If you’re looking to sell your home in 2026, getting started at the top of the year will give you plenty of time to upgrade your property, allowing you to increase your return on investment (ROI).

Home improvements that maximize your home’s value in the new year can be both large and small, cheap or expensive, giving you plenty of options to add to your to-do list before you get set up to list your property.

Start Small

Curb appeal sets the tone for buyers when entering a home, and you can increase your home’s value by elevating their first impression. Give your door and shutters a fresh coat of paint, power-wash the bricks or siding, add some new ambient lighting, and clean up the shrubbery and landscaping. While these jobs may seem low effort, they often plant seeds in the buyer's mind that this property is worth more.

When it comes to the indoors, giving your home a fresh coat of paint and replacing old door and cabinet handles, light fixtures, and switch plates can make a significant difference and make your home look more expensive. You can also add smart home tech to your property, such as a smart thermostat or door locks, at relatively low cost with significant payoffs.

Choose Big Renovations Wisely

Renovating large areas can be daunting, but if you have the funds to do it and want to increase ROI, focus on the kitchen, bathrooms, and unused spaces.

The kitchen, for example, is often one of the most influential parts of a home. If you can do a minor upgrade that brings in modern styles, appliances, and aesthetics, you could see a high ROI from that alone.

Modern bathrooms are also excellent spaces to improve if you want to maximize your home’s value, whether through extensive or minor upgrades. For example, new faucets and showerheads can change the whole vibe of a bathroom on their own with a fresh coat of paint.

But if you want to go above and beyond, retiling the shower and floors, and installing a new toilet or sink, can also make a big difference. Built-in storage is also a major plus in a bathroom upgrade because it not only looks better—it improves functionality.

Ensuring that all the space in your home is used, look for areas that are there but are not yet up to par. Attics that can be converted into additional living space or unfinished basements can serve as extra rooms, boosting your home’s value. If you have unused space, it might be time to consider converting it.

Tap into the Future

Energy-efficient homes remain important to new home buyers because they help reduce a family’s carbon footprint while saving money in the long run. So, if you can add some energy efficiency to your property, that will be of great benefit when it’s time to sell.

Along with thermostats that optimize heating and cooling, you can also upgrade windows and doors to be more energy-efficient, install solar panels, or add insulation in areas such as unfinished basements or attics.

Maximizing your home is simple, as long as you know where to start and focus on upgrades that fit your budget and work for you.