What renovations give the best return on investment?

Are you thinking about increasing the value of your home, but are not quite sure what you should be doing? What is going to give you the best return on your time and money investment? Here are a couple of ideas that I have found in my years in real estate, and also from doing my homework: 1. Painting - this is one of the renovations that you are going to realize a profit with. Tasteful, neutral colours inside and out will help increase the value of the property with a small amount of investment, especially if you do the painting yourself. However, make sure that the job looks professional. Estimated payback up to 300%. 2. Kitchen remodeling - the kitchen is one of the main rooms in the house. Remodeling can be expense so careful planning and shopping are a must. Estimated payback 60% and up. Careful not to get too carried away as it can be costly and your return on investment could decrease. 3. Bathroom remodeling - the bathroom is another busy place in the house. Check the medicine cabinet. How does it look on the outside? How about the inside? Is there rust? Cracked mirror? Once again, some careful planning and shopping helps out here. Just replacing your medicine cabinet to one that is new and clean can make a big difference. Also, how many bathrooms are in your house? Compare that number to the number of bedrooms. 4 bedrooms and 1 bathroom can make for an unhappy household. If you have roughed in plumbing, it might be worth finishing it off and getting that extra bathroom installed. You do not need to go overboard, but having that extra bathroom could be that extra selling feature that a buyer is looking for.