Author: Rudy Rodriguez

Why Remodeling Homeowners Need Guidance

Practitioners can play an important role to help their clients make wise kitchen, bathroom and outdoor renovation decisions that will have a high ROI at resale.

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Home remodelinis surging, and more homeowners may be calling on their real estate agent for help. Agents who answer the call are finding they can play a role as an ally to clients who are embarking on a renovation.

Remodeling has been surging over the last few years as more homeowners opt to stay in their homes longer and leverage their equity for renovation projects that help them age in place. Also, the average age of U.S. homes is about 40 years old, so many homeowners are looking to update their property. Home buyers also may be purchasing a home with the intent of remodeling, and about 8% of homeowners say they were motivated to remodel in order to sell, according to research from remodeling site Houzz.  

“A real estate professional absolutely can help clients with remodeling,” says Angie Hicks, co-founder of the home services site Angi, formerly known as Angie’s List. “I always like to say, ‘You want to keep up with the Joneses, but you don’t want to beat the Joneses.’ If you have three bathrooms when everyone else has two, you won’t be getting the return on that. In thinking of the resale on your house, a real estate agent is going to be a great person to talk to.”

Also, agents view so many homes that they know what works, what doesn’t and the materials they see the most frequently, Hicks adds.

Homeowners are tackling small projects and larger ones—even taking on three rooms at a time when they remodel, according to research from Houzz. But their stress is high: 43% of homeowners surveyed say they have experienced increased stress due to home repairs, maintenance and remodeling, according to Angi’s State of Home Spending report.

Here’s how real estate agents can play a part in the remodeling boom.

Your Recommendations Matter

Expand your network of home service providers and contractors: Your clients may need them. Have a list of vetted, licensed plumbers and electricians as well as painters, carpenters and project managers. After all, 33% of homeowners identified “finding the right service providers” as the biggest challenge in a home remodel, according to research from Houzz.

“A real estate professional may not be the pro who is going to do the work, but they can help them find a pro,” says Marine Sargsyan, staff economist at Houzz.

Talk Resale Value

It’s easy to get distracted by fancy finishes and materials and lose sight of what matters most to your remodeling budget. But as the National Association of REALTORS®’ Remodeling Impact Report shows, it’s not always the biggest or most expensive project that nabs the highest return at resale. For example, refinishing hardwood flooring could offer the biggest bang for your remodeling buck, with an estimated $3,400 in upfront expenses but a potential $5,000 cost recovery at resale, according to NAR’s report.

Agents can share data for comparable homes in the neighborhood to help their clients gauge what features competing homes offer. Also, share industry data about which renovation trends result in the highest ROI so clients can make more informed choices.

NAR’s report identifies the following top interior projects for cost recovery at resale:

1. Hardwood flooring refinish: 147% of value recovered at resale
2. New wood flooring: 118%
3. Insulation upgrade: 100%
4. Basement conversion to living area: 86%
5. Closet renovation: 83%
6. Attic conversion to living area: 75%
7. Complete kitchen renovation: 75%
8. Bathroom renovation: 71%
9. Kitchen upgrade: 67%
10. Add new bathroom: 63%
11. Add new primary bedroom suite: 56%

The report showed the following cost recovery at resale for exterior projects:

1. Roofing: 100% of value recovered at resale
2. Garage door: 100%
3. Fiber cement siding: 86%
4. Vinyl siding: 82%
5. Vinyl windows: 67%
6. Wood windows: 63%
7. Steel front door: 63%
8. Fiber glass front door: 60%

Know the Remodeling Trends

As a housing expert, clients may ask you what type of materials and finishes you most often see when viewing homes. For example, quartz or granite countertops for the kitchen?

While each regional area may have unique preferences and trends, Sargsyan gave an overview of some nationwide remodeling trends during the 2025 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas. Houzz has found that kitchens, bathrooms and outdoor spaces are among the most popular areas for homeowners to renovate. Here are some trends in each.

Kitchen Remodeling Trends

• Upgrading kitchen cabinets remains a big priority for homeowners: shaker door styles and bar pull handles in brushed nickel finishes are the most popular.
• More renovators are adding accent cabinets, such as a glass-front cabinet or open shelving to showcase glassware, decor or collectibles and break up rows of cabinetry.
• White cabinetry remains the most popular, at 33% of remodels, but wood tones are gaining at 23%.
• Two-tone kitchen cabinets are gaining popularity—choosing one color for the upper cabinets (like white, wood or gray) and a different one for the lower cabinets (like wood, blue or gray).
• Engineered quartz remains the top choice for countertops (39%), followed by granite (19%). Butcher block or wood slab countertops have been losing popularity, coinciding with the fading of the farmhouse style.
• Transitional is the most popular kitchen style, followed by traditional and modern.
• Ceramic and porcelain are the most popular materials for backsplashes. More homeowners are opting to extend their backsplashes higher up the kitchen wall.
• Green and blue kitchen cabinetry are emerging trends, particularly for kitchen islands, Sargsyan notes.  

