Home Improvement Costs vs. Values for 2009

One of my favorite posts of the year is the National Association of Realtors Remodeling Costs vs. Value report. Like last years post, this one will feature the top home improvement projects purely by the numbers.

Unlike last week’s Top 8 Home Upgrades According to Kiplinger, this comes straight from homeowner surveys. What’s even better is that the data is broken down by region, so we’re not getting a national average but instead, we receive numbers that better represent home improvement costs right here in Louisville, Kentucky.

So let’s get started!

The top five, mid-range home improvement projects for Louisville home owners are:

Entry Door Replacement (steel) – 128.9%
Attic Bedroom – 83.1%
Deck Addition (wood) – 80.6%
Siding Replacement (vinyl) – 79.9%
Minor Kitchen Remodel – 78.3%

Below is the full list:

Now let’s look at the top five, upscale home improvement projects for Louisville home owners are:

Siding Replacement (fiber-cement) – 83.6%
Siding Replacement (foam-backed vinyl) – 79.0%
Window Replacement (vinyl) – 76.5%
Window Replacement (wood) – 71.5%
Grand Entrance (fiberglass) – 68.8%

Here’s the complete list:

Similar to last year, siding and window-replacement win the day. Still, it’s interesting to see the numbers of the mid-range gain on the upscale home improvements. Also note that almost all 2009 numbers are down from 2008.

For more information visit the entire 2009 Cost vs Value report.

Selling your Louisville home these days often means making it “move in ready.” Today’s buyers don’t want to fix things up right away.