Q: Do you ever worry you’re pricing your house out of the neighborhood? I love parts of our little house and want to update things, but then I worry about spending too much and not recouping it when we move. It’s also on the small side, so I wonder if a full kitchen remodel makes sense if we might move to a larger home in a year or two. Do you bite the bullet and renovate for today’s enjoyment, or save the money because you might sell soon? I’m torn — some days I’m ready to stay and improve it, other days I’m browsing listings. — Molly
A: Great question, Molly. We live in a modest 1,350-square-foot home and plan to stay long-term, even if our family grows someday. People define “big” differently, and needs change based on lifestyle. For us, a smaller house is appealing because it’s manageable, and it forces us to keep only what we truly love. I remember living in a tiny Manhattan room years ago, so our current place feels huge by comparison and keeps my expectations grounded.
When it comes to renovating and neighborhood values, a common rule of thumb is to choose the worst house in a great neighborhood if you intend to invest in renovations. Buying the best house in a less desirable area won’t help as much because you’ll still be surrounded by properties that drag down overall curb appeal. We purposely bought a house that needed a lot of work, which gave us room to make significant improvements without feeling we’d overpaid.
For example, every house on our street had a lush front lawn set back from the road. Our property, in contrast, had a mulch bed and an overgrown thicket—an obvious opportunity for improvement. We actually paid roughly $35,000 less than comparable houses in the area, which helped us justify investing in upgrades without buyer’s remorse. If your purchase price is lower than surrounding homes, you often have more flexibility to improve and still remain in line with neighborhood values.
If your home already looks better than those around it, major renovations—especially expensive ones like a full kitchen remodel—are riskier if you plan to sell soon. In that case, consult a local realtor for comparable sales and targeted advice before committing to costly work. They can tell you which upgrades deliver the best return in your market, and may advise against a pricey kitchen redo if the neighborhood won’t support that level of value.
Our approach is different because we view our house as our forever home. We don’t make decisions based solely on resale value; we upgrade to suit our needs and tastes. If you plan to live somewhere for the long haul, priorities shift toward comfort and livability rather than strict investment returns. But if you expect to put your house on the market within a couple of years—especially in a slow market—focusing on smaller, lower-risk projects makes more sense.
Here’s a practical middle ground: do low-cost, high-impact updates that improve daily life and appeal to buyers without breaking the bank. Replace dated light fixtures, install a programmable thermostat, update a bathroom vanity or repaint an older one, swap out kitchen and bathroom hardware, and change brass doorknobs to nickel or chrome. Those updates refresh the home’s look without large expenditures.
Paint is the single fastest, most economical way to transform a room. We once painted a dark, dated den and achieved a dramatic change in under a day with less than $100 in paint. We didn’t remove paneling or alter structural elements—we simply painted everything and the room felt brighter, more cohesive, and much more inviting. A few hours and a modest budget can reignite your love for the house and buy you time to make bigger decisions.
Small improvements can make a house feel like a home again and reduce the urge to sell. If you need other ideas, consider adding shelving for storage, updating window treatments, improving landscaping with minimal-cost plants and mulch, or installing energy-efficient light bulbs and fixtures. These projects enhance daily life, boost curb appeal, and typically offer a good return should you decide to sell later.
What other inexpensive upgrades have you tried that made a temporary house feel permanent? Have you ever wanted to sell only to fall back in love with your home? Share your stories and tips—hearing what worked for others can be the nudge someone else needs to make a small, meaningful change.
Update – Want to know where we got something in our house or which paint colors we used? Click the button below to see a list of the items we’ve used around our home.