Top Renovations as a Seller

Which home renovations actually increase resale value in today’s market? In this episode of Ladies Who List, Chicago real estate expert Hayley Westhoff and co-host Anna Theofanous sit down with Jesse Scherr of Renovation Sells to break down the renovations that deliver the highest return on investment when selling a home.

From kitchen updates that attract buyers and boost offers to cost-effective bathroom upgrades, lighting improvements, flooring decisions, and paint strategies that actually pay off, this episode is packed with real-world advice for sellers, homeowners, and real estate investors. Learn how strategic improvements like cabinet painting, quartz countertops, modern lighting, and flooring upgrades can help homes sell faster and for more money without over-renovating.

You will also hear expert insights on current home design trends, common renovation mistakes that can reduce a home’s value, realistic renovation costs in the Chicago market, and when it makes sense to renovate versus offering buyer credits. If you are planning to sell your home, prepare a listing, or want to understand what buyers actually care about, this episode delivers a practical renovation ROI guide built on real-world experience.

Transcript

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(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Welcome to Ladies Who List. If you've ever wondered what really goes on behind the scenes in real estate, beyond the glitz and glamour of selling sunset and the drama of million dollar listing, you're in the right place. We're diving deep into the questions you've always had, educating you on how to be a smarter and more successful buyer and seller, and giving you the truth about buying and selling and everything in between. No fluff, no filters, just straight talk. Introducing my co-host, the lovely Ana Theofanis. Hello, and today we're going to be talking about the top renovations as a seller you can do to sell your home quickly and for the most money. So of course, our first guest has to be none other than Jesse with Renovation Sells. We're so happy to have you. Thank you, happy to be here. Yes, so can you tell us a little bit about you and Renovation Sells? Absolutely. So Renovation Sells, as the name would suggest, will help you renovate your home prior to selling. I have had the pleasure of working with Haley and Ana a number of times, and they have called me when they've had listings that could use a little updating to help itself for max value and to help itself fast. So they'll call me, I'll walk through it with them, and between the two of us, we'll decide what are the right renovations to make. So maybe it's painting the kitchen cabinets and updating the countertops. Maybe it's changing some of the tile in the bathroom. It could be lighting, it could be paint. We'll look at all areas of the home and decide what the right renovations are. And then Renovation Sells will actually put together a nice design board, and then we'll buy all the materials, get all the work done, and make the proper updates so that Haley and Ana can sell it quickly and for the most money. And might I add that Renovation Sells is the best. Not only are they a one-stop shop, they have a designer. They make it so easy on us, the agents, because before we met Renovation Sells, we were always running around Home Depot and Home Goods and finding these things. But they have a designer on staff, so it just makes it so much easier. And they're fast, and they're quick, and they can get in quickly, and we don't have to stay on top of them. They're just professional, and I cannot say enough about them. So thank you for being here, Jesse. Thank you. Yeah, absolutely. All right, this is something new we're doing. We are going to do a Would You Rather question, but we're not going to answer it till the end. All right, so Joe is going to ask us a Would You Rather question, picking out of a hat. What is the question? I'm scared. The question is, would you rather be able to turn invisible when nobody is looking, or fly but only two feet off the ground? Only two feet. Okay, we'll think about that. Answer that at the end. Okay, so let's get into it. The top renovation that I think is most important for most buyers is the kitchen. The heart of the home. Yes, the heart of the home, where we all hang out and talk about our days and cook together and laugh together. Jesse, would you agree that that is the number one place to focus on when updating a home? Absolutely. I always tell sellers that kitchens are number one, primary bathroom a close second, but there are not a lot of areas in the house that you can really be designed for, and the kitchen is one of them. That's usually one of the first things the buyer sees when they walk into the house, too, because they're walking on the first floor. That's where the kitchen is. You want to make that good first impression. When you've got cherry cabinets and granite countertops, it just screams of, hey, this was updated 20 years ago, and no one's touched it since. How many buyers have you had that will