Betsie Melter's Real Estate Blog: 10 great projects for your house!

Realtor magazine had a great article on the Top 10 remodeling projects that will add big impact to your home if you are thinking of selling it ( or just want to enjoy your home).

1) Adding Rollers to your cabinets- This makes buyers feel like there is more room for their kitchen items. Plus it is easier to get those items out if you can roll out the drawer instead of having to get on your hands and knees and pull it out from the back of the cabinet.

2) Tile (either adding or replacing)- Adding tile makes the room feel bigger and cleaner. Replacing tile gives it a fresh and clean look with no cracked tiles or missing grout.

3) Add a Breakfast Bar- This gives more seating area and combines the kitchen with the family room or breakfast area. This is a good use of space.

4) Install granite tile instead of a slab- Everyone wants granite counters, but slabs are very expensive. Homeowners can put granite tile in for about $300 in materials and get high impact for little money.

5) Update the bathrooms- Adding new medicine cabinets, light fixtures, faucets and vanities and scraping or cleaning the tile grout will give the bathroom an entirely different look without having to do much remodeling.

6) Freshen up the basement- If the basement has cement block or poured concrete a contractor can fill in the cracks and then paint with waterproofing paint. In Arizona I haven't seen any basements that aren't finished so this probably won't apply.

7) Add a room- If there are rooms with half walls it is easy to enclose it and add a door to create another room.

8) Update cabinet doors- Cabinet doors can be refaced making the kitchen look completely different then it did without having to replace the cabinets.

9) Replace Light Fixtures- Changing light fixtures in the foyer and bathrooms is a quick fix and can change the appearance. Adding recessed lighting to the kitchen adds a lot to the look and buyers like it better than track lighting.

10) Tech up the garage- Replacing the garage door opener with a remote touch pad entry system makes the house feel new.

These are just a few ideas to help a homeowner get the most for their money. Updating the kitchen counters and cabinets are my biggest items on the list because it is usually what the buyer is looking at the most in my opinion.

Happy New Year!