Brett Liscomb of the Bennett Property Shop identified the top home improvements that deliver the highest return on investment for sellers this Thursday [1].
Strategic renovations allow homeowners to maximize their final sale price by targeting specific high-value upgrades rather than comprehensive overhauls. This approach ensures that capital spent on home improvements is recovered through an increased property valuation.
Liscomb said these insights during a segment on CTV News Ottawa to inform homeowners about which projects provide the greatest financial payoff [1]. While some homeowners consider full-scale renovations, the data suggests that smaller, targeted updates often yield a higher percentage of return.
For example, replacing a garage door can provide a significant boost to a home's value. According to data from AOL, spending $4,672 on a new garage door can result in an estimated $12,500 addition to the sale price [2]. This represents a high return relative to the initial cost.
In contrast, larger projects like kitchen remodels may not offer the same proportional return. A full kitchen remodel costing $80,000 typically returns approximately $40,000 [2]. This means homeowners may only recover about 50% of their investment in a kitchen overhaul [2].
"I'm Brett Liscomb with the Bennett Property Shop, and today I'm going to share the top home improvements that give you the best return before you sell," Liscomb said [1].
These figures are supported by broader industry trends. The 2025 Cost vs. Value report tracks 28 different remodeling categories to determine how specific changes affect market value [2]. By focusing on curb appeal, and essential updates, sellers can avoid the financial loss associated with over-improving a property relative to its neighborhood.
“Spending $4,672 on a new garage door can result in an estimated $12,500 addition to the sale price.”
The disparity between the return on garage door replacements and kitchen remodels highlights a critical real estate principle: curb appeal and efficiency often outweigh luxury internal upgrades in terms of raw ROI. For sellers, the data suggests that prioritizing high-visibility, lower-cost exterior improvements is a more effective financial strategy than investing in high-cost interior renovations that may not be fully recouped at closing.
