There is a common belief that renovations done before selling a home are usually unprofitable—meaning the home’s value doesn’t even increase by the amount spent on the renovation. The typical arguments? The updates may not suit the new owners, the wall colors aren’t their taste and will need repainting, the fixtures aren’t what they want, and there’s always something they’ll want to change.
There’s some truth to this, especially when renovations are done without the guidance of a designer or realtor. A specialist may do an excellent job on their specific task—perfectly painting walls, beautifully laying tiles, installing stylish pot lights—but they might not consider how these updates impact the home’s resale value.
Smart renovations require considering not just costs, but also current design trends, sales statistics for similar homes in the area, and buyer preferences. What appeals to local buyers may differ from what attracts buyers from, say, China or Iran.
You can renovate your home exactly the way you like, and that’s a valid choice. But if you listen to a designer and realtor, you’ll learn which renovations actually help sell a home and which don’t. Your personal vision of “how things should be” may not align with what most buyers prefer.
You’ve probably noticed that construction materials have become significantly more expensive. This makes any renovation a costly endeavor, and for the average family, setting aside a large sum for serious renovations isn’t easy. This is why demand for move-in ready homes has skyrocketed. Many buyers prefer to take on a $100,000 bigger mortgage to buy a newly renovated home rather than pay $100,000 in cash for renovations. But of course, this only works if the renovations are done correctly—if they increase the home’s value instead of scaring buyers away with questionable design choices.
On the flip side, homes that require major renovations attract much less interest. Few buyers want to spend months (and tens of thousands of dollars) fixing up a property while juggling work, managing contractors, and sourcing materials.
This is where my team specializes: we find underpriced properties that have been neglected or poorly maintained. Besides real estate sales, I also professionally handle design and renovations—and I can show you in hard numbers how certain homes can be smart investments. Sales data shows that freshly renovated homes sell for 25-30% more than their outdated counterparts.
When working with me, you’ll get detailed projections such as:
- “We buy a home for this price, renovations cost this much and take this long, and afterward, you get a fully updated home below market value.”
- Or: “Your home needs upgrades—here’s what we can do, here’s what it will cost, and here’s how much more you can sell it for.”
This is also an amazing opportunity for investors—if you can secure financing and invest in renovations, the profit at resale can more than cover all costs, making this buy-renovate-sell cycle highly lucrative.
Buying below market value, selling above market value—does that still seem unrealistic?
Call me, and let’s make it happen!
📞 416-305-6525
