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Selling Your Home? These Are the Upgrades Buyers Actually Want

March 23, 2023

3 min Read

Written by Gabrielle Olya

Edited by Renee Ross

A contemporary kitchen renovation remodeling featuring a center island, hardwood floor and quartz counter.

YinYang / Getty Images

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If you’re currently selling your home to take advantage of the hot real estate market, you may want to make a few upgrades before listing so that you’re able to get the best offer possible. But don’t waste your money on renovations that buyers don’t actually care about.

See:

Coldwell Banker surveyed over 2,000 Americans in 2021 to find out what upgrades buyers actually want — and these are the projects worth investing in.

Kitchen Upgrades

Average cost of installing or replacing cabinets: $5,760
Average cost of refinishing cabinets: $2,997
Average cost of new countertops: $3,100

Kitchen upgrades, such as freshly painted cabinets, new cabinets and new countertops, are the No. 1 thing buyers want, with 45% of those surveyed saying that this is a must-have.

Bathroom Upgrades

Average cost of a bathroom remodel: $11,335

Forty-four percent of those surveyed consider upgraded bathrooms a must-have.

Updated HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical

Average cost to replace an HVAC system: $7,000
Average cost to replace plumbing: $358 to $2,001
Average cost to upgrade or replace an electrical panel: $1,268

Only 19% of those surveyed consider updating their HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems a must-do update before selling their homes, yet 43% consider this a must-have if they were to buy a home.

New Appliances

Average cost of a cooktop: $320 (low-end) to $4,030 (high-end)
Average cost of a refrigerator: $500 (low-end) to $12,000 (high-end)
Average cost of a washing machine: $445 (low-end) to $2,300 (high-end)
Average cost of a dryer: $445 (low-end) to $2,100 (high-end)

Buyers are seeking homes with new stoves, refrigerators, washing machines and dryers — 38% consider this a must.

Updated Interior or Exterior Paint

Average cost to paint home interior: $1,951
Average cost to paint home exterior: $3,087

Both sellers and buyers are aligned about the desire for a fresh coat of paint — 34% of sellers say this is a must-do upgrade and 34% of buyers say this is a must-have upgrade.

Carpet Cleaning or Installation of New Carpets

Average cost to clean carpets: $180
Average cost to install carpets: $1,775

Unsurprisingly, buyers do not want to buy a home with dirty or worn carpets. One-third of those surveyed say that cleaning or installing new carpets is a must-have for buyers.