What to redo? How to get the most return from your limited reno budget.

Most every homeowner will renovate their homes in some way over the course of owning it. Some renovate simply to personalize their space, and others to increase their home's value.

This entry is for those of you who are considering updates in the near future and want to have a maximum return on that investment, but have a limited budget. I want to give you a good idea of the best features to upgrade, and the best ways to make your home more appealing to potential buyers in the future.

The first point I want to stress is any reno you are hoping to increase the value of your home needs to appeal to as many people as possible. For instance, you may find paw print details in your tile work very attractive, but many people may not share your taste. If you spent thousands on that tile job, you'd be very upset to find that it will be essentially worthless to many buyers - in fact many people might even see it as a financial detriment since they'll have to have the tiling redone to make the home appropriate for them. If you are looking for a very good return on your reno investment, it's best to play it safe and stay within neutral, or the current popular, design themes.

Overall, your reno should make your home appear fresh and new. You should try to eliminate the popular colours of yester year (pinks, teals) that will date your home, and anything that feels dingy. There are a few rooms you should pay special attention to; the entry way, the kitchen and the bathroom(s).

Entry Way/Foyer - As I've mentioned in previous posts, many people will decide if they could live in a home within the first seconds of walking inside. For this reason, the first view they see in the home, whether it's the foyer, hallway or living room, should look great. I recommend fresh paint, new baseboards if needed, and good flooring. If your home has older carpeting, I'd recommend spending some of your reno budget on wood flooring, or at the very least laminate. This look is very popular, and gives a fresh, modern, and clean feeling to a place.

Kitchen - The kitchen is the heart of a home. It's never a bad investment to update old appliances, countertops or cabinets. Stainless appliances are all the rage right now, but unless it matches the over all decor, white or black appliances are just as good. Granite countertops are always nice, but replacing old, stained, marked up counters with anything fresh will be an improvement. Changing out cabinets should be thought out very well, as they can be pricey to replace. Sometimes they can be refinished, or repainted, or even just have new doors put on to change the look without spending a fortune. Make sure you have an over all colour scheme for any room before you begin replacing items. If your kitchen has a linoleum floor, seriously consider replacing it with tile.

Bathroom - Pink or blue toilets, sinks and tubs are a fad of the past and should be eliminated if at all possible. Otherwise, fresh counters, tile instead of linoleum and just being sure everything in the room actually works the way it's supposed to are good bets. Some current popular bathroom items are big shower heads, basin sinks and deep tubs. Those items will make your bathroom stand out as modern and upscale.

I've spoken with a number of people and given advice on what they should spend their reno dollar on for their homes. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about your own home.

Hope this has been informative!

All the best,
Neacol