It's quite commonly known that if you want to sell your home, making some improvements first will make it easier to find a buyer and earn more with the sale. However, not every home improvement is a good idea. Some will cost you way more than you'll earn back for them in the sale, and others may even make your home less appealing to certain buyers. Here are three home improvements you don't want to make before a sale.

Adding a pool.

You might think that a pool would make your home feel like a soothing oasis. However, installing an in-ground pool is incredibly costly. You can expect to pay up to $16,000 for an inexpensive, vinyl-lined model, and as much as $45,000 for a concrete-shell pool. Chances are, you won't make that back on the sale of the home, and you'll also be restricting your "pool" of potential buyers to those who want and are willing to maintain a pool. If there's space for a pool in your yard, you could just include a line in your ad that says "pool could be added to spacious yard." Buyers who want a pool can always buy the property and add a pool themselves -- and you won't have to eat the costs.

A Home Office

Adding a home office may make your home more appealing to buyers who work from home, but to most people, a home office will just be seen as another storage room or a space they can convert to a guest room. That specialized lighting you spent thousands on or the built-in standing desk may not be appreciated. If you have an empty room, leave it empty; that won't cost a thing, and once again, you won't be restricting your buyer pool.

A Sunroom

There are pros and cons to a sunroom. Some homeowners love them because they're a place to enjoy the outdoors without actually being exposed to the dirt and bugs. Other homeowners find them a turn off because they are not very energy-efficient and drive up heating costs, thanks to their large windows. Since energy efficiency is so important to most of today's home buyers, you're best off not adding a sunroom. If your house does not have any outdoorsy space, adding a simple concrete patio is a much safer move!

To learn more about the best and worst home improvements, talk to a real estate agent in your area.

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