You're Selling Your House. How Much to Spend on Renovations?

Selling a house can be a good thing or a bad thing. In this time of economic crisis, it's looking like a bad thing for many homeowners. Undertaking some level of home repairs is a tradition with home-selling: fix the broken windows, slap up some paint, steam the carpets, etc.

But what about the next level up of pre house-sale home renovations? In this case, we're talking about those kinds of renovations that may pain you a bit to undertake them prior to sale because of the cost. So, the question is, Is it worth laying down new solid hardwood just for a house sale? Or, is it good enough to sand them down? Or, God forbid, should you lay down el cheapo Home Depot "remnant" carpeting?

Image Public Domain; State of Michigan