5 Home Improvements To Increase Value: 2026 Trends
Remodeling activity is expected to keep growing in 2026, driven by aging homes, high home equity and homeowners staying put. We'll help you identify which projects are likely to add to your property value — and which projects to avoid.
Katie J. Skipper
(She, Her, Hers)
BECU Community Content Manager
Updated Aug 3, 2026 in:
Mortgages & Home
Takeaways: What To Know Before You Remodel
- Most large remodels recoup only part of their cost, so decide upfront whether a project is for your enjoyment or your eventual sale.
- In the Pacific region, exterior updates pay back best: Garage doors, stone veneer and steel entry doors top the list.
- A minor kitchen refresh recoups far more than a high-end chef's kitchen, because buyers pay for updates, not custom features.
- Pools, wall-to-wall carpet and highly personal layouts can lower resale value in this market.
- The projects homeowners love most typically aren't the ones that recoup the most money. Know which kind of value you're after.
If you've noticed more remodeling projects in your neighborhood, you're probably not imagining it. Across Seattle and the Northwest, remodeling activity remains strong for reasons that are expected to stay consistent for a while.
The first is simply age. The typical American home was 42 years old in in 2024, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Older houses need work, and home equity has climbed sharply since 2020, giving more homeowners a way to pay for it.
Most homeowners want to upgrade worn-out surfaces and materials, improve energy efficiency or make other changes, according to the latest report from the National Association of Realtors (PDF).
Bathrooms, kitchens and whole-house renovations remain the most common projects, according to the home builders' association. Industry forecasts call for remodeling activity to rise 3% in 2026 and another 2% in 2027, so expect those contractors' trucks to stick around.
But before you join your neighbors and start a remodeling project of your own, consider why you're remodeling and whether that new kitchen is worth what you're about to pay.
What “Return on Investment” and “Value” Mean
Spending money on your house and adding value to your house are two different things.
If you write a $50,000 check for a kitchen renovation, you haven't necessarily made the house worth $50,000 more. “Value" in real estate usually means what will the next person be willing to pay for this house, compared to what they would have paid before you made the change.
Homebuyers don't care what you spent. They see the result and decide what it's worth to them.
But there's another kind of value. The National Association of Realtors' Remodeling Impact Report surveys how happy homeowners are once the work is done on a scale of 1 to 10. A primary bedroom suite, a kitchen upgrade and new roofing each earned a perfect 10. The average across projects was 8.2.
As an example, a new garage door tends to more than pay for itself, according to the home builders' survey. But homeowners surveyed by the Realtors' association give it a below-average Joy Score of 7.
This article focuses on the first kind — resale — but the projects people love most (adding a primary bedroom suite, kitchen upgrades), according to the Realtors' survey, barely overlap with the ones that recoup the most cost, so it's worth knowing which you're after.
Renovations for you: If you'll live in the house another 10 years and the kitchen makes you miserable, fix it. But this is a quality-of-life decision, not an investment. Money back at sale may provide a partial refund, but it's not the point.
Renovations for the buyer: Listing your home for sale in eight months? Think about your future house listing now. You want renovations that are affordable, visible and reliably recouped, like paint, a decent garage door or a bathroom that doesn't seem dated.
Either way, a home improvement loan can help you achieve your goals.
5 Valuable Home Improvements in 2026
One of our favorite tools is the Journal of Light Construction's annual report. It lists the average home improvement project cost and the money you're likely to recoup at sale.
You can look at national, regional, city and zip code statistics. You can sort by project name, job cost, resale value and the percentage of recouped costs.
The list doesn't differentiate between do-it-yourself and professional work, so if you go the DIY route, you'll likely spend less than the prices listed — but the amount recouped depends on how well you do the work.
The figures below lead with the Pacific region, with national averages and Seattle averages for comparison.
1. Garage Door Replacement
A new garage door updates the look of the home and adds to curb appeal. This home improvement gives the best return on investment of all upgrades surveyed.
