A home is the largest investment most people will make in their lifetime, so when it comes time to sell, homeowners often wonder what they can do to get the most return on their investment. Many have the misconception that remodeling is the way to go, but that isn’t always the case. Rather than going all-in on upgrading your home, you should know which home improvements are worth it, and which ones aren’t.

We’ve sifted through the research and come up with a quick list of five home improvements that’ll help buyers fall in love with your home when it comes time to sell.

1. Add a little curb appeal 

Curb appeal is critical. As the name suggests, it’s the first thing buyers see when pulling up to the front of any home so it needs to be in nearly pristine condition. Start with the garage door for the most immediate return. According to Remodeling Magazine’s 2018 Cost vs. Value report and Money.com, the cost of updating your worn builder-grade garage door with an upscale steel model is about $3,470, and it’ll boost your home’s value by 98.3 percent of the installation price, which means you’ll lose about $60 when it’s all said and done.

Landscaping can also go along way for a minimal upfront investment. Six rounds of fertilizer and weed control will set you back about $330, but when it comes time to sell, you’ll see an ROI of about $1,000 according to a survey by the National Association of Realtors.

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BY ANDREA V. BRAMBILA, Staff Writer

Seattle-based brokerage Windermere Real Estate has launched a new marketing campaign highlighting not its considerable technology chops, but its agents’ willingness to go above and beyond for their clients.

The campaign follows the company’s $10 million rebranding effort last year, in which Windermere unveiled a new logo, and a celebration earlier this month in which the company marked its 30-year anniversary and a $38 million funding milestone for its nonprofit Windermere Foundation. Windermere has more than 300 offices and 6,500 agents in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Mexico.

“We’re lucky to have a brand with such a rich legacy, but we have to continue to innovate and press forward,” said OB Jacobi, Windermere’s president, in a statement.

“The brand refresh that we did last year was part one of Windermere’s brand story; part two is about bringing our stories to life and showing our clients how we’re ‘all in’ for them.”  Continue reading →