Avoid These 9 Improvements When You Sell a Home in Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan or Westport, Connecticut
Making improvements can cost you. In New England, an upscale kitchen remodel gets back about 37 cents of every dollar you spend.
Let's say you spend $150,000 on a kitchen. That means you get back just $55,000 when you sell.
In the high-end areas in Connecticut, the sellers I meet aren't usually skipping work.
The problem I am seeing is that they're doing too much, of the wrong things.
So I'm going to walk you through the projects I talk sellers out of the most, what to do instead, and where it does make sense to spend.
I'm using my former experience as a remodeling contractor and my decade-plus as a Realtor in Connecticut's Gold Coast. The ROI numbers come from Remodeling Magazine's Cost vs. Value Report. It compares what a project costs with what it adds to the sale price. It's a regional average, not our towns specifically, so I'll tell you what I'm seeing in my own transactions.
The Standard Advice Is Right. Do All of It.
You've probably heard the standard advice. Paint. Declutter. Deep clean. Stage. And it's right. Do all of it.
Decluttering matters even more at the high-end price points. Clutter sends the wrong message to a high-end buyer. If the house is vacant, or you've been there a long time, stage it. If your furniture is current and in good condition, we can often work with what you have.
Everyone tells you that. Where I see sellers here lose real money is in the other direction.
The Big-Ticket Losses
In addition to the upscale kitchen remodel that nets you back just 37% of what you spend, an upscale bathroom remodel gets back just 45% when you sell.
And a new upscale primary suite addition gets back just 15%, according to Remodeling Magazine. So a relatively low-cost primary suite addition of $375,000 adds just $57,000 at resale.
Do these major renovations for your own benefit, but expect to be disappointed if you want it back when you sell.
What I'm Seeing Right Now
While those items are clearly big-ticket losses, I'm still seeing sellers throw away tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, on other items. I'll walk you through some of the common things I hear, and give you alternatives that will actually recoup your cash and then some.
A lot of my work happens well before a house is listed. I'm walking through it with my client, and we go through the house room by room.
One seller recently called me because they were having a hard time selling with another agent. They were planning to do about three-quarters of a million dollars of renovation based on the showing feedback they were getting, when one of my clients told her to call me.
They were planning to renovate the kitchen and baths, refinish the flooring, and put in new windows, new siding, a roof, a front door, landscaping, painting, and fixing some things that came up on a buyer's inspection. While it would have sold the home, they had no chance of getting their three-quarters of a million dollar investment back. So we put together a plan that would work.
Since you probably aren't planning on doing all of this before you sell, I'll break down each piece of the project so you can see how I would suggest handling it.
Number One
The Kitchen
You've heard that kitchens sell houses. But now you know a full remodel will return about 37% of the money you spend.
Instead: paint the cabinets. Swap the hardware, the faucets and the lighting, maybe the countertops. Clean the grout. A smaller refresh returns more than you spend, according to Remodeling Magazine's reports and my personal experience.
Number Two
The Bathrooms
Same idea. Freshen it up. Paint, put in a new vanity, update the lighting and fixtures, and take down any wallpaper. If the tub or the tile is a bold color, it can be reglazed white for a lot less than new tile.
Number Three
Replacement Windows
The best return you are going to get is on basic white vinyl windows, and even then, you only get back 70 cents on every dollar you spend.
Instead: fix any that are broken or cracked, and no matter what, clean all of them.
Number Four
The Front Door
This one is genuinely borderline. It can go either way. The Remodeling Magazine report says you get back 87 cents on every dollar you spend. However, first impressions matter. If you can't make it look good by painting or staining it and adding new hardware, a replacement might be in order.
No matter what, be sure the door and lock work perfectly. Your first showings are usually the most motivated, and you don't want any issues getting people in.
Number Five
Big Landscaping Projects, Outdoor Kitchens and New Patios
These will return you just 59 cents on the dollar.
Instead: make it look fresh and maintained. Trim the overgrown bushes and trees. Mow, edge, mulch and pressure wash. Keep the plantings from hiding the house.
Number Six
The Driveway
Don't replace it. Patch it, fill the cracks and reseal it. It will look nearly as good as new, and most buyers won't think twice.
Number Seven
The Roof
Unless you are risking damage to the home by avoiding it, don't replace it. Patch as needed, and negotiate if needed. And get two to three estimates. In the worst case, you have solid quotes so the buyer doesn't over-exaggerate the cost, but the idea is to negotiate a fair split if they make an issue of it.
Number Eight
New Siding
In my experience, it never makes financial sense to replace the siding to sell. The remodeling report will say that fiber cement siding returns 144%. However, when I point it out to buyers, they almost never know what it is, and I have never heard them bring it up in negotiations as a value add, or a reason to pay more.
Instead: repair and repaint. Keep the color neutral.
Number Nine
Partial Fixes
If you fix something, fix all of it. A half-done repair makes a buyer wonder what else was done halfway.
Instead: leave it alone and make it known. This way, a reasonable buyer doesn't come back later asking for a credit. You disclosed it before they made the offer.
How It Turned Out
My new client implemented the new plan I gave them, and I estimate that they saved themselves at least half a million dollars, and sold the home for more than the asking price in just a few weeks.
Before you sell here, you need a plan, and skip the big projects.
All return figures are from the 2025 Cost vs. Value Report, New England region: upscale kitchen remodel 37.0%; upscale bath remodel 45.0%; upscale primary suite addition 15.3% ($374,737 cost, $57,321 resale value); midrange minor kitchen remodel 134.3%; windows, wood 69.7% and vinyl 71.2%; fiberglass grand entrance 87.1%; backyard patio 59.1%. The dollar examples are simple math on those percentages.
Call Me Before You Call a Contractor
If you're thinking about selling in the next year or two, call me before you call a contractor. I'll walk through the house with you, and we'll put together a room-by-room list so you don't waste a cent.
Greenwich Real Estate