Renovate Before You Sell
The discount is bigger than the repair
A dated house doesn’t sell for a little less. Buyers price in the renovation, then add margin for the risk of doing it themselves — and investors bid lower still. That gap is usually wider than what the work actually costs. Renovating before you list is how you keep it.
We'll tell you what's worth doing.
Not every improvement returns what it costs. We walk the house and give you a straight read: what buyers in your neighborhood expect, what will get flagged at inspection, and what you’d be spending money on for no return.
Kitchens, baths, floors, paint.
These drive more buyer decisions than anything else. The version that sells isn’t the version you’d build to live in — it’s current, clean, and neutral enough that a buyer pictures themselves there.
Finished before you list.
Work that runs past your listing date costs you the season you were aiming for. We scope against when you need to be on the market and tell you honestly what fits in the window.
See it before you commit.
Priced against your comps.
Your agent knows what similar homes are closing at and what buyers here expect. We price the work against that number, so the spend stays proportionate to what it returns.
What a renovation costs
Ranges by room and scope, so you can think about the numbers before you call.
| Project | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Kitchen | $45,000 – $95,000 |
| Guest bath | $15,000 – $30,000 |
| Primary bath | $35,000 – $65,000 |
| Whole-house cosmetic | $50,000 – $100,000 |
| Whole-house gut renovation | $175,000 – $325,000 |
Ranges reflect Middle Tennessee pricing and assume no structural changes. Homes built before 1980 should carry an additional 15% contingency for electrical and plumbing brought up to current code.
