TIPS & IDEAS FOR HOMEOWNERS: August 2008

1. The Kitchen is a key. The kitchen is still considered the heart of the home. Potential home buyers make a beeline for this room when they first view a home for sale, so make sure your kitchen looks clean and reasonably updated.
For a few hundred dollars, you can replace the kitchen faucet set, add new cabinet door handles and update old lighting fixtures with brighter, more energy-efficient ones.
If you've got a slightly larger budget, you can give the cabinets themselves a makeover. It is possible to refinish or reface them, rather than spring for a whole new cabinet system, which can be expensive.
If you're handy, you can order your own replacement cabinet doors and door fronts from retailers like Lowe's Home Improvement or The Home Depot and install them yourself. If you are not we’d be happy to help.
2. Give appliances a face lift. If your kitchen appliances don't match, you can order new doors or face panels for them. Also many dishwasher panels are white on one side and black on the other, so you may not need to order a new one, just turn it around. All you have to do is unscrew two screws, slide it out and flip it around. It is funny but true; a more cohesive-looking kitchen makes a big difference in the buyer's mind -- and in the home's resale price.
3. Beef up the bathroom. Next to the kitchen, bathrooms are often the most important rooms to update. They, too, can be improved without a lot of cash. Even simple things like a new toilet seat and a pedestal sink are pretty easy for homeowners to install, and they make a big difference in the look of the bath.
We also suggest replacing an old, discolored bathroom floor with easy-to-apply vinyl tiles or a small piece of sheet vinyl. You may not even need to take up the old floor. You can install the new floor right over the old one.
If your tub and shower are looking dingy, consider re-grouting the tile and replacing any chipped tiles. A more complete cover-up is a prefabricated tub and shower surround. These one-piece units may require professional installation but can still be cheaper than paying to retile walls and refinish a worn tub.
4. Step up the storage. Old houses, particularly, are notorious for their lack of closet space. If you have cramped storage areas, we suggest adding do-it-yourself wire and laminate closet systems to bedrooms, pantries and entry closets.
In the end, your closets will be more functional while you're living in the house and will make your home look more customized to potential buyers when you're ready to sell.
5. Add a room in a week or less. If you have a three-bedroom house with a den, the only reason the den can't be considered a bedroom may be because it doesn't have a closet, if you add a closet to that room, you've now got a four-bedroom house, which adds a lot of value. It's usually possible to add a custom closet system and drywall it in for less than $1,500.
6. Mind the mechanics. “ADAM’S SERVICES” advocates spending a few bucks on nitty-gritty stuff. "It's often very worthwhile to hire an electrician and plumber for a couple of hours to look over your electrical services, wrap or fix loose wires, fix any faulty outlets, and check for and fix any water leaks," Adam says. "Those details tell a buyer that someone has really taken care of the home and can really influence its price."
7. Look underfoot. Flooring is another detail that can quickly update a home and make it look cleaner. concider new carpet, laminant flooring, or tile. A professional carpet cleaning is an inexpensive investment, especially if your rugs are in good shape and are neutral colors. Also You may not want to replace the carpet wall-to-wall because the new owners may have chosen a different carpet if they had the chance.
8. Let there be light. If you have boring recessed lights in your dining and living rooms, consider replacing one of the room's lights with an eye-catching chandelier. Home stores offer a wide range of inexpensive, but nice-looking, ceiling fixtures these days. If you have a ceiling fan and light, you can also buy replacement fan blades (leaving the fan body in place) to update the fixture's look.
9. Reframe your entry. Do you have a flimsy little knob on your main entry door? If so, spring for a substantial-looking handle-and-lock set. A nice, big piece of hardware on the front door signals to newcomers that this is a solid home.
Also, if you're stuck with a basic steel front door, consider painting or faux-finishing it for more eye appeal. It's becoming more popular to add wood-grain doors to a home's entry or garage.
10. Consider curb appeal. Although it sounds obvious, a nicely mowed lawn, a few well-placed shrubs and a swept walkway makes a great first impression. What buyers see when they first drive by your home is tremendously important. If you don't have a green thumb, consider hiring a landscaper to install some new sod, plant a few evergreen shrubs and give your front yard a good cleanup. These kinds of changes can instantly change people's perception of your home and, therefore, increase its value. And hey, your neighbors will love you for it, too.
11. Consider Framing off half of your basement. You can add two rooms in two weeks, with as little as $5000. Believe me going from 3 beds to 5 beds makes a lot bigger difference to your resale value than $5000.