Renovate versus buy new?

In the last few weeks, one topic has come up repeatedly among people I've talked to who are thinking of buying a new home, so I thought I would mention it here. With home prices rising so fast, people are really excited to hear about the values of their own home, but when they think of what the money they will clear in a sale will actually buy them in today's rising market, the excitement tends to fade a bit.

In a lot of cases, people ask, "well, what if I stay put and take the money I might have used to buy a new home and use it to renovate the one I'm already in?"

The answer from a realtor's point of view is that it depends why you are doing it. Do you want to stay put because you love the house, love the location, love the schools and can't imagine living anywhere else? Are you thinking it will increase the value of your home? Or are you doing it because you are concerned about the cost of a new mortgage?

Whether you decide to renovate or move, the cost to do either can be considerable. Some factors to consider in your decision include:

• Do you need more space, or a larger yard?
• Do you want better schools, parks and community facilities?
• Do you want to be closer to family or friends?
• Are you looking for less expensive housing or wanting to downsize?
• Do you want a better neighborhood or a new lifestyle?

Before deciding to renovate, make sure the improvements you are considering are not overimprovements. Consider the neighborhood and market prices of comparable homes in the area. If your home is currently worth $300K and you are considering spending $80K to renovate, will the home be marketable in the $380K range? If not, you may be taking on a great deal of additional debt that you may not be able to recover upon sale. It might be time to accept that this home may have met your needs once, but perhaps it is time to consider moving to a home that fits your needs now.

My advice as a realtor to those faced with this choice is to speak with a contractor and get a valid cost estimate for the improvements you are considering. Then speak with a realtor to find out whether there are any homes currently on the market that meet your needs better than your current home, and ask whether the planned improvements would add enough to the value of the home to merit the cost.

A general rule of thumb is to never spend more than 25% of the value of your home on renovations or improvements. Kitchen and bathroom renovations are usually a safe bet, because they often add more to the value of the home than they cost to accomplish, but other types of renovations can be riskier.

Some guidelines for those considering renovations include:

• It costs 50 percent more to demolish a brick wall than timber
• It is cheaper to extend out than up
• Swimming pools rarely add value (especially in Seattle!), though in some parts of the country, most notably Florida and California, not having one can detract from value
• Architects cost less than you think and can actually save you time and money
• Get at least three quotes from reputable builders and contractors, check references, and check their work
• Consider all your options thoroughly--including moving to a new home--before making a decision.
• If you are doing the work yourself, be sure to get a permit! This will ensure that you don't run into any marketability issues later--and this point is absolutely critical for those on septic considering adding bedrooms to their home.

Here's some more information on the cost vs. value of a variety of remodeling projects.