If budget isn’t top of mind when planning most home improvement projects, you might be in for a bumpy ride. The bigger the project, the more you have to have a sense for how great it’ll make your home—and how much it’ll cost to get there.
This is especially true if you plan to sell your home.
It’s easy to think that “we’ll make the money back when it sells” but that’s not always the case, kind of a lose-lose.
That’s why we always advise planning smart and thinking hard (I know, BOOOOORING) about what’ll return the biggest bang for the buck when the house does sell. We measure that two ways:
One great resource is Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value Report. Cost vs. Value is a stat-lover’s dream. It breaks down the costs of various projects vs. what percentage of their cost you can expect to get back when you sell your home. For example, buck for buck, vinyl window replacement delivers a higher return on investment than adding a sunroom, master suite, or garage. It even outpaces kitchens, bathrooms and basement remodels.
Another great resource is something a bit more vague, perhaps, but equally important in my experience, and it’s this: Buyers tend to be busy people and want a house they can both get value out of and not have to mess around with on the weekends. If you install windows that operate smoothly—and look good, we don’t recommend bargain windows—this is kind of like payments on an insurance policy that your house won’t languish on the market any longer than it has to. In other words, skipping window replacements because what’s there is “good enough” or buying low budget windows can contribute to costing you mortgage payments and purchase opportunities down the road because your house is just hanging there.
Not to mention, whether you’re selling or staying, high quality windows like the Simonton windows we have in our house are a triple-threat payback: they look better than any other vinyl window we’ve installed, save us money from the second they’re installed, and according to Cost vs. Value, we can recoup up to 71.2% of their cost at sale time.
Payback now. Payback later. Either way, it’s a win-win window project.
