Remodeling your house pays off two ways: It increases your enjoyment of the home now and enhances its value when it comes time to sell. But some changes reap more benefit than others. The amount of return you get on what you've spent also depends on your location and the condition of the housing market at the time you sell. Sources such as the websites Zillow, NOLO and the National Association of Realtors provide some benchmarks on likely return. At the very least, improvements help your house beat the competition in a slow housing market.