When to Renovate vs. When to Move: A Broward County Perspective

Full Renovation | February 28, 2026

Renovate or Move? The Question Every Homeowner Faces

Your home doesn’t quite work anymore — maybe the kitchen is dated, you need another bedroom, or the bathrooms haven’t been touched since the ’90s. The big question: spend money fixing what you have, or spend money moving somewhere new?

The True Cost of Moving in Broward County

Most people underestimate the total cost of buying a new home:

Real estate agent commission: 5-6% of sale price
Closing costs (selling): 1-2% of sale price
Closing costs (buying): 2-4% of purchase price
Moving costs: $2,000 – $8,000
Immediate updates to new home: $5,000 – $20,000 (paint, flooring, fixtures you don’t love)
Higher property taxes — a new purchase resets your assessed value at market rate
Higher insurance premiums — Florida’s insurance market means new policies are expensive

For a $500,000 home, the total cost of moving is roughly $50,000 – $75,000 before you’ve changed a single thing about the new house.

The Cost of Renovating

For comparison, here’s what common renovations cost:

Kitchen remodel: $25,000 – $75,000
Two bathroom renovations: $30,000 – $70,000
New flooring throughout: $10,000 – $25,000
Fresh paint (interior + exterior): $8,000 – $20,000
Room addition: $40,000 – $100,000

You could do a full kitchen, both bathrooms, and new flooring for roughly the same cost as moving — and you’d end up with exactly the finishes you want.

When Renovating Makes Sense

You love your neighborhood, school district, or commute
Your home’s bones are good (solid structure, decent layout)
The changes you want are cosmetic or layout-based (not fundamental)
You have equity and want to build more
You’d rather invest in your current property’s value

When Moving Makes Sense

You need significantly more square footage (1,000+ sq ft)
Your lot is too small for additions (setback restrictions)
The home has serious structural issues (foundation, roof structure)
Your neighborhood has changed in ways that affect your quality of life
You’re relocating for work or family reasons

The Fort Lauderdale Advantage

Broward County’s real estate market makes renovation particularly attractive right now:

Housing inventory is tight — finding a home that checks every box is hard
Prices are elevated — you’ll pay a premium for a move-in-ready home
Interest rates — if you have a low rate locked in, moving means a new, higher rate
Your current home’s value increases — a well-done renovation in Fort Lauderdale adds real equity

Not Sure? Start With a Conversation

We offer free consultations where we can walk your home, discuss what you’d like to change, and give you realistic numbers. That makes the renovate-or-move decision much easier.

Request your free consultation — no commitment required.