The survey compared results for a fairly heavy-duty, well-insulated four-section steel door with glass windows across the top panel.
This project is also at the top of the JLC's list of home improvements that increase value in the Pacific region (Washington, Oregon, California and Alaska), where you could recoup an estimated average of almost 262% of the cost you pay. If you live in Seattle, the change isn't worth as much — only around 123% of cost recouped.
It's on the low end for project costs, averaging $4,604 in the Pacific region, and $4,672 nationally. But the value averages $12,063 in the Pacific and $12,507, nationally, almost two and a half times what you might expect to pay for it.
In Seattle, a new garage door cost is $5,290, and you get $6,521 back.
2. Manufactured Stone Veneer Installation
Homebuyers — particularly homebuyers in the Pacific but outside Seattle — still like a little rock on their homes. Running manufactured stone siding along the lower third of the street-facing façade averages just over $13,180 in our region, and recoups almost 232% of costs, according to the JLC report.
Nationally, the same project costs less — at $11,702 — but you also recover less, at almost 208% of the costs when you sell.
It's also not a great sale investment in Seattle, where installing a stone veneer won't recoup your cost of $13,643. The estimated resale value is just around $12,244.
3. Steel Entry Door
Another low-cost, high-return swap like the garage door? Replacing your exterior front door with a steel and glass door that has a clear glass panel for the top half. The cost is about $2,545 in the Pacific, according to the JLC report.
You could possibly recoup your spend with an estimated average resale value of $5,228 or 205% of your costs.
In Seattle, the job costs are similar but you recoup less (around 157%).
Nationally, the project is worth a bit more, at 216% — as the project costs $2,435 and recoups $5,270.
4. Siding Replacement
As homes age, their siding shows it. Common options for siding replacement include vinyl and fiber cement. Hardier fiber-cement is generally preferred in the Pacific and nationally.
Replacing 1,250 feet of existing siding with new fiber-cement siding isn't cheap, with costs around $22,555 in the Pacific, according to the report. Your costs will also vary depending on the size of your home.
The report estimates siding replacement recoups around 130% of costs in the Pacific region. That's a higher return rate than the national average at almost 114%.
However, in Seattle, buyers aren't as sold on the idea. Replacing siding only recovers almost 57% of costs at resale. Surprisingly, vinyl siding recovers more (slightly) at 66%. If you're a Seattle homeowner who wants to replace siding, do it for yourself, not to get a higher sale price.
5. Minor Mid-Range Kitchen Remodel
If your goal is to recoup as much of your costs as possible, it's better to go with a minor mid-range kitchen remodel than a fancy chef's kitchen, according to the JLC report — particularly if you live in Seattle.
At $29,728, the average Pacific region kitchen remodel cost is more than the national average cost for a minor remodel of a 200 square foot kitchen ($28,458). But the projects in the Pacific region do recoup more at about 129% versus 113% nationally.
In Seattle, this type of project is the third-highest cost recouped at 118%. The costs add up to $32,271 with just over $38,000 recouped.
What goes into a minor midrange remodel? The survey's comparison included the following:
- Replacing the cabinet and drawer fronts with Shaker-style panels and fronts.
- Energy efficient range and fridge.
- Laminate countertops and mid-priced sink and faucet.
- New resilient floors.
- Fresh paint for walls, trim and ceiling.
Projects That Can Cost You at Resale
Not every home project is an improvement. These projects could decrease your home's value, so you might think twice before you invest in them.
A Swimming Pool
Although pools can be a selling point in other parts of the country, in the rainier Northwest, a pool can be harder sell.
Regional real estate and lending guides note that many local buyers view a pool as a maintenance burden rather than a draw — and it can narrow your buyer pool, especially among parents of young children. Nationally, pools recover only about 40–60% of installation cost, and that figure tends to run lower in cold, short-season climates.
