How to Choose Your Remodeling Project

When making the decision on which project to do I often tell homeowners there are several factors to consider and depending on your situation one project may be more profitable or beneficial to you than it would be to someone else. With the down turn in the economy there has been a lot of emphasis on the Return on Investment (ROI) of a project. There are several factors to consider when deciding on a project especially if you are not looking to sell any time soon.

1. What value will you get out of the remodel?
- This is the first and foremost question that I always ask when several projects are being considered. If you are going to stay in the home for any period of time you are going to get a certain amount of use out of the remodel. If you are considering a kitchen and a home office and you love to cook but rarely ever work from home then the obvious answer to this question for you is the kitchen. Remember your home is something you should enjoy not just look at as an investment.

2. Does the room in question date the home?
- Most of the time this comes in to question when considering the two large projects in the home, bathroom and kitchen remodels. When considering either one of these, ask yourself if they date the home. I am able to often times date a home based on the kitchen and bathroom alone.

3. Does the room need repairs?
- Does the room have problems that may result in bigger damages if they are not fixed? This is a good indicator to move the project up higher on your priority list. It may seem odd that this is a factor in choosing a remodel but I’ve seen individuals select items such as home offices when their bathroom was outdated and the faucets were already leaking. Also if the room needs repairs and you are going to be doing it anyway it may be a good time to remodel. I’ve always told clients you can turn a bad event such as a water damage into a good one by going ahead and remodeling the room. You already have to do the work why not get what you want out of it.

4. Are you going to be selling soon?
- Finally if you are going to be selling soon then you need to consider the ROI but you also need consider other aspects of the home as well. Review the questions above and then finally ask yourself based on the above question will the selected project help improve your chances of buying your home if you were the one looking to buy it?