literally just turn around and walk out when they see those cherry cabinets and those yellow countertops? Totally, or they won't even want to see the listing. They'll open it, they'll see the kitchen, and they won't even scroll past those photos. Really, we're trying to get people in the door, too. We need some of these renovations. Otherwise, it's going to end to lowball offers. Or buyers just not coming to see it. And I think when I tell a seller that, hey, I think we should make some updates to the kitchen, I think a seller's mind immediately goes to, that's going to be$60,000. That's going to be a huge expense. But when we really break it down, we have ways, and Renovation Sells has ways, to do a little facelift, make it look completely different, and not have it cost that much money. So Jesse, can you tell us what you typically do in a kitchen and what those costs are? Well, a great example is a project that I worked on with both of you on Buckingham and Lincoln Park. Amazing location, but the place was just dated, and they had laminate countertops, they had the laminate cabinets that were kind of peeling. It just was not a very attractive kitchen, and it was going to be hard to get a really good price for what otherwise was a pretty good condo in a great location when the kitchen looked like that. So we suggested painting the cabinets, updating the hardware on the cabinets. We put in nice quartz countertops, a backsplash. I think that might've been about it. There wasn't much more than beyond that. And I think the cost was $12,000. I mean, it was a small kitchen, but still it made a huge difference. Huge difference. And if you're thinking about buyers looking at that too, not just sellers, but buyers think that it's going to cost $30,000. So they're deducting that from the price. Right. And let's not forget the history of that listing, because those sellers called Ana and I when they had been listed with another agent, it had been sitting on the market for over five months and it would not sell. So when Ana and I got in there, we recognized that it was probably the kitchen and a couple other things. And then we relisted it and it sold in multiple offers. So the power of that is huge. And for how much it was... Yeah. I mean, that one, again, smaller kitchen, but still about $12,000. And I think a lot of people don't realize that you don't necessarily have to replace all the cabinets. If they're still in decent shape, painting them makes a huge difference and it's a fraction of the cost. And I think people also hear painting cabinets and they think of a painter coming in with a roller and it's a much different process. The doors and the drawer fronts go off site. They get sanded down, they get sprayed. The frames get sanded down and sprayed on site. And by the time we're done with them, they look like brand new cabinets. So you're getting what looks like brand new cabinets in new colors. You're getting a quartz countertop, new sink, faucet. I mean, backsplash in this case. And we can do it in under three weeks too. And if you don't want to spend that much money, there are other things. Hardware makes a huge difference. Lighting that you can get for two, $300 a piece, island lighting. All these little things can make such a big difference. Oh yeah. And also wood cabinets now are kind of back in too. So sometimes depending on the stain on them, you may not even need to stain the cabinets. I love this wood behind us. And even the darker ones, just putting some quartz counters next to it. Then you've got a little organic modern look and you don't even need to go through the whole covering for staining. So there are little things we can do to totally update a kitchen. Yes. But one thing I think we need to talk about is that a lot of sellers are doing the bright white, which is so 2015. We are definitely through the white phase and that is out. Yes. So I agree, but I'm also not big on a lot of colors either. I just like a soft white, especially on top. And maybe if we're going to do colors, maybe something on the bottom, we've done some cool green colors and things like that, but anything but the bright white. Yes. I think just the all white, it's too like a hospital. Too stark. Right. Exactly. But our designers have been coming up with some cool designs lately where it's a lot of times it's lighter on the top. And like you said, you get a darker, more fun color on the bottom, or sometimes the perimeter cabinets are all in some shade of white and then the island has a pop of color. So there's different ways to make it kind of stand out. Give it a little fun. Give it a little punch. Because that's really what evokes the emotion of the buyer. I will say I had a recent buyer, we toured a great new construction property and the kitchen was bright. When I say bright white, I had to put my sunglasses on. I mean, it was so bright and every bathroom had the same cabinets and they did not move forward with that property. Everything else checked the boxes, but because of those bright white cabinets. So it is really important if you're going to do this to make sure that you're