The cost of home improvements are almost always much more than the value they add to a property. Demand for a particular improvement, and the manner in which it was carried out count more than the cost. Nowhere is this clearer than with swimming pools. Realistic thinking at the beginning will save them a lot of time and money. Buyers today are very sophisticated.
Buyers buy by comparison.
Thus, buyers know when a house is overpriced. Exposure to qualified buyers sells a home. Buyers, who do look at it, may be looking for more features in a house in that price category and will not buy it. Buyer demand, then, sets price. If no offers are received, no negotiating upward can take place.