New roof, exterior paint, and pavers driveway ROI?

[Gary F.]

I’m going to be listing my house on the market. I’m shooting for mid-August listing. Talking with my agent he suggested replacing the roof. It’s a 30 yo wood shake and ugly. Also new paint. It’s about 25 years old. And new pavers. I have concrete driveway with a a couple minor cracks Will I see substantial enough ROI to make it worth my time and money? I’m in south San Jose. Prices still are going over asking here.

[Arlen Chou]

@Gary F. it really depends on the location of the property and what buyers are doing in the area.  In many cases buyers want to do their own updates, so they won't give you anything additional for the "upgrades".  On the other hand, if you are in an area where people come in and just move in, there might be some upside, but I think it will be minimal.  

Also keep in mind that all of this work you are talking about takes time.  Do you have the time to burn to get these things done?  Jacking out an existing driveway and putting in pavers is not a small job...  If the cracks are minor, I would just leave it.  If you have serious cracks with large gaps or it is uneven, then you might want to consider some options, but it sounds like your problems are not big.

I would consider doing the paint job if the current paint is bad or the color is ugly. You will be surprised how much a nice color scheme can increase the value of a SFR and the cost is not that high.

Remember we are still in a sellers market... Ask your agent what he would price the home at in its current condition and what he would price the home at with the changes he suggests.

Good luck!