The Rachel Cruze Show - 5 Home Upgrades That Pay You Back (and 4 to Skip!)

Starting point is 00:00:05 Owning a home is a major financial win and a big responsibility. So whether you are revamping the home that you're in to make it a long-term home or maybe you're looking to sell soon, here are five smart, cost-effective updates and four common mistakes to avoid. Now make sure to like, subscribe, and share this episode with a friend. All right, we'll start off with the positives. So the upgrades that are worth it. Number one, your kitchen and bath.

Starting point is 00:00:30 Yes, this will pay you back. These are two spaces that often require the biggest overhaul because you have flooring, cabinetry, fixtures, appliances. Like, there's a lot that goes into this. But according to a 2025 study, a minor kitchen remodel can increase your home's value by 13%, a.k.a. you earn back 113% of what you spent on it. So it's a great investment. Now, make sure to choose more light to neutral colors.

Starting point is 00:00:59 I think that obviously is just better for people to envision. their life in that versus like loud things, loud colors. We don't want that. All right, number two, neutral tile and hardwood are always a plus. So when we're talking about kitchens and bathrooms, tile and hardwood floors are a great way to update those spaces and really add some value. Now just make sure you choose colors and tones again that are natural. You know, again, it feels a little bit, you know, that people can just imagine themselves there. The millennials, we love are gray, but I would say start to stay away from that. Number three, new carpet is better than old carpet. So if you can't afford to do hardwoods, you know, cross the house, just new carpet is

Starting point is 00:01:44 great. You know, less carpet is ideal for a lot of buyers, but clean carpet, new carpet feels better. It feels fresh. It feels clean. No one likes old carpet. Ew. No, we don't want that. Number four, a new garage store goes a long way. So did you know that replacing your garage store actually has a huge ROI. According to that same cost value report, that project would recoup 268% of what you've spent on it, which on average is about $4,600. So an additional $12,500 in resale value. It's not funny that garage doors, but like that's a thing. They look nice. People like it. It just ups the curbobile. Speaking of curbobile, number five, landscaping, man, that will get you some sweat equity for sure. So if you don't have margins for like really big expensive updates,

Starting point is 00:02:40 honestly, just going and pulling weeds and scrubbing your windows and putting a fresh coat of paint on your shutters and your mailbox, all of that goes a really long way. And it doesn't have to cost a ton because it's just manual labor. But man, it can make a house, you can transform a house, even just by the landscape. All right, before I share the four updates that you should avoid at all costs, I do want to tell you about one of our sponsors that I love, and that is Minnow. So teaching your kids that Christmas means more than just the gifts, it can be a little complicated. And that's why I'm so excited to tell you about Minow's laugh and grow Bible for kids' Christmas special, bringing the true meaning of Christmas to life for your kids.

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Starting point is 00:04:28 paintings or murals, really bold paint colors, custom tile, you know, that's really intricate, giant funky light fixtures, like all of this. Like if it's like, wow, big and loud, because that's your personality, that's great. And if that's the house you want to live in, you make it your house. I mean, 100%. But when you go to sell it, potential buyers may struggle. If you're going to sell, maybe like tone down some of that if you can because it's going to be helpful. Number two, don't lose a bedroom. So say you have two small bedrooms and you want to make it one large one, you know, you can knock down that wall. And, you know, that may be what you want to do, but that's not going to help your overall value.

Starting point is 00:05:09 Because more bedrooms in the listing, the more it's worth. Which brings me to number three, keep multiple bathroom types. So if you have one bathroom and it's just a shower, that's great. But if you have another bathroom with a tub and a shower, like, keep that. because if you have multiple, you know, kids and you're going to buy a home, you want to see, okay, what are some other areas? Like, what room will the kids use and all of this? So when you have multiple options, especially with bathrooms, that's great. So that investment, it's almost like when you're investing your money, diversify, you know, have a lot of different things,

Starting point is 00:05:42 and that would be considered the layout of your bathrooms. All right, number four, hurts my heart a little bit, but swimming pools, yeah, they're almost always a money pit. Rarely do you get the cost of the swimming pool that you put in out when someone is buying your home. And again, all of these things that we're talking about, if this is like your jam and it's what you want, we put in a pool, do it because it's going to create a life that you want, and we are all about that. But just remember not to do so much of this, that you're putting so much money in that you're not going to get it out. You have to be smart about some of this too. All right, when you are looking for resources to buy or sell your home, make sure to check out Ramsey Trusted because there is access, again, to resources, real estate pros out

Starting point is 00:06:21 there that can walk you through the home ownership process from start to finish, whether you're buying or selling. Or if you're weighing the pros and cons between building and buying, you'll definitely want to check out my episode, Building versus Buying a Home, which is better. You can click right here for that video, or if you're listening on podcast, I'll leave a link below. All right, you guys, remember to take control of your money and create a life you love.

The Rachel Cruze Show - 5 Home Upgrades That Pay You Back (and 4 to Skip!)

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