Not all home improvements are created equal. These will reward you the most when it comes time to sell.

Your home is in the perfect location, came at the perfect price, with the perfect lot. (Yay southern exposure!)

But the home itself? Perfect isn’t the adjective you’d use. But you knew that moving in, and now you’re ready to start making it just right.

But where to begin? How about with data? Data is that friend who tells you like it really is.

Because while any home improvement that brings you joy is priceless, not all add as much home equity as you might expect.

The National Association of REALTORS®’ 2015 Remodeling Impact Report and 2016 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features (full disclosure: NAR is a sponsor of HouseLogic.) have tons of data on how much improvements cost — and how much of those costs you can recoup.

Here are the best seven home remodeling projects with equity-building might:

#1 Upgraded Landscaping

This one might be a bit of a surprise. (Maybe you expected a major kitchen reno to top the list.)

But if your yard is one of your home’s imperfect parts, a little color and a touch of hardscaping can make a huge difference to your curb appeal, which is a great immediate equity-booster.

What does a basic landscaping upgrade include?

• Flowering shrubs
• A 15-foot-tall deciduous tree
• A flagstone walkway
• Two 6-by-2 stone planters
• Fresh mulch

The cost: $4,750

The return: 105% at $5,000

Related: 5 Awesomely Easy Landscaping Projects

#2 New Roof

If you find yourself sprinting for the buckets when it starts to sprinkle, getting a new roof should be your No. 1 to-do. Measuring rainfall from the indoors isn’t cool.

The cost: $7,600

The return: 105% at $8,000

Considering it’s what’s between you and the elements, it’s a no-brainer.

Not sure if you need a new roof? Signs you might include:

• Shingles are missing, curling up, or covered in moss.
• Gritty bits from the asphalt shingles are coming out the downspout.
• The sun’s shining through your attic.
• You notice stains on ceilings and walls.
• Your energy bill is sky high.

#3 Hardwood Floors

You flip on the TV to see that your fave home reno-ing duo is it at again, flipping a ranch that’s stuck in the ‘80s.

They make it to the living room, pull back the dingy carpet to reveal hardwood floors in great condition. They’re psyched — and for good reason.

Hardwood floors are a timeless classic. Refinishing is a no-brainer. Neither will you regret adding new hardwood floors if you have none.

The cost to refinish: $2,500

The return: 100% at $2,500

The cost to buy new: $5,500

The return: 91% at $5,000

Related: Should You Refinish Hardwood Floors Yourself?

#4 Patio or Deck

If your home is your castle, your yard is your kingdom. After giving your yard a much-needed overhaul, you need a place to watch over you handiwork. How about that deck or patio you’ve been dreaming of?

The cost of a patio: $6,400

The return: 102% at $6525

The cost of a deck: $9,450

The return: 106% at $10,000

#5 Insulation

Insulation is tucked out of sight, so it’s often out of mind — that is, until you’re forced to wear your parka indoors because it’s sooo darn cold.

The cost: $2,100

The return: 95% at $2,000 plus the added savings on heating and cooling costs

#6 New Garage Door

No surprise that a garage door replacement project made it onto this #winning list — a new garage door provides a big boost for your home’s curb appeal at a relatively modest cost.

The cost: $2,300 (for a two-door)

The return: 87% at $2,000

There are options galore, too. A host of factory-finish colors, wood-look embossed steel, and glass window insets are just some of the possibilities that’ll give your doors bankable personality.

#7 Vinyl Siding

In any color! And never paint again.

Those are two of the three benefits of vinyl siding. The third, of course, is your home’s value.

But if long-time homeowners look at you funny when you mention vinyl siding, just tell them that today’s vinyl is way better than what they remember because of fade-resistant finishes and transferable lifetime warranties.

The cost: $12,000

The return: 83% at $10,000

Want fiber-cement siding instead? It also shows a strong payback of 79%. Although it’s the pricier option — you’ll spend $19,100 — it has one thing vinyl still lacks — the perception of quality.

And quality matters. In a survey from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), “quality” was the one of the most important traits that home buyers focused on when house hunting.

Related: 

• Costs and ROI of the Most Common Home Remodeling Projects (including kitchens and baths)
• Time-Sucking Home Remodeling Mistakes You’ll Wish You Could Avoid

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Posted in Selling by Tara Sharp

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By: G. M. Filisko

Published: March 11, 2010

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. home resales fell more than expected in April, weighed down by a chronic shortage of houses on the market that is keeping house prices elevated and sidelining prospective buyers.

The National Association of Realtors said on Wednesday existing home sales declined 2.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.57 million units last month.

Despite the decline, April’s sales pace was the fourth highest over the past 12 months. March’s sales pace was revised down to 5.70 million units, which was still the highest level since February 2007, from the previously reported 5.71 million units.

“Lack of supply moving through the seasonal ramp-up in sales in the spring selling season slowed sales rather than demand,” said Ted Wieseman, an economist at Morgan Stanley in New York.

Economists had forecast sales falling 1.1 percent to a 5.65 million-unit rate. Sales were up 1.6 percent from April 2016, also underscoring the housing market’s underlying strength.

While the number of homes on the market rose 7.2 percent to 1.93 million units from March, supply was down 9.0 percent from a year ago. Housing inventory has dropped for 23 straight months on a year-on-year basis.

As a result, the median house price increased 6.0 percent from a year ago to $244,800 in April, the highest level since June 2016. That was the 62nd straight month of year-on-year price gains.

With recent data showing a drop in home building and a plunge in new home sales in April, weak home resales suggest residential investment will probably make a small contribution to gross domestic product in the second quarter.

Residential investment added half a percentage point to the economy’s 0.7 percent annualized growth pace in the first quarter.

U.S. financial markets were little moved by the report as investors awaited minutes of the Federal Reserve’s May policy meeting later on Wednesday.

Houses typically stayed on the market for 29 days last month, the shortest period since the NAR started tracking the series in May 2011. That was down from 34 days in March and 39 days a year ago.

Demand for housing is being driven by a tight labor market, marked by a 4.4 percent unemployment rate, which is boosting employment opportunities for young Americans.

The housing market also remains supported by historically low mortgage rates, with the 30-year fixed mortgage rate hovering just above 4.0 percent. But rising building material costs as well as shortages of lots and labor have left builders struggling to fill the inventory gap.

The NAR estimates housing starts and completions should be in a range of 1.5 million to 1.6 million units to eliminate the persistent shortage. Housing starts are running at about a rate of 1.2 million units and completions around a pace of 1 million units.

A separate report from the Mortgage Bankers Association on Wednesday showed applications for loans to purchase homes fell 1.0 percent last week.

Last month, sales fell in the Northeast, West and South regions, but rose in the Midwest.

At April’s sales pace, it would take 4.2 months to clear the stock of houses on the market, up from 3.8 months inMarch. A six-month supply is viewed as a healthy balance between supply and demand.

First-time buyers accounted for 34 percent of transactions last month, still well below the 40 percent share that economists and realtors say is needed for a robust housing market, but up from 32 percent a year ago.

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