Get Ready for a Great 2013 & Spruce Up Your Biggest Investment

Seeing positive signs already for the New Year, great news for the building industry, real estate, small businesses and everyone! Keeping up with home improvement projects can be achieved by taking small steps, or go all out and "gut the kitchen."  

Whichever option you choose, it is the right one to keep your home value going in the right direction. There are many ways to make improvements without breaking the bank. Of course, one of the easiest and economical ways to get a big impact is to PAINT. 

Changing wall color can give you a fresh start inching your way toward a new pallette for the new year. Painting a piece of furniture, cabinetry or built-ins is a easy way of adding an accent color. Of course, if choosing paint colors is something difficult for you, I advocate hiring a designer or color consultant to put together a plan, it will save you money in the long run.   

Other ways to make some upgrades are by adding a new stair runner, add new window treatments something simple like: woven woods, plantation shutters or side panels incorporating some fabric. Cleaning your carpet, or replacing, or adding hardwood can change the look and feel of the space. Average life of carpets now is seven years. I know people people keep it longer, but with children, pets, wear/tear you will want to replace to keep things fresh. Take some non-sentimental items to a home consignment company, exchange for different or purchase a few special items.

Get a handyman who is a specialist in adding trim/cabinetry. Often times, a kitchen can be refurbished by adding accent trim pieces to existing cabinetry.  Adding crown moulding, higher baseboards, wainscoting.  All of these embellishments can add to the value of a home. Just no Dentil moulding, or something that will date you, remember "less is more."  

From my real estate and home staging days, I am not a huge fan of chair rail, depending on the space it can visually divide the room. Adding wood framing to mirrors, another option that can add something without having to pull off the existing cemented on mirrors, which can be a liability when removing. Hiring a professional for this detailing is the best option, however DIY'ers can often times do the finishing steps.  

Changing hardware and light fixtures.  Replace or paint?  Either way it's new. Check out Houzz.com or Pinterest.com for a multitude of ideas. The decorations should be down by now, so let's get busy.