Bathroom Remodeling Trends

• Many remodelers choose to upgrade the bathroom vanity, with shaker cabinetry and bar pull handles in brushed nickel finishes being the most popular choice.
• Wood—whether light or dark—has overtaken white in vanities. Twenty-six percent of remodelers chose wood tones for the cabinetry, followed by 22% who selected white and 11% who chose gray or blue.
• Quartz dominates for bathroom countertops, likely due to its durability and low maintenance compared to other materials. White countertops dominate, followed by off-white or gray.
• Most homeowners select rectangular, ceramic or porcelain tiles for their shower walls but go with rectangular, hexagonal or square tiles for the flooring.
• Large format tiles are increasingly being used for shower walls.
• Bathtubs don’t appear to be a necessity in many owner’s suite renovations. Thirty-two percent of remodelers upgraded the bathtub in their remodel, whereas 27% removed it and another 27% had no bathtub at all.
• Transitional style is the most popular, a balance of traditional with contemporary. However, Sargsyan notes that eclectic styles are gaining popularity: a mix-and-match of different styles, colors and materials that “results in a unique space that is full of personality.”
• Lighting fixtures in the bathroom tend to be a combination of metal and glass finishes.
• Accent walls are emerging as a trend in bathroom remodels, whether through patterned wallpaper or a contrasting wall color, creating a focal point in the space.

Outdoor Remodeling Trends

• Structural upgrades often include decks (with composite, plastic or pressure-treated lumber), porches or verandas, shade structures, or the addition of a shed or workshop.
• Twelve percent of home renovators added an outdoor kitchen, which often includes a grill, refrigerator, cooktop and faucet.
• About one-third of outdoor renovators upgrade outdoor systems, like the lighting, irrigation, security, audio or visual media, or even rainwater harvesting.
• For outdoor lighting upgrades, remodelers most often opt for landscape lights (81%), string or bistro lights (44%), porch sconces (37%), garage sconces (19%) and recessed lights (19%).
• The most popular exterior colors are: white (23%), gray (19%), beige (10%), green (8%) and black (8%).
• Metal roofing is gaining popularity, likely due to its durability and modern look, Sargsyan says. Still, metal roofs are selected by only 14% of remodelers, whereas asphalt-dimensional shingles (34%) and asphalt three-tab shingles (19%) remain the most popular.
• The most popular front door colors are: black (24%), red (22%), white (18%), blue (13%) and green (11%).

Content by Melissa Dittmann Tracey

How Homeowners Are Overhauling Their Outdated Kitchens

Nearly half of homes in the U.S. are more than 40 years old and likely have kitchens reflecting styles of a past era. That’s helping to lead to an increase in kitchen remodels, and homeowners are shelling out more money for an upgrade.

Kitchen remodelers are prioritizing some of these latest trends.

While the kitchen is often a focal point of the home, a renovation can be costly. Homeowners tend to recover about 75% of the cost of a kitchen overhaul at resale, one of the highest ROIs for home remodeling projects, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ Remodeling Impact report.

The amount homeowners are spending on a kitchen renovation continues to grow, with the median spend rising to $60,000 over the past year, according to the 2025 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, a survey based on more than 1,600 renovating homeowners. What’s more, the number of homeowners taking on a “premium kitchen renovation”—spending a minimum of $180,000—has grown by 20% over the past year, the survey shows.

“As kitchens take on a more centralized role in daily activities, homeowners are choosing to surrender neighboring rooms and exterior spaces for additional kitchen square footage to meet their needs,” says Marine Sargsyan, staff economist for the home remodeling site Houzz. Indeed, more than a third of renovating homeowners say they increased the square footage of their kitchens by sacrificing other spaces—typically, the dining room or living room, the survey shows.

So how are these renovating homeowners allocating their money to pay for kitchen makeovers? The Houzz survey uncovers some of the following priorities.

Backsplashes are reaching for the ceiling.

Full backsplash coverage, stretching to the cabinets, range hood or even the ceiling, is becoming more appealing to consumers. Also, while the majority of homeowners choose tile for their backsplash (76%), about a quarter are opting for larger, bold backsplashes, according to the Houzz survey.  

Photo credit: Joe Hendrickson / Getty Images

Countertops go dark.

White remains the top choice for kitchen countertops—favored by 41% of consumers—but black is gaining popularity. Nearly one in five homeowners chose black for a contrasting island countertop, the Houzz survey finds.

Photo credit: Joe Hendrickson / Getty Images

Some touches of glass.

Glass-front accent cabinets are adding display spaces into the kitchen, like a more modern form of the china cabinet. For example, homeowners are mixing in glass-front accent cabinets with shaker cabinets, which are the most common style. They’re using these accent cabinets to show off glassware, decorative items or dishware.

Photo credit: PC Photography / Getty Images

Hardwood flooring loses some appeal.

Hardwood flooring for the kitchen is declining slightly in popularity, with only 24% of renovating homeowners selecting it for their remodels. Meanwhile, vinyl or resilient flooring and ceramic or porcelain tile are increasing in popularity, at 22% and 20%, respectively.

Photo credit: Artem Perevozchikov / Getty Images

Smart cooking device upgrades.

More smart home tech is entering the kitchen, and a smart oven is a bigger priority for renovators, the Houzz survey finds. Nearly two-thirds of homeowners chose ovens with specialty features, like phone monitor controls, remote timer activation, control locks, precise temperature control and automated cooking, according to the Houzz survey.

Traditional styles make a comeback.

Transitional style—a blend of traditional and modern elements—is the most popular for kitchen design, but the number of renovating homeowners opting for a more traditional look is gaining attention. In fact, traditional now ranks as the number two most popular kitchen style, nudging out modern and contemporary kitchen designs, the Houzz survey shows.

Melissa Dittmann Tracey