48.2% |
| Backyard patio | $49,196 | $22,542 | 45.8% |
| Bathroom remodel (upscale) | $78,684 | $28,654 | 36.4% |
| Solar power installation | $52,869 | $16,371 | 31.0% |
| Primary suite addition (upscale) | $329,084 | $65,028 | 19.8% |
Pair the two cheapest projects on that list and the math gets loud. A garage door plus a steel entry door runs about $6,700 and returns roughly $17,800, a net gain near $11,100 on the smallest budget in the table.
One honest caveat, because it matters. A 282% return does not mean a garage door hands you a check. It means the panel estimates the resale bump on a house whose garage door is visibly worn out. If yours is five years old and fine, replacing it earns you close to nothing. High-ROI projects are high-ROI because they fix something a buyer can see is broken.
Why do exterior projects beat kitchen remodels here?
Because of how old our housing is.
The median Oakland County home was built around 1975, and roughly 64% of the county’s houses went up before 1980. Royal Oak, Ferndale, Berkley, and the older Birmingham streets are largely pre-war brick. Buyers walking those houses have already decided the layout is dated. What they are pricing is condition: does the roof have life, do the windows leak, is the basement dry, has anyone touched the electrical since the Carter administration.
That is why the first thing a buyer sees carries so much weight. Curb appeal is not a vanity item in a market of 50-year-old houses. It is the buyer’s first read on whether the house was maintained, and it sets the tone for everything they notice inside.
The interior projects still matter. They just have to be sized correctly, which is the next question.
Is a kitchen remodel worth it before selling?
A minor one, yes. A major one, almost never.
Look at the two side by side. A minor midrange kitchen remodel costs about $27,005 and returns about $27,318, so it roughly breaks even. A major midrange kitchen remodel costs about $83,113 and returns about $40,038.
Run the difference. You spend $56,108 more and get $12,720 more back. That extra spend returns about 23 cents on the dollar. Go upscale and it gets worse: $160,333 in, $55,119 back, 34.4%.
A minor remodel means the boxes stay. You reface or repaint cabinets, replace countertops and the sink, swap the dated appliances, add a backsplash, fix the lighting. A major remodel means new cabinets, new layout, moved plumbing. Buyers pay for the first one because it reads as clean and updated. They do not pay a $56,000 premium for the second one, because at that point you are buying a kitchen for yourself and moving out.
If you are selling within a year, do the minor version or do nothing.
What about bathrooms and basements?
Both land in the 70s, which is respectable but not free money.
- Midrange bathroom remodel: $24,910 in, $17,662 back, 70.9%.
- Universal design bathroom (curbless shower, grab bars, wider door): $40,855 in, $23,782 back, 58.2%.
- Upscale bathroom remodel: $78,684 in, $28,654 back, 36.4%.
- Basement remodel: $49,713 in, $39,141 back, 78.7%.
The pattern is the same as the kitchen. Midrange beats upscale every time on return, and the more you spend the less of it comes home.
Basements deserve a local note. Finishing a basement in this market only works if the basement is dry first. In older Metro Detroit housing, a finished basement with a moisture history is worse than an unfinished one, because now the buyer is looking at demolition on top of the repair. Fix the water, then decide about the drywall. If the budget only covers one, it covers the water.
Which renovations should you skip before selling?
These are the ones we talk sellers out of, and the reason is the same in every case: you cannot get the money back in a resale window.
- Primary suite addition. Midrange returns 33.9%. Upscale returns 19.8% on a $329,084 project. This is a lifestyle purchase, not a sale strategy.
- Solar installation. 31%. Worth doing if you plan to stay long enough to bank the utility savings. Not worth doing to sell.
- Backyard patio at $49,196. 45.8%. A modest deck at $18,090 returns 92.5%. Same idea, half the loss.
- Accessory dwelling unit. 41% on $157,758, and in most of Oakland County zoning is the bigger obstacle before you get anywhere near ROI.
- Swimming pool. Not in the report, and in a Michigan climate a pool narrows your buyer pool more often than it widens it.
- Anything highly personal. Bold tile, a built-in aquarium, a converted garage. The buyer prices the cost of undoing it.
