A mid-range kitchen renovation returns roughly 75-90% of its cost at resale in the Toronto area, and a mid-range bathroom returns roughly 70-85%. Small cosmetic refreshes — paint, hardware, lighting, a deep clean — often outperform both when a sale is within a year or two, sometimes recouping well over 100% of cost because they’re cheap and buyers respond to them disproportionately.
Premium and luxury-tier renovations tend to underperform this math, because you’re spending to a standard the neighbourhood’s sale prices can’t fully reflect back. The renovation that pays off is the one sized to what your specific property will actually sell for — which is the first number worth knowing, before you spend anything.
Why ROI isn’t the only number that matters
Renovation ROI gets quoted as a single percentage, but it’s really a range that depends on three things: how close the finish level is to what similar homes in your immediate area are selling for, how much of the work is visible versus structural, and how long you’ll own the renovated space before you sell.
A renovation you’ll live with for eight years is a different decision than one done purely to sell in three months. The numbers below are for the second case — spending specifically to maximize what a buyer will pay, not to maximize your own enjoyment of the space.
The 2026 renovation ROI table for the GTA
| Project | Typical cost | ROI at resale |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic refresh (paint, hardware, lighting) | Low | 100-150%* |
| Mid-range kitchen renovation | $35,000-$75,000 | 75-90% |
| Mid-range bathroom renovation | $15,000-$35,000 | 70-85% |
| Exterior upgrades (siding, entry, windows) | $20,000-$60,000 | 80-95% |
| Landscaping and curb appeal | $5,000-$30,000 | 80-100% |
| Basement finishing | $50,000-$120,000 | 70-85% |
| Legal secondary suite | $80,000-$180,000 | 90-120%+ |
| Premium/luxury kitchen | $75,000+ | 55-70% |
| Swimming pool | Varies | 25-35% |
*Cosmetic refresh ROI is highest for homes selling within 1-2 years of the work, where low cost meets high buyer perception impact. Figures are typical Toronto-area ranges, not a quote for your specific property — see Sources below.
What is your home actually worth today?
I will give you a real number based on comparable sales on your street — not an automated estimate. No obligation, and I will tell you plainly if now is the wrong time to sell.
Get my home valuation Call or text 437-987-1925
Jatin Dua, Sales Representative — RE/MAX Quantum Realty Inc., Brokerage. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract with another brokerage.
Kitchens — what actually moves buyer perception
The ROI gap between a mid-range kitchen and a premium one isn’t really about quality, it’s about what a buyer in your specific price band expects to see. In a $700,000-$900,000 resale condo, quartz counters, a tile backsplash and updated cabinet fronts read as “done.” In that same unit, a full custom cabinetry package and integrated appliances mostly reads as “nice,” not as $30,000 more nice — because the ceiling on what that buyer pool will pay doesn’t move with your spend.
The renovations that consistently outperform in kitchens: replacing dated cabinet fronts and hardware rather than gutting and rebuilding, updating counters to a light, neutral stone-look material, and fixing lighting. The ones that consistently underperform: high-end integrated appliance packages, and anything highly personalized in finish or layout that a buyer would need to picture removing.
Bathrooms — where “nice” tips into “overspent”
Bathrooms have a narrower ROI band than kitchens because the ceiling is lower — buyers will pay a real premium for a bathroom that looks clean, modern and well-lit, but the marginal buyer rarely pays extra for a heated floor or a freestanding tub in a starter home or a typical resale condo. Those upgrades matter more in higher price bands, where the buyer pool expects them as standard.
The highest-return bathroom work is usually the least glamorous: regrouting or replacing tile, updating the vanity and fixtures, fixing ventilation and lighting, and making sure everything reads as maintained rather than original-to-the-building.
The one-line rule
If you’re renovating specifically to sell, cosmetic beats mid-range, and mid-range beats premium, almost every time — because ROI falls as spend rises past what your specific buyer pool is actually paying for. Match the renovation to the sale price your property will realistically achieve, not to a finish level you’d want to live with.
What doesn’t pay off
Swimming pools are the clearest example in the GTA market — they return roughly a quarter to a third of what they cost, because they narrow your buyer pool (families with young children and some buyers avoid them outright) as often as they widen it. Highly personalized structural changes — removing a bedroom to enlarge a kitchen, non-standard layouts — carry the same risk: they can help a specific buyer and hurt you with everyone else.
