1. Swimming pool: Everyone loves when their neighbor has a pool. Often it’s viewed as a safety liability or maintenance drain. Our central Indiana market hosts a lot of anti-pool bias, so if you’ve got one be ready for a smaller “pool” of interested buyers. (See what I did there?)
2. Luxury upgrade: More often than not, a luxury upgrade won’t do anything that a really well-done Ikea upgrade would. “But these are __ cabinets…” That’s great, but a buyer doesn’t really care. Do they look great? Do they work great? That’s what buyers are interested in. A quality mid-range upgrade hits the same as luxury when we’re talking <$800k buyers.
3. Garage conversion: The appraisal value of your home will increase because the SQUARE FOOTAGE has increased, but market value will likely decrease because a buyer searching in an area that is accustomed to garages, expects a garage.

One caveat, though: These changes might not (usually) add market value, but that doesn’t mean they don’t add value for YOU. If you aren’t planning to move, do what you want with your house! That’s the beauty of ownership. I just like for my clients to go into any update knowing what to expect from buyers if they sell.