advising with renovation sales or an agent to make sure that you're choosing the right color. Because it matters. Yeah. Absolutely. It does. And I know the developer you're talking about, he lives nearby me and I've seen his properties and he tries to sell them for top dollar and he never gets it. And he ends up lowering the price and lowering the price. And he just doesn't put the effort into any of the design. And it is a big piece. So just thinking that you can paint everything white and put some white tile on a backsplash, that's not necessarily what people are looking for. Let's talk about paint, actually. Whether to paint or not to paint, that is a question that we often get. And the answer is it's a case by case. We recommend painting in two scenarios, either the color, let's just say the color sucks, or it's in really bad shape. Maybe they've got kids, dogs, and it's all scuffed up or maybe there's gouges taken out or whatnot. So not every seller has to paint. And that is quite costly in certain situations if the home is big. What do you recommend to sellers? Honestly, totally case by case. But if there's bright colors on the walls, they have to neutralize it. It's such an inexpensive thing to do. And the return on that is so huge. I mean, what would you say? Minimum $3 for every dollar you spend on paint. Minimum. If you have, I get it, you want your fun dining room color and things like that. But for selling, we just want it to look as neutral as possible and to appeal to as many buyers as possible. So do it. But if you have a softer white, if you have a little bit of color, I've done some beiges here and there, but that's about as much color as I'll allow. We're pretty neutral, except in powder rooms. We both love a bold powder room. We do. Yeah. So one of our favorite colors in powder rooms is Hail Navy by Benjamin Moore. And that's been for years now. I feel like we've been doing that since 2020, but I just, I'm not sick of it yet. I know. And it works with the early 2000s beige tiles. It works with the newer construction, you know, woods and whites and just... Gotta distract the eye a little bit. It's a good one. I wanted to say, you know, just one pro tip. If you are thinking of just touching up some of If it hasn't been painted recently, so say you painted five years ago, 10 years ago, even if you know the exact paint that you had and the exact sheen, you can't just go with a little paintbrush and touch up the areas that need it. You will see the difference between the old paint and the new paint. And that's especially true on ceilings. I mean, you think, well, it's a ceiling. It's a white ceiling. There are so many different types of ceiling paint that are all just a tiny shade off. And you try to just paint one little area, especially on a ceiling, and it's going to show. And then it's actually a red flag for buyers because they're thinking, exactly, why did you paint the ceiling? Yeah, what are you covering? Why is that touched up? Right, exactly. So what you've got to do is just you have to paint the entire ceiling until there's a break, and then you're fine. And even on walls, sometimes you don't... Say there's one wall that you had a bunch of pictures on. There's all these nail holes, but the rest of the walls are good. You just have to paint that one wall. So if you paint that the same color as the other walls, you won't notice the difference. It's just on that one wall, you try to touch up all these little spots, and then you're going to see the marks on there. That's a great tip. Good tip, Jesse. All right, let's talk about what we all are in agreement. The second best renovation for ROI for selling is the primary bathroom. Tell us what you typically do, Jesse, in a primary bathroom. Again, kind of a case-by-case basis because a lot of times, you're either doing a couple small things or you kind of have to do the whole thing. If you want to, say, update the shower fixtures because they look dated, you're going to have to change the tile out because you have to get behind that wall. So ideally, you don't want to have to gut the entire bathroom because that's a big cost for someone who's just selling. But what we'll try to do is figure out, okay, maybe the shower tile is fine, but we could do the floor tile. Instead of replacing the entire vanity, similar to kitchen cabinets, we can paint the vanity, replace the countertops. A lot of times, you have a sheet mirror. That is a cheap sheet mirror the developer put in. We'll take that out and put in two nice frame mirrors. Same thing with the really old light bar, the big bulbs. Take that out, and we can move the electric and put two nice vanity lights over each sink. So I think those are some ways that rather than gutting the whole thing, you could think of some strategic updates. It's the tile that makes it really expensive. So we really try to work with the existing tile, and sometimes if it's bright orange or bright green, we might not be able to do that, but we do try. I always wondered, because you can get these really inexpensive prefabricated vanities from Wayfair. Is that sometimes more cost