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:
- Hardwood flooring refinish: 147% of value recovered at resale
- New wood flooring: 118%
- Insulation upgrade: 100%
- Basement conversion to living area: 86%
- Closet renovation: 83%
- Attic conversion to living area: 75%
- Complete kitchen renovation: 75%
- Bathroom renovation: 71%
- Kitchen upgrade: 67%
- Add new bathroom: 63%
- Add new primary bedroom suite: 56%
The report showed the following cost recovery at resale for exterior projects:
- Roofing: 100% of value recovered at resale
- Garage door: 100%
- Fiber cement siding: 86%
- Vinyl siding: 82%
- Vinyl windows: 67%
- Wood windows: 63%
- Steel front door: 63%
- 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%).
