kitchen or bath remodel is a wise investment, often returning more than 100% of the cost. In Baltimore, for instance, a $9,400-bathroom remodel recouped 182% of its cost at resale, according to Remodeling’s 2004 study. The markets in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, and San Diego also offered triple-digit returns on a bathroom remodel. Minor kitchen remodels (average cost: $15,273) also provided returns of more than 100% in cities including Providence, R.I., Miami, New Orleans and, of course, San Diego, where a $17,928 investment netted $27,000 on resale. Don’t spend money remodeling the bathroom if it’s the only one you’ve got — that money is better spent adding a second bath. Many people love the charm of older homes, but many older homes lack a sufficient number of bathrooms. So if you’ve got a four-bedroom, one-bath home, it’s certainly going to pay to add a second bathroom. A National Association of Realtors® study by Florida State University professors found that adding a bathroom increased the sale price of a home by 8.7%, more than twice the rate for adding a bedroom.
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