Wall-to-Wall Carpet
According to interviews with Realtors and contractors, wall-to-wall carpet and patterned carpet might read as a future replacement expense for buyers, particularly if installed in the living room. Buyers generally prefer durable, practical flooring like engineered wood, hardwood or luxury vinyl plank.
Overly Custom Changes
Creative changes to your home's layout or space may not recoup your investment and could limit your buyer pool. The JLC survey revealed low scorers included adding primary suites, bathrooms and accessory dwelling units (ADUs). That's fine if you're staying, but think twice if you're selling soon.
For example, an upscale primary suite renovation only recovers 18.6% of the cost in the Pacific, and about 16% in Seattle.
Prioritize projects that make you more comfortable and your home more functional while living there. But, unless you're never planning to move, avoid changes that are too customized or personal, or you could decrease your property value.
General Tips for Value
Know your market. Some advice is timeless and universal, but costs and tastes change over time and differ by region. National return-on-investment figures are a starting point only. A big investment in a stone façade that sells in Spokane might fall flat even nearby in Seattle.
Visibility wins. Buyers form an impression before they walk through the door. The Cost vs. Value report has found for years that exterior replacement projects — garage doors, entry doors, siding — typically deliver more resale value than large discretionary interior remodels. Expensive interior projects make the most sense for people planning to stay put for a while.
Set your budget. Home improvement, whether you do it yourself or hire professionals, will lead to costs that could add to the value of your home. But you'll only enjoy those potential financial benefits when you sell the house, so budget carefully for changes. See if a compromise could work, such as refreshing a kitchen over gutting it. Evaluate different ways to pay for home improvements as you think through your budget.
You'll pay to prep. You'll likely need to spend some money to prepare your home to sell it — such as furniture staging — no matter what you do today. If you're preparing to sell, ensure the colors and materials you choose are on trend, aligned with your home's architectural style and consistent with the character of the neighborhood. For flexible funding on staged projects, a HELOC might help.
Home Remodeling Value FAQs
What Are Some Recommended Remodeling Projects To Do Before Selling?
Realtors are most likely to recommend painting the whole house, painting one interior room, replacing the roof, upgrading the kitchen and renovating the bathroom, according to the National Association of Realtors' report.
What Are Reasons People Renovate?
In addition to personal preferences, worn-out materials and increased home equity, the home builders' association report suggests homeowners who locked in low mortgage rates in the early 2020s would rather update the kitchen than trade that rate for a new one. A third contributing factor is aging in place. Nearly three-quarters of remodeling businesses say requests for age-friendly features have risen over the past five years, from grab bars to wider doorways to first-floor bedrooms.
How Is Remodeling ROI Calculated?
Return on investment is resale value divided by cost. A project's estimated dollar boost to your home's sale price, measured against what the work typically costs. In national surveys and reports, the ROI is an estimate based on typical costs and value added at resale. Your own return shifts with the details. Pay an above-market price for the work or top-of-line finishes, and your recovery rate drops, so treat these numbers as a starting point.
Should I Remodel Before Selling My House?
Often yes, but keep the projects cheap, visible and broadly appealing. Think "street appeal." Once you're preparing to list, you're removing reasons for a buyer to lowball or walk away. Fresh paint is one such reliable move, with a triple hit of low cost, high visibility and strong recovery. In contrast, a major kitchen or bath overhaul rarely returns what you spend. Save the big, personal projects for a home you plan to stay in.
Final Takeaway
While these five projects recover the most cost, they aren't the projects homeowners love most. In the National Association of Realtors' Remodeling Impact Report, primary bedroom suites, kitchen upgrades and new roofing earned perfect satisfaction scores, and none tops the cost-recovery list. Both kinds of value are real. Decide which one you're buying before the money leaves your hands.
The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public; it does not give personalized financial, tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional advice. Before taking any action, you should always seek the assistance of a professional who knows your particular situation when making financial, legal, tax, investment, or any other business and professional decisions that affect you and/or your business.
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Katie J. Skipper
(She, Her, Hers)
BECU Community Content Manager