effective than replacing the countertop and repainting the vanity? On a smaller vanity, it could be. I think when you get into these big vanities that are 72-inch vanities, you get one for cheap, it's going to be a really cheap vanity. And just the effort to take the entire vanity out, get a new vanity, somehow get it up to that second floor. Part of this is just a labor cost. Me getting a six-foot-long vanity that weighs 350 pounds, and I need four guys to unload it off a truck and bring it in and go up the stairs. They hate me when I do that. That's why I try to, if we can, paint the vanity, change the top if it's a big vanity. But yeah, small vanities, 24 inches, 36 inches, sometimes it's better just to put a new one in. You can get a new one for 300 bucks sometimes. That makes sense. How much is it typically to just spray the cabinets, put in new counters? Because that's typically what we end up doing. Yeah, again, it depends on the size of the vanity, but it may be something where if you have a big 72-inch vanity with two faucets, countertop, if you're going to change the countertop, you might as well change the faucets too, because you're going to have to take them out anyway. So when you're doing all that, it might be somewhere in the range of $1,500 to $2,000, which it could sound like a lot, but the new vanity is probably$2,500, and they're going to charge you. That does not sound like a lot. I mean, because Ana and I know, I mean, how much would you say it would sell for more with what looks like almost a completely updated bathroom? Oh my gosh, yeah, I was going to say $10,000, $15,000. If they have quartz counters, and that's what the buyer sees, and it looks like a brand new bathroom because of that, yeah, we're adjusting $10,000 to $15,000. That's crazy. Let's talk about lighting next, because I feel like sometimes lighting can just completely kill the vibe in a place. Completely. Above this beautiful dining room is something that looks like your grandma's fixture, and you just cannot take your eyes off of it. That or a boob light. I just, I can't stand a boob light. Oh, the boob lights. Yes, so- What were they thinking when they made those lights? I don't know. Those were the cheap ones at Home Depot. That's what they were thinking. Yeah, exactly. Those are all what the developer put in when they put in the cheap finishes, and they're still sitting there 30 years later. But who made that shape? I mean, it's just a terrible shape. So that's the first thing we always get rid of. But beyond the actual fixture, the light itself, if the light that's in here right now is in a home, that bright white light, I can't stand it. It feels like a hospital. It's just so sterile. I do not want to feel like I'm at school or at the doctor's office when I'm walking through a property. There's a wattage that we tell sellers to put in. Jesse, do you know what it is? Yeah, so this is what you should do, actually. If you've got can lights throughout the home, and they're the lights that actually have the light bulbs in there, those are a huge pain. Because first of all, they're always going out. And every time they go out, you put another one in. You're like, okay, that doesn't match. Like this one is not the same wattage as the other ones. And over time, you'll notice that the trim around the can also gets yellowish. Or some people actually have like black trim around there. Just really, really dates it. So there's a very easy thing you can do. And I know you guys don't think you could, but I promise you, even you guys could swap those out. No, not me. You could. Maybe Anna, but not me. I'm not an electrician. They make it easy where it's just like screwing a light bulb. So you take that old can out. You can buy a new one at Home Depot for 10 bucks. And there's actually five different color temperatures on there. Before you put it in, you can actually choose which one you want. And then it's super easy to put in. It takes just a few minutes to take one out and put another one in. And you can do it throughout the whole house or we will do it for you if you'd like. But it's a very inexpensive change to make. It makes a huge difference. And they're LED. So you're not changing light bulbs. You don't even see the light bulb in there. And they look really, really clean. And it's just not going to stand out like your old ones are. I love that tip. The wattage that we recommend, if you're not going to do that, is 2700 and soft white. Soft white is the key. Soft white is definitely the key. But if you are going to have a fixture, just have your agent choose it. Because sometimes people try to put new fixtures in. And I'm sorry, but like the Sputnik, I just, I'm not into it anymore. There's certain things. I still love the Sputnik. No, the Sputnik is done. Anna's always a little more ahead than I am on trends. But I... Yeah, you like it. It's okay. I'm getting over it. So have your realtor advise you on these things. And we have a whole list of those. But honestly, like in new construction or just like a bland box, just changing out light fixtures can add so much personality, I feel