Should You Renovate or Just Move?

If you find yourself wondering what it would be like to have a larger kitchen, an extra bathroom or even a main floor family room, you are probably wrestling with the dilemma: "Should I renovate or just move?"

It is never easy to uproot your family and move to a new home, especially if you have settled in and grown comfortable where you are. This is why we are often tempted into overimproving our homes instead of just moving to something that meets our changing needs. While it is difficult to separate emotions and memories from financial considerations, it is often helpful to step back and look at what sort of return you get when investing in a major renovation.

The Appraisal Institute's most recent Renovation And Home Value survey lists the 10 renovations that have the greatest financial return at resale time. In a poll conducted annually, 200 appraisers nationwide are asked to rank renovations by their return on investment. The results are summarized as a percentage of the money spent on each renovation that a homeowner can expect to recoup when they finally move.