You'll get the best response from the Realtor!

EDIT: I posted this answer within hours of the OP... guess people think it needs to have unnecessary verbiage added! lol

The Realtor can show you the current comparable sales in your neighborhood. As to changes to increase your value be very careful. Putting in large, expensive items will cost you more than you will receive in a sale if you are putting the home on the market right away. Smaller, more cost effective changes will yield a better result generally. Think refreshing rather than remodeling. A good Realtor in your area should be able to tell you which changes will give you the best ROI.

https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2020/

I'll agree with Denita's advice: "As to changes to increase your value, be very careful...."

A Realtor can tell you what adds curb appeal and what will help sell your home, but I wouldn't ever look to them to tell you what the ROI is for any particular project. You'll typically get encouraged to pursue projects which help sell your home faster and puts more gold in their pocket even if it takes some out of yours as a consequence.

I'm talking about things like..
--- is it worth it to take down a wall? (that we'd like down)
--- the empty space we have... office or laundry room?
--- would laundry in our existing bathroom be a good idea or bad?

We are not looking to sell right or make decisions based on future sales potential, but we don't want to ruin or miss out on potential as we're doing things.

Hi, Miranda,

Those are the kind of questions that get answered in this forum all the time. Just fasten your seatbelt.

The seatbelt is here. Only one of those things I would state No to is putting laundry in existing bathroom. The wall could be expensive if it is a load bearing wall so that is something to find out first. No one cares what you use the empty room for now. When it becomes time simply stage it to what is preferred at that time.

You also need to realize that if you change things to fit what is hot now they may be throwaways when you go to sell. Make the house what you feel is best for your family and do not worry about things that make it more sellable in ten years because peoples tastes will have changed.

--- is it worth it to take down a wall? (that we'd like down)

Sounds like it is to you. As long as the benefit to you exceeds the cost of your doing it, tear down the wall. The only reason I'd say don't is if it makes your floorplan really funky. If it's a case of open floorplan vs closed off rooms, there are people in both camps, so you need to pick what is best for you, and then the eventual buyer will be one that prefers that as well.

--- the empty space we have... office or laundry room?

Which one do you need more? Do that. Unless the "empty space" is your third bedroom, and your house becomes a less salable 2-bedroom.

--- would laundry in our existing bathroom be a good idea or bad?

I don't care for this, but it really depends on your floorplan and what the alternatives are. If you have a ginormous bathroom then a washer and dryer might be fine. If it means you only have room for a small shower and single vanity, where otherwise you'd have a double sink and large shower, then I'd put the laundry elsewhere. And what are the alternatives for laundry placement if not in the bathroom or spare room? Basement or garage? Upstairs/downstairs? If you post your floorplan you can get better advice here.

There are two answers to your question. The first would be to consult with an experienced real estate agent. The second answer is to post your current floorplan and a list of desires on this thread. We have realtors, appraisers, and architects that hang out here and provide mostly useful advice and educated opinions.