like. Island lights, dining lights, like even bedroom lights. You can get a light, a very, very, very trendy, cool light fixture for $200. Literally. And it will change the whole room. So that is something that we have a whole list. We have a seller's guide that has all of these different light fixtures that we recommend. And they're really inexpensive. Wayfair, Home Depot even has some good ones. So that's something that we always recommend. Yeah. Along with that, I would say ceiling fans is in the same vein where sometimes you have those original, super cheap Home Depot ones that are white with like the three bulbs that come down. Yes. And it makes sounds when it's rotating, you know. So that's another one. Take a look and see how old those are and maybe change out a few. Yeah. And those ceiling fans, the new ones are, again, $150. I replaced one last week. They're super inexpensive and they make a huge difference. Okay. Next up, flooring. So the first thing we do when we walk into a place, if it has crusty carpet, obviously get rid of it. And it's super inexpensive. We did that in Buckingham as well. How much did that carpet? Do you remember how much that was? You know, it usually ends up being somewhere four to five dollars a square foot. Like it's really not that expensive to take it out, put new carpet and carpet pad in. So for like a typical single family home in Chicago basement, would you say that? If you had a thousand square feet, maybe it ends up costing you, again, $4,000 to $5,000. And that's to rip everything out, new carpet, new carpet pad, and they can do it in a day. And it just makes the property look fresh. And buyers I've noticed seem to get really grossed out if the carpet isn't in perfect shape. Totally. Yeah. Well, yeah, it's because it's gross. You don't know what's been there. Carpet can hide so much. So just replace it before you're going to have show. And so a buyer, at least, if they're going to take carpet, it's new and they know nobody else has done anything on it. Exactly. Yeah. I mean, you two, you two sold my home and that was one of the updates I did. I didn't have to update a lot, but after we moved out, brand new carpet in there. Yeah. Makes a big difference. You know, I'm now on the side where I've seen like putting nice updates in the home after I've moved out. And I'm thinking, I wish I could have had this carpet. How would every single seller says the same thing? Oh, I wish I would have done this five years ago. It's so it's such a common thing, but yeah, carpet makes a big difference. You know, there are some situations that we've talked about before where they have carpet and maybe they shouldn't. You know, I think in most places, bedrooms are fine. Basement's fine. But sometimes there's, especially in some condos in Chicago, you'll see like the living room and dining room is carpeted. Yeah, like 70s and 80s condos. We got to get rid of that. That's a that's a hard really, really dates the place. And even if you update the carpet, it's still just a carpet is there. So one of the things that we'll recommend sometimes is just to put like a luxury vinyl plank. So what that is, if you're not familiar, it's like a wood substitute. It's a composite material, super durable. It does not stain. It does not scratch way more durable than hardwood is. It's also cheaper and easier to install. And you have a lot more options in terms of colors and kind of styles with that. So I think that can be a good thing, depending on the price point of the property. I wouldn't recommend that on the first floor of a $2 million house, right? I think you got to go hardwood there. But some of these, you know, $500,000 condos downtown, like I think that's a great thing to put in some of the common areas if you've got carpet. Yeah, but it has to be the right one because I've gone into a lot of places, especially downtown condos, that the vinyl planks they've chosen are like have these stripes in them and a lot of variation in color or they're too gray. And they're very like grainy, yes. I can't stand gray. So, and I know a lot of buyers don't like that. So if you're going to do vinyl, I think it needs to look like a white oak or keep it light, keep very little variation. And the littlest thing can make it go wrong. Yeah. And I think some sellers are like, oh, I got this. Maybe you listen to this podcast and you're like, oh, now I know how to do it on my own. But the smallest color, if you choose the wrong color, the wrong kind, the wrong shape, the whole thing can go sideways. And honestly, I have gotten calls from sellers when I haven't seen their home. They're like, oh, I just painted. I just updated my bathroom. And I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm so excited to see it. And I walk in and I'm like, oh my God, you just devalued your home. Yeah. Like you just made it worse. So just make sure to consult an agent, a contractor like Jesse, because it really, the color and all these nuanced situations, like what is the price point of the property? Where is the property? What's the market like? All of these things matter. So even with