Should I renovate my house or just move?

The details: what the numbers actually say

The honest answer starts with why you want to leave. I ask every client the same first question: is the problem the house, or is it where the house sits? If you love your neighborhood, your commute, and your schools, and you are simply outgrowing the layout or tired of the condition, renovation is often the cheaper path. If the issue is the area itself, no amount of remodeling changes that, and moving is the real answer.

Then run the numbers on both sides. The annual Cost vs. Value report from Remodeling and Zonda tracks what common projects return at resale. In the 2024 report for the South Atlantic region, which includes Florida, a midrange major kitchen remodel cost about $78,000 and recouped roughly 45% of that at resale. A midrange bathroom remodel cost about $24,000 and recouped around 70%. The pattern holds year after year: smaller, targeted projects return a higher share of their cost than big, expensive gut renovations.

Now look at the other side of the ledger. Moving comes with real transaction costs. In Florida, total real estate commissions run around 5.57% according to Clever's 2026 survey, and that is before closing costs, moving expenses, and any difference between your current payment and your next one. On a home around the Orlando median of roughly $400,000, commission alone is about $22,000. That is real money that adds no value to the home you already live in.

• Is the problem the house itself, or the neighborhood, commute, and schools around it?
• How long do you plan to stay? If you will move within a few years, resale return matters more.
• What would the renovation really cost, budgeted honestly for the surprises that come with any project?
• What would the same money buy you if you moved, after fees, closing costs, and a new payment?