Selling your home: Adding value before putting up the "for sale" sign  

Rule 2:
A thousand dollars spent to improve a home that is in good condition, seldom adds a thousand dollars to its sales price.

Rule 3:
Nothing adds value to a home like improvements to kitchens and bathrooms.

Cost vs. Improvement in Sales Price:

The table below, from a recent magazine survey, confirms our own observations. Typical home improvement projects are listed on the left. On the right, is the dollar amount added to a home's selling price for every $1000 spent on the project.

Reading the table:

• On average, a person who spent $1,000 to add a bathroom, saw a $900 increase in the price of his home.
• The family who spent $1000 to add a deck, saw a $700 increase in the sales price of their home.