Top Renovations That Increase ARV, Room by Room

Renovations that increase ARV tend to be the ones buyers can picture using, and this guide walks fix-and-flip investors through the hosting-friendly upgrades that may add the most at resale. It looks room by room at which features buyers have paid more for, using Zillow's 2026 home features research and the 2025 Remodeling Impact Report from NAR and NARI, and shows how to keep each upgrade in line with local comps.

Which Renovations Tend to Add the Most at Resale?

Move-in-ready features tended to add the most at resale in Zillow's 2026 study of more than 2 million listings, which could make finished, hosting-friendly upgrades the most efficient path to a higher ARV.

Homes marketed as turnkey sold for 2.9% more than expected, while fixer-uppers sold for 14% less. That spread could be the opportunity a fix-and-flip project is built around, buying the house that needs work and delivering the one buyers are hoping to find.

Source: Zillow, March 2026

Read together, the list tells a familiar story. The features buyers paid up for tend to be the ones that make a home feel ready for company, a kitchen built to feed a crowd and a backyard that keeps the evening going. Zillow measured how listings that called out each feature sold against similar homes, so the premiums capture what buyers valued, while what each one costs to add may come down to local comps and contractor bids.

Kiavi Tip: Searching recent sold listings nearby for these same features may show which ones local buyers have rewarded most.

Which Kitchen Upgrades Could Add the Most to ARV?

A kitchen refresh may be the strongest interior upgrade on many flips, since Zillow found that listings mentioning a gourmet kitchen sold for 3% more than expected and those mentioning quartzite countertops sold for 5.3% more.

Buyer interest could support that focus. Kitchen upgrades topped the list of projects where Realtors reported rising demand in the 2025 Remodeling Impact Report findings from the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. A minor remodel generally keeps the existing layout while refreshing what buyers see and touch.

• Painted or refaced cabinets with new hardware could refresh the look without moving plumbing.
• Quartz countertops, tied to a 3% premium, may offer much of quartzite's appeal in a more widely available material.
• Brighter lighting over the island or prep area could make the space feel larger in listing photos.
• Appliances in one consistent finish may help the kitchen read as move-in ready.

Scope may matter as much as finishes. Realtors estimated that a minor kitchen upgrade and a complete kitchen renovation each recover about 60% of their cost, according to the 2025 Remodeling Impact Report, so the smaller project could deliver similar value for far less money on most flips.

Kiavi Tip: Walking the kitchen as if you were hosting, from fridge to stove to table, may reveal which layout fixes buyers are most likely to notice.

How Could Dining and Gathering Space Lift Buyer Appeal?

A well-defined place to gather may help a listing show how a home handles a crowd, and many of the upgrades that create one tend to be cosmetic rather than structural.

• Opening a non-load-bearing wall between the kitchen and dining area may create the sightlines many buyers look for, after a contractor or engineer confirms the wall can come out.
• A statement light fixture centered over a defined dining area could anchor the room in listing photos.
• Room for a table that seats six to eight may help buyers picture hosting a full house.
• An outdoor kitchen was linked to a 4.4% sale premium and an outdoor fireplace to 2.8%, which could extend gathering space in warmer markets.

Open layouts have long been a favorite value-add for fix-and-flip projects, and these open floor plan ideas for flips walk through a few more approaches.

Kiavi Tip: Staging the dining area for a gathering, with place settings and warm lighting, may be a low-cost way to carry the hosting story into listing photos this season.

Could an Extra Bedroom or Half Bath Change Your Comps?

An extra bedroom or half bath could move a property into a different comp set, since bedroom and bathroom counts are often among the first filters buyers and appraisers apply.

Source: Kiavi, October 2026

Realtor estimates could help frame the budget. In the 2025 Remodeling Impact Report, adding a new bathroom was estimated to recover about 56% of its cost, and a bathroom renovation about 50%. A powder room carved from a closet or under-stair space may cost less than a full addition, depending on how far the plumbing has to run.

Kiavi Tip: What counts as a bedroom may vary by jurisdiction, so confirming local requirements before marketing the extra room could help the count hold up at appraisal.

Why Could the Front Entry Be the Warmest Welcome for Buyers?

The front door may be one of the best-returning projects in a flip, since Realtors estimated that a new steel front door (the insulated, paintable style common on many homes) typically recovers 100% of its cost, the highest of any project in the 2025 Remodeling Impact Report.

• A fiberglass door, often picked for its wood-grain look, was estimated to recover about 80%, so steel may be the stronger value on a flip.
• Fresh paint on the door and trim may give the entry a finished look for very little.
• Brighter porch lighting and updated house numbers could make the home feel more welcoming to guests and buyers alike.

Because entry projects tend to be small, a fix-and-flip investor could often finish the front of the house in a few days, leaving more of the budget for the kitchen.

Kiavi Tip: Photographing the exterior at dusk with the porch lights on may give the listing a warm, inviting feel during the shorter fall and winter days.

How Can Fix-and-Flip Investors Keep Upgrades in Line With Comps?

Keeping upgrades in line with comps typically means letting recent nearby sales set the ceiling, so each renovation adds appeal without reaching past what buyers in that neighborhood have paid.

Example: A fix-and-flip investor looks at a home that comps suggest would sell for about $350,000 in average condition, then applies Zillow's 2026 averages to two listing scenarios.

Source: Hypothetical example, Kiavi, October 2026

In this hypothetical, the gap between the two scenarios is about $59,000, which may be the room a fix-and-flip investor has to work with for the rehab budget and margin. Real results could vary widely by neighborhood and condition. Actual terms vary by lender, market, and deal specifics.

A Quick Comp Check Before Committing to a Scope

1. Pull three to five recent closed sales nearby with similar bedroom and bath counts.
2. Note which finishes and layouts show up in the highest-priced comps.
3. Weigh each planned upgrade against the gap between as-is value and those comps.
4. Run the finished scope through an ARV estimator to check the projected value.
5. Give the comps one last look before the walls come down. This guide to calculating ARV from comps walks through the adjustments that may separate a solid estimate from a hopeful one.

Kiavi Tip: Listing each upgrade as its own line in the rehab budget may make it easier to swap or trim a project if comps shift mid-renovation. It could also make each rehab draw request simpler to track as each phase of work wraps up.

Final Thoughts

The best rehab upgrades this season could be as welcoming as they are practical. A refreshed kitchen and a strong front entry may give buyers an easy picture of hosting in the home, often for far less than a full rebuild. Matching each upgrade to local comps could help that appeal carry through to the final sale price. When your next flip is ready, you can get pre-qualified with Kiavi online anytime, in just a few minutes, and see what your financing could look like before you make an offer.

Sources

• Cottagecore, Customization and Quartzite: Zillow's 2026 Home Features That Sell for More, Zillow, March 2026
• 2025 Remodeling Impact Report, National Association of Realtors and National Association of the Remodeling Industry, April 2025
• Top Remodeling Projects for Homeowner Satisfaction and Cost Recovery Revealed in NAR Report, National Association of Realtors, April 2025