By Dan DiClerico,
Good Housekeeping, Mar 26, 2026
Spring is in the air, which means peak home-selling season is right around the corner. It’s shaping up to be a buyer’s market in 2026, with the number of homes on the market outpacing the number of buyers by nearly 50 percent, according to the latest data from Redfin, the real estate brokerage and website.
That means if you’re looking to sell your home, it’s more important than ever to get it market-ready. “Think of it like a popularity contest,” says Boise, Idaho-based real estate agent Nicole Stewart. “You need to do everything you can to make your home stand out from the pack.”
Even if you’re not planning to sell anytime soon, it always pays to consider ROI (that’s “return on investment”) when making home improvements. Our experts in the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab teamed up with real estate and remodeling pros from around the country to see which projects have the biggest bang for their buck in today’s tight market.
Here are the best ways to spend your remodeling dollars.
1. Give the kitchen a facelift
“The kitchen sells the home” is one of the oldest adages in real estate—and with good reason. It’s the room prospective buyers gravitate to first and the one where they will imagine themselves the most. That doesn’t mean you should gut-renovate the kitchen before selling. Instead, focus on high-contact surfaces, fixtures, and hardware. “Updating the things buyers will touch every day, like counters, the faucet, and cabinetry pulls, will instantly make a home feel newer and better maintained,” says Tamara Mattox-Kabat, a real estate agent and interior designer in Denver. If there’s more budget, repainting the cabinets will breathe new life into the units and transform the room's look and feel.
Tip from the Lab: In our cabinet paint tests, hybrid alkyd enamel formulas delivered better results than standard paint, combining smooth, easy application with a hard, furniture-grade finish that can stand up to the busiest kitchen.
2. Deal with water issues
Water is enemy number one for any homeowner. “Real estate agents and their buyers will zero in on any sign of leaks or water damage,” says Kendra Sinclair, Home Trends Expert at Thumbtack, the home services marketplace. Water-stained ceilings, soft drywall, and warped floorboards are all signs of leaks that need to be addressed—of course, after you’ve identified and dealt with the source of the water.
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Tip from the Lab: Prevention is key to avoiding water issues. Keep gutters clear so that they can direct water away from the house. Inside the home, smart leak detectors, like the Home Reno Award-winning First Alert L1Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector, will alert you to leaks before they become catastrophic.
3. Pump up the curb appeal
The kitchen might be king, but first impressions are formed the moment buyers drive or walk up to the house. Create an inviting front entrance with small touches, like potted plants and a new welcome mat. “Painting the front door is another small project with huge payoff,” adds Mattox-Kabat. “Homes with black front doors consistently feel more elevated and attract more buyer interest.”
Pressure washing the siding will freshen up the exterior. Real estate pros also recommend cleaning or replacing the garage door if it’s been through years of wear and tear. In fact, the garage door replacement is the project with the highest cost recouped, a whopping 268%, in the Journal of Light Construction’s latest Cost Versus Value Report. (Entry door replacement also registers high on ROI, if a simple paint job isn’t enough to breathe fresh life into yours).
Tip from the Lab: During pressure washer testing, our experts found it’s generally safe to use the equipment on garage doors made of wood and fiberglass, though we advise sticking with the lowest pressure setting, as higher pressure can damage the finish and wood fibers. Don’t use a pressure washer on metal garage doors; it can nick the finish, leading to premature rust and corrosion.
4. Declutter and deep clean
Clutter and grime are two of the biggest turn-offs for would-be buyers. Give the entire home a thorough cleaning, including vacuuming, dusting, and wiping down surfaces. “I always tell my clients to have their carpets professionally cleaned a day or two before the open house,” says Kellie Martinez, a real estate agent based in Orange County, CA.
If your home is severely cluttered, or if you're downsizing and need help culling your possessions, it might be worth hiring a professional organizer. The National Association of Productivity & Organizing website has a national directory you can use to find professionals in your area.
Tip from the Lab: Don’t forget about smell, including cooking odors. It’s always best practice to crack windows and run kitchen exhaust fans early and often during meal prep. If your home uses forced-air heating and cooling, replacing the system’s air filter will help capture odors. Using an air purifier will also help improve your home’s indoor air quality.
5. Add a fresh coat of interior paint
It’s easy to say to yourself, “why paint the house now when the new owner is probably going to paint it again in their own colors?” That might be true, but it’s still critical to give your home a fresh paint job, preferably in a neutral white that creates a blank canvas, allowing prospective buyers to imagine themselves in the home.
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The good news is you probably don’t have to paint every room in the house. If the walls and ceilings are in decent shape, taking care of any scuffs or smudges with a Magic Eraser might be enough to get the job done. “Baseboards tend to show a lot of wear and tear, so it might be worth making them look fresh and shiny with a coat of semi-gloss paint,” says Martinez.
Tip from the Lab: Skip the pricey designer paints. Many budget-friendly brands perform as well, if not better, in our interior paint tests, fending off stains and scratches. When making touchups, it’s important to use the same finish, such as flat or eggshell, otherwise the level of shine will be off.
6. Expand the living space
Anytime you increase the amount of usable living space in your home, you increase its market value. Finishing a basement or attic is one strategy, though those projects get pricey fast. Adding an outdoor living space is often a more cost-effective strategy. “If there’s room in the backyard, popping in a pergola or gazebo and some outdoor seating creates an instant outdoor room,” says Martinez.
Tip from the Lab: Adding a fire pit is a great way to warm up an outdoor living area. Our tests are turning up more smokeless fire pits that provide ambience without all the fumes.
7. Increase the light
Opening blinds and curtains during the open house will maximize the amount of natural light coming into the home. Take stock of the lighting plan in your home, too. Change out the lightbulbs so that they’re all the same brightness from room to room,” says Stewart. It’s also a good idea to replace any outdated or rusted light fixtures, especially in high-traffic areas, like the kitchen and bathrooms.