7 Home Remodeling Projects With Top-Dollar Returns

Your home is in the perfect location, came at the perfect price, with the perfect lot. (Yay southern exposure!)

But the home itself? Perfect isn't the adjective you'd use. But you knew that moving in, and now you're ready to start making it just right.

But where to begin? How about with data? Data is that friend who tells you like it really is.

Because while any home improvement that brings you joy is priceless, not all add as much home equity as you might expect.

The National Association of REALTORS(R)' 2015 Remodeling Impact Report and 2016 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features (full disclosure: NAR is a sponsor of HouseLogic.) have tons of data on how much improvements cost -- and how much of those costs you can recoup.

Here are the best seven home remodeling projects with equity-building might:

#1 Upgraded Landscaping

This one might be a bit of a surprise. (Maybe you expected a major kitchen reno to top the list.)

But if your yard is one of your home's imperfect parts, a little color and a touch of hardscaping can make a huge difference to your curb appeal, which is a great immediate equity-booster.

What does a basic landscaping upgrade include?

• Flowering shrubs

• A 15-foot-tall deciduous tree

• A flagstone walkway

• Two 6-by-2 stone planters

• Fresh mulch

The cost: $4,750

The return: 105% at $5,000

#2 New Roof

If you find yourself sprinting for the buckets when it starts to sprinkle, getting a new roof should be your No. 1 to-do. Measuring rainfall from the indoors isn't cool.

The cost: $7,600

The return: 105% at $8,000

Considering it's what's between you and the elements, it's a no-brainer.

Not sure if you need a new roof? Signs you might include:

• Shingles are missing, curling up, or covered in moss.

• Gritty bits from the asphalt shingles are coming out the downspout.

• The sun's shining through your attic.

• You notice stains on ceilings and walls.

• Your energy bill is sky high.

#3 Hardwood Floors

You flip on the TV to see that your fave home reno-ing duo is it at again, flipping a ranch that's stuck in the '80s.

They make it to the living room, pull back the dingy carpet to reveal hardwood floors in great condition. They're psyched -- and for good reason.

Hardwood floors are a timeless classic. Refinishing is a no-brainer. Neither will you regret adding new hardwood floors if you have none.

The cost to refinish: $2,500

The return: 100% at $2,500

The cost to buy new: $5,500

The return: 91% at $5,000

#4 Patio or Deck

If your home is your castle, your yard is your kingdom. After giving your yard a much-needed overhaul, you need a place to watch over you handiwork. How about that deck or patio you've been dreaming of?

The cost of a patio: $6,400

The return: 102% at $6525

The cost of a deck: $9,450

The return: 106% at $10,000

#5 Insulation

Insulation is tucked out of sight, so it's often out of mind -- that is, until you're forced to wear your parka indoors because it's sooo darn cold.

The cost: $2,100

The return: 95% at $2,000 plus the added savings on heating and cooling costs

#6 New Garage Door

No surprise that a garage door replacement project made it onto this #winning list -- a new garage door provides a big boost for your home's curb appeal at a relatively modest cost.

The cost: $2,300 (for a two-door)

The return: 87% at $2,000

There are options galore, too. A host of factory-finish colors, wood-look embossed steel, and glass window insets are just some of the possibilities that'll give your doors bankable personality.

#7 Vinyl Siding

In any color! And never paint again.

Those are two of the three benefits of vinyl siding. The third, of course, is your home's value.

But if long-time homeowners look at you funny when you mention vinyl siding, just tell them that today's vinyl is way better than what they remember because of fade-resistant finishes and transferable lifetime warranties.

The cost: $12,000

The return: 83% at $10,000

Want fiber-cement siding instead? It also shows a strong payback of 79%. Although it's the pricier option -- you'll spend $19,100 -- it has one thing vinyl still lacks -- the perception of quality.And quality matters. In a survey from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), "quality" was the one of the most important traits that home buyers focused on when house hunting.

Anne Arnston is a Virginia-based writer who's looking for a historic property to call her first home - the creakier the wood floors, the better.