Should you renovate before getting your estimate, or after?
Before you decide what to spend, it’s worth knowing where your property already sits. If a condo value estimate or home value estimate puts you comfortably within the range of renovated comparables nearby, a light cosmetic pass is usually the higher-ROI move. If it puts you well below that range, a targeted mid-range kitchen or bathroom refresh is more likely to pay for itself — and if you’re already near the top of what similar renovated properties are achieving, further spending has the least room to return anything.
That’s the honest use case for an instant estimate before a renovation decision: not a final number, but a fast way to see whether you’re spending into room that exists or room that doesn’t.
Not sure if a renovation is worth it for your property?
Get a free instant estimate first, then send me a note — I’ll tell you honestly whether a kitchen or bathroom refresh is likely to pay off for your specific building or street, based on what’s actually selling nearby.
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Confidential. Reviewed personally and answered within 24 hours. I never share, sell or distribute your information.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth renovating a kitchen before selling in Toronto?
Usually yes for a mid-range refresh, which typically returns 75-90% of its cost at resale in the GTA — but the return depends heavily on matching the finish level to what similar properties in your price band are actually selling for. A premium or luxury kitchen renovation in a starter-home price range tends to underperform because the buyer pool’s ceiling doesn’t move with the spend.
What renovation has the best ROI before selling?
Low-cost cosmetic work — paint, hardware, lighting, deep cleaning and decluttering — consistently shows the highest ROI, sometimes over 100% of cost, because it’s cheap relative to the perception improvement it creates. Among larger projects, exterior upgrades and landscaping tend to outperform interior renovations on a percentage-return basis.
Should I renovate my bathroom before listing my condo?
A mid-range bathroom refresh — new vanity, fixtures, tile and lighting — typically returns 70-85% of cost and is usually worth it if the bathroom clearly reads as dated. High-end fixtures like heated floors or freestanding tubs rarely pay for themselves in a typical resale condo, where the buyer pool isn’t paying a premium for them.
Do renovations ever hurt resale value?
Yes — highly personalized or non-standard work (unusual layouts, bold permanent finishes, swimming pools) can narrow your buyer pool rather than widen it, and typically shows the weakest ROI of any renovation category. The safest renovations are the ones a broad range of buyers would choose for themselves.
Should I get a value estimate before or after renovating?
Before. An instant estimate shows you where your property already sits relative to renovated comparables nearby, which tells you whether a renovation has room to add value or whether you’re already near the ceiling for your area — before you spend anything.
Sources
- Renovation ROI: Which Toronto Home Improvements Add the Most Resale Value in 2026? — Red Stone Contracting. Source for the renovation ROI percentage ranges cited above. Accessed 25 August 2026.
- What Actually Adds Value Before You Sell in the GTA (and What Doesn’t) — Jatin Dua. Companion piece covering non-renovation factors that move sale price.
- AI Home Valuation vs a Realtor CMA vs a Bank Appraisal — Jatin Dua. How to read an instant estimate against other valuation methods before deciding what to spend.
What is your home actually worth today?
I will give you a real number based on comparable sales on your street — not an automated estimate. No obligation, and I will tell you plainly if now is the wrong time to sell.
Get my home valuation Call or text 437-987-1925
Jatin Dua, Sales Representative — RE/MAX Quantum Realty Inc., Brokerage. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract with another brokerage.
Related reading
- What Actually Adds Value Before You Sell in the GTA (and What Doesn’t)
- AI Home Valuation vs a Realtor CMA vs a Bank Appraisal
- Condo Value Estimator
- Home Value Estimator
- Renovation ROI Calculator — run your own project numbers
- Home Sale Net Proceeds Calculator
- All free calculators & tools
About the author — Jatin Dua, Etobicoke real estate agent
I’m a licensed Realtor with RE/MAX Quantum Realty at 799 The Queensway in Etobicoke. I work with buyers, sellers and investors across Mimico, Humber Bay Shores, New Toronto, Long Branch, Alderwood and the Stonegate–Queensway corridor, and across the wider GTA.
Questions about your specific property? connect@jatindua.com or 437-987-1925.