Why Remodeling Homeowners Need a Real Estate Agent’s Guidance
Christel Renaud March 21, 2025
Christel Renaud March 21, 2025
Remodeling has been surging over the last few years as more homeowners opt to stay in their homes longer and leverage their equity for renovation projects that help them age in place. Home buyers also may be purchasing a home with the intent of remodeling, and about 8% of homeowners say they were motivated to remodel in order to sell.
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It’s easy to get distracted by fancy finishes and materials and lose sight of what matters most to your remodeling budget. But it is not always the biggest or most expensive project that nabs the highest return at resale.
NAR’s report identifies the following top interior projects for cost recovery at resale:
Kitchens, bathrooms and outdoor spaces are among the most popular areas for homeowners to renovate.
Upgrading kitchen cabinets remains a big priority for homeowners: shaker door styles and bar pull handles in brushed nickel finishes are the most popular.
More renovators are adding accent cabinets, such as a glass-front cabinet or open shelving to showcase glassware, decor or collectibles and break up rows of cabinetry.
White cabinetry remains the most popular, at 33% of remodels, but wood tones are gaining at 23%.
Two-tone kitchen cabinets are gaining popularity—choosing one color for the upper cabinets (like white, wood or gray) and a different one for the lower cabinets (like wood, blue or gray).
Engineered quartz remains the top choice for countertops (39%), followed by granite (19%).
Butcher block or wood slab countertops have been losing popularity, coinciding with the fading of the farmhouse style.
Transitional is the most popular kitchen style, followed by traditional and modern.
Ceramic and porcelain are the most popular materials for backsplashes. More homeowners are opting to extend their backsplashes higher up the kitchen wall.
Green and blue kitchen cabinetry are emerging trends, particularly for kitchen islands, Sargsyan notes.
Many remodelers choose to upgrade the bathroom vanity, with shaker cabinetry and bar pull handles in brushed nickel finishes being the most popular choice.
Wood—whether light or dark—has overtaken white in vanities. Twenty-six percent of remodelers chose wood tones for the cabinetry, followed by 22% who selected white and 11% who chose gray or blue.
Quartz dominates for bathroom countertops, likely due to its durability and low maintenance compared to other materials. White countertops dominate, followed by off-white or gray.
Most homeowners select rectangular, ceramic or porcelain tiles for their shower walls but go with rectangular, hexagonal or square tiles for the flooring.
Large format tiles are increasingly being used for shower walls.
Bathtubs don’t appear to be a necessity in many owner’s suite renovations. Thirty-two percent of remodelers upgraded the bathtub in their remodel, whereas 27% removed it and another 27% had no bathtub at all.
Transitional style is the most popular, a balance of traditional with contemporary. However, Sargsyan notes that eclectic styles are gaining popularity: a mix-and-match of different styles, colors and materials that “results in a unique space that is full of personality.”
Lighting fixtures in the bathroom tend to be a combination of metal and glass finishes.
Accent walls are emerging as a trend in bathroom remodels, whether through patterned wallpaper or a contrasting wall color, creating a focal point in the space.
Structural upgrades often include decks (with composite, plastic or pressure-treated lumber), porches or verandas, shade structures, or the addition of a shed or workshop.
Twelve percent of home renovators added an outdoor kitchen, which often includes a grill, refrigerator, cooktop and faucet.
About one-third of outdoor renovators upgrade outdoor systems, like the lighting, irrigation, security, audio or visual media, or even rainwater harvesting.
For outdoor lighting upgrades, remodelers most often opt for landscape lights (81%), string or bistro lights (44%), porch sconces (37%), garage sconces (19%) and recessed lights (19%).
The most popular exterior colors are: white (23%), gray (19%), beige (10%), green (8%) and black (8%).
Metal roofing is gaining popularity, likely due to its durability and modern look, Sargsyan says. Still, metal roofs are selected by only 14% of remodelers, whereas asphalt-dimensional shingles (34%) and asphalt three-tab shingles (19%) remain the most popular.
The most popular front door colors are black (24%), red (22%), white (18%), blue (13%) and green (11%).
Dont hesitate to contact us if you need some guidance. We, as real estate professionals, may not be the pros who are going to do the work, but we can help you find a pro who can!
Christel Renaud | Christel Miami Luxury Living
912-484-0498 | [email protected]
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