There is also a quieter category: the small stuff that is genuinely not worth fixing. Minor cosmetic wear, a scuffed baseboard, a slightly dated light fixture in a back bedroom. Buyers expect a 1975 house to look like a 1975 house in places. Chasing every blemish delays your listing, and time on market costs more than the blemish did.
So what should you actually fix before you list?
There is a real difference between a renovation and a repair, and sellers mix them up constantly. Renovations are optional and chase a price bump. Repairs are not optional, because they show up in inspection and come back as a credit request.
The short list we give sellers, in order:
- Anything that leaks. Roof, plumbing, basement, windows. Water is the one finding that scares buyers off entirely.
- Anything a home inspector will flag. Old electrical panels, failed seals, furnace and water heater age, grading that pushes water at the foundation.
- The first ten feet. Front door, garage door, house numbers, porch light, mailbox, mulch, trimmed shrubs. Cheapest square footage in real estate.
- Paint, in neutrals. Highest return per dollar of anything on this list, and it is not close.
- Deep clean and declutter. Free, and it moves photos more than any project here.
- Only then consider a minor kitchen or bath refresh, if the budget and the calendar both allow it.
Skip steps 1 and 2 and you do not save the money. You pay it at the negotiating table, usually with a weaker hand and a shorter clock.
How we tell sellers what to fix at Jim Shaffer & Associates
We have sold houses on nearly every street in Royal Oak, Ferndale, Birmingham, and everywhere in between (about 850 a year since 1999), so we have watched what buyers here actually pay for and what they walk right past.
When we come out for a valuation, the fix list is part of it:
- We walk the house and tell you which projects will come back in the price and which will not.
- We price it both ways, as-is and after the work, so you can see whether the project is worth your summer.
- We tell you when the answer is “do nothing and list it,” because sometimes it is.
- We name the repairs that will surface in inspection, so they do not become a credit later.
No cost, no obligation. Ask us what to fix before you spend a dollar on it, or see what your home is worth right now first. Our sell page covers how we take it from price to closed.
The best renovation before selling is usually smaller than you think, and outside.
Frequently asked questions
What home improvements add the most value in Metro Detroit?
Exterior projects lead by a wide margin. In the East North Central region, garage door replacement recoups about 282% of its cost, a steel entry door about 235%, and manufactured stone veneer about 191%. A minor midrange kitchen remodel roughly breaks even at 101%. These returns assume the existing item is worn out, so replacing something that is still in good shape will not pay the same way.
Is it worth renovating a house before selling it?
Sometimes, and less often than sellers expect. Repairs are worth it because unaddressed problems come back as inspection credits. Large renovations usually are not, because most return well under 100% of their cost. A minor kitchen refresh, fresh neutral paint, and curb appeal work are the projects that hold up in this market. A major kitchen remodel returns about 48% and a primary suite addition about 20%.
What should I not fix before selling my house?
Skip anything you cannot recoup in a resale window: primary suite additions, upscale bathroom remodels, solar installations, high-end patios, and pools. Also skip minor cosmetic wear that buyers already expect in an older home. Fix what leaks and what an inspector will flag, then stop.
How much does a kitchen remodel return in Michigan?
A minor midrange kitchen remodel costs about $27,005 and returns about $27,318 in the East North Central region, roughly 101%. A major midrange remodel costs about $83,113 and returns about $40,038, roughly 48%. The extra $56,108 you spend on the major version returns only about $12,720, or 23 cents on the dollar.
Should I finish my basement before selling?
Only if the basement is dry. A basement remodel recoups about 79% of its cost in our region, which is one of the better interior numbers, but in older Metro Detroit housing a finished basement with a moisture history is worse than an unfinished one. The buyer now prices demolition plus the repair. Fix the water first, then decide about finishing.
What is the cheapest way to increase my home’s value before listing?
Fresh neutral paint, a deep clean, decluttering, and the first ten feet of the property: front door, garage door, house numbers, porch light, and trimmed landscaping. None of it is a renovation, all of it shows up in photos, and it is the highest return per dollar available to a seller.