Your slab-of-concrete basement serves no real purpose but to collect dust and cobwebs at the moment. You dream of making it into a bright, cozy, and comfortable space you could use for just about anything.

With so much room to work with, this blank canvas practically oozes potential—and presumably money, too, when the time comes to sell your home. But how much value does a finished basement add to a house?

“It’s tough to have that conversation around basement value because sellers can get mad when they find out that square footage doesn’t double the value of their home,” says Dan Jones, a Charlotte-based real estate agent who’s sold over 78% more properties than the average agent in his area.

Contrary to popular belief, you can’t count your finished basement square footage like you would a room addition upstairs… but you might opt to finish it for other reasons. Here’s what you need to know to make a decision either way.