flooring, like, you know, you got to match it to the paint too. Like it can totally clash with that. And I'm not good at picking it out. I know you two are a lot better than I am, but that's why we have a designer to say like, hey, if we're going to keep the paint this color, then we need to go this shade with the floor. Yeah. Speaking of that, what are your thoughts? I feel like sellers always ask us, should we be refinishing the floors before we go on the market? I have a lot of thoughts on this. Yeah. So the weird thing is, for whatever reason, unless it is a vacant property, buyers rarely look down. They are usually looking up and they very rarely see flooring imperfections. So unless it's really, really bad, very obvious, or it's just a hideous color, like a very, very red floor, we usually don't recommend doing the floors. And if they do need to redo the floors, if they had a dog and they're very scratched, honestly, that's something that we can offer credit for the seller because they probably want to pick their own color and whatnot. Agreed. That's not going to be the best return on investment. Again, unless they're really beat up, I think that you're not seeing that as much. And sometimes you'll have a few areas where maybe you had some bar stools and a couple of them were missing the felt and it's scuffed a little bit. Not a big deal. You could also go to Home Depot to have some touch-up pens where they have a whole variety of colors that were probably going to match close enough to your floor. I love those. And you want to do that a little bit and it costs you three bucks. Like I did that on my floor. It's, you know... I know. We had 10-year-old floors and they weren't perfect. It's got to be the right color though. Yeah, right. You don't want to mess it up too much, but it's going to look better than having a big scuff mark, obvious scuff mark there. So if you can find something that's pretty close to your floors, cover that up a little bit, that's always a good thing. Yeah. All right. And there you have it. Those are the best renovations that you can do as a homeowner or seller to get top dollar from your sale. So now it's time. Let's read the Would You Rather question because I already forgot. The Would You Rather question is, would you rather be able to turn invisible when nobody is looking or fly, but only two feet off the ground? I mean, if you turn invisible, no one's looking. What's the point? But okay. So basically invisible or fly, but you can only two feet. So we're talking like right off the ground. I have thought I feel like, well, there's no limit as to how fast you can fly. We're just two feet off the ground. So for me, I'd rather fly because whatever, if I'm a foot off the ground, two feet off the ground, a mile off the ground, as long as I can be really quick with it. So you're going to be flying in between like people's legs. I could zoom around. I could find a vacant street. I could find like, maybe not in the city. I mean, yeah. Okay. So I've got a tape measure here. I always bring one everywhere I go. Let's see two feet. I mean, that's just enough for me. I'm afraid of heights. That's like going in and out of bushes. That is not fun. I think I need like at least 10 feet to make sure I'm over. I need like 100 feet for it to be fun. Are you kidding me? How cool would it be to zoom around people? Yeah. It's like a hoverboard, like those things that people ride, but you don't even need that. I'm going invisible. When no one's looking. But if it's visible, invisible people are looking, that's different, but it's when no one's looking. So what's the point? You can just... All right, Jesse, what's your answer? I think the invisibility thing would be, I think that'd be my choice. The two feet, not high enough. Yeah, I agree. I want to fly. I'm sorry. I can think of three people's houses that I would love to be in without them knowing I'm there, just to hear what goes on. But it's when no one's looking. Are we just talking about invisibility here in general? Or it's when... Because I heard when no one's looking, which changes everything. But if it's just invisibility, then yes, I agree with you guys. You're interpreting it as you can only be invisible if no one's looking at you, but as soon as they look at you, you're there again. So what's the point? Then I would just rather hide in their bathroom. But aren't you invisible anyway, if no one's looking? Exactly. That's why that question makes no sense to me. And if no one's looking, I'm basically invisible. I'm still going invisible. I'm flying. If I can be invisible when I want, then I think that would have some benefits. The two feet, if it was higher, like you said, I think maybe I'd go in that direction. But yeah, the two feet is a deal breaker for me. I'll be zooming past you guys to my car. I can fly. And we'll be listening to your conversation without you knowing. And that is it. I'm so happy that we had our very first guest, Jessie Scherr. Thanks so much for being here. Hopefully you all got some insight into what renovations you're going to do when you sell. Thanks so much for listening.