Decision tools
Pre-Sale Improvement Planner
Not every project is worth doing before you list. Enter your own cost and value estimates for each one, and this tool groups them into what's worth addressing first, what's worth considering, and what to reconsider.
Direct answer:list the repairs and improvements you’re considering, along with your own cost and value-added estimate for each, and this calculator groups them by how they compare — required items first, then strong-value projects, then anything where the cost meets or exceeds the value it’s likely to add. It updates instantly as you type — no form submission required, and no generic industry ROI figures are ever supplied for you.
Your budget before listing
Candidate improvements
Enter your own cost and value-added estimates for each item — ideally from a contractor quote and your agent’s read on comparable renovated sales, not a generic rule of thumb. This tool never supplies a “typical ROI” figure of its own.
Recommended cost
$9,500
Address-first + worth-considering items
Estimated value added
$16,000
Based on your own estimates, not a market guarantee
Estimated time
17 days
If done back-to-back — real scheduling varies
Address first
Required items, free items with any positive value, or your own numbers show value added at roughly 1.5x cost or more.
Fix roof leakRequired
$3,000 cost · $2,000 estimated value added · 3 days
-$1,000
Fresh interior paint
$2,500 cost · $6,000 estimated value added · 5 days
+$3,500
Declutter & deep clean
$0 cost · $3,000 estimated value added · 2 days
+$3,000
Worth considering
Your own numbers show positive value added, but at a more modest ratio to cost.
Minor kitchen refresh
$4,000 cost · $5,000 estimated value added · 7 days
+$1,000
Reconsider
Your own numbers show cost at or above the estimated value added.
Full kitchen remodel
$35,000 cost · $20,000 estimated value added · 30 days
-$15,000
These groupings are based entirely on the cost and value-added estimates you entered — this tool never supplies its own “typical ROI” figures, since real returns vary enormously by market, property condition, and buyer pool. Required items are flagged because they can affect inspection results or buyer confidence even when the dollar math alone wouldn’t recommend them. Get a second opinion from a contractor and your agent before committing a budget.
Your numbers, not a national average
A kitchen remodel's ROI depends on your kitchen, your market, and your buyers.
National “average ROI by project” surveys get repeated everywhere, but they blend markets, price points, and existing condition in ways that rarely match any one property. A contractor quote and your agent’s read on comparable renovated sales in your actual market are worth more than any published average.
Methodology
How the groupings are calculated.
For each improvement, net value is simply your estimated value added minus its cost. Required items — safety issues, code violations, deferred maintenance — are always grouped first, regardless of that math, since they can affect inspection results or buyer confidence in ways a simple before-and-after dollar comparison doesn’t capture.
Everything else is grouped by how its estimated value added compares to its cost: free or no-cost improvements with any positive value, and improvements where value added is roughly 1.5 times cost or more, are grouped as address first. Positive-value improvements below that ratio are worth considering. Anything where cost meets or exceeds the estimated value added is grouped as reconsider. These are organizing buckets over your own numbers, not a researched or market-validated cutoff.
Worked example (hypothetical)
A $10,000 budget with a required $3,000 roof leak repair estimated to add $2,000; $2,500 in fresh interior paint estimated to add $6,000; a free declutter and deep clean estimated to add $3,000; a $4,000 minor kitchen refresh estimated to add $5,000; and a $35,000 full kitchen remodel estimated to add $20,000 groups the paint, decluttering, and roof repair as address first (the roof repair despite a negative net value, since it’s required); the kitchen refresh as worth considering; and the full remodel as reconsider, since its $35,000 cost exceeds its $20,000 estimated value added. The recommended items total $9,500 — within the $10,000 budget. Change any number above to see how it moves — this example is illustrative only, not a projection for any specific property.
Downside cases
- Value-added estimates are your own — projects frequently cost more and add less value than initially expected, especially without a firm contractor bid.
- A “reconsider” grouping doesn’t mean don’t do it — it means the entered numbers don’t support it. Some projects are worth doing anyway for reasons this tool can’t weigh (personal enjoyment, a true necessity you haven’t marked required).
- Estimated timelines assume projects run back-to-back with no delays — real contractor scheduling, permitting, and material availability frequently push timelines out.
National considerations
Contractor availability, material costs, and permitting timelines vary significantly by market and by season.
Utah considerations
Which improvements matter most to buyers varies by Utah county and price point — see Utah-specific market guidance for the regional detail behind these assumptions.
Author: Todd McClean, Realtor® | Real Estate Investment Strategist, Mountainland Realty, Inc.. Reviewed July 26, 2026. This tool provides general real estate information and is not legal, tax, accounting, lending, securities, commodities, or financial-planning advice.
Frequently asked questions
Does this tool tell me the ROI of a kitchen remodel or bathroom update?
Why does a required item stay at the top even with a negative number?
What does "reconsider" mean — should I never do those improvements?
Do I need to fill in every field for every improvement?
Related
Go deeper before you commit a budget.
Next step
Want a second opinion on the list?
Tell us what you’re considering. A strategic review adds real comparable-sale and contractor-market context this calculator can’t know.