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Home projects that will not pay you back when you sell

Staten Island homes from above

Short answer: Home improvements that don’t add value when you sell include a new in-ground pool, a garage turned into a bedroom, a bedroom given up for a walk-in closet or office, marble floors and high-end fixtures. What buyers pay for is a home they can move straight into.

Most sellers fix something before they list: 78% made at least one improvement, according to Zillow’s 2026 Consumer Housing Trends Report. Some projects earn their cost back. Others cost you twice: once to build and again when buyers will not pay for them.

Projects that rarely pay off before a sale

  • A new in-ground pool. Expensive to build and to keep, and many buyers see upkeep, not a perk.
  • Turning the garage into a bedroom. Plenty of buyers want the parking and storage back.
  • Giving up a bedroom for a walk-in closet or a home office. Zillow found homes with walk-in closets sold for about 0.5% less.
  • Marble floors. Zillow found they were linked to a sale price nearly 2% lower. Travertine was linked to about a 1.2% boost instead.
  • High-end fixtures and a dedicated media room. Buyers rarely pay back the premium.
  • DIY work that looks like DIY. An inspector will find it, and buyers will price it in.

Source: Zillow, 12 home improvement projects that do not add value.

What buyers do pay for

Zillow’s 2026 research on listing words found move-in ready homes sold for about 3% more than expected and remodeled homes about 2% more (Zillow). In plain terms: fix what is broken, paint, clean, and let buyers see a home they can move straight into.

On Staten Island those percentages are real money. At the October 2026 median sale of $800,000, 3% is about $24,000 and 2% is about $16,000. The same 2% lost to marble floors is about $16,000 too.

  • Repairs an inspection would flag: leaks, cracked tiles, loose railings, old smoke alarms.
  • Fresh, neutral paint where walls are scuffed or dark.
  • A tidy front: trimmed shrubs, a clean walk, a front door that looks cared for.
  • Bright lighting in every room for the photos.

Ask before you spend

Before you start a project to sell, ask us what similar homes on your street sold for, with and without it. It costs nothing and can save you a renovation. Start with what your home is worth today.

Quick answers

Should I renovate before selling?

Fix what is broken, paint, clean and light the home well. Before a bigger project, ask what similar homes on your street sold for with and without it.

Does a walk-in closet add value?

Not if it costs a bedroom. Zillow found homes with walk-in closets sold for about 0.5% less.

Do marble floors add value?

Zillow found marble floors were linked to a sale price nearly 2% lower. Travertine was linked to about a 1.2% boost.

Keep reading

Questions about your own move? Call or text the office at 718-490-0393, or send us a note.

Sources: Zillow, read November 8, 2026. Percentages are national Zillow research, not a promise for any one home.

RE/MAX Edge · 651 Willowbrook Rd, Staten Island, NY 10314 · 718-612-3088. Each office independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.