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Clean up your castle
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July 21, 2000: 7:18 p.m. ET
Tips on low-cost things you can do to your home to boost the value
By Staff Writer Rob Lenihan
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - There's no place like home, especially if it's your home.
Since your house probably represents the biggest investment you'll ever make, you want your place to be safe, clean and attractive. That's good for now, when you live there, and good for later if you decide to put your house on the market.
There are a number of jobs you can do yourself that, while fairly inexpensive, can add value to your home. For more extensive projects, you may want to look for professionals to take on the work. In any case, you will be improving your crib and making investments that can have some nice paybacks down the line.
"Anything you can do to improve safety and increase comfort will add value to the home," said James Carey, who, with his brother, Morris, hosts the weekly radio program "On the House" and has authored "Home Maintenance for Dummies" and other titles. "When someone wants to buy a house they bring in a home inspector to find everything that's wrong with a house. Why? So the home buyer won't be stuck with a white elephant."
To-do list
The Carey brothers have a list of preventive maintenance tasks, which include caulking, cleaning, replacing filters, and checking anything with a test button — smoke detectors, water heater pressure and temperature relief values and carbon monoxide detectors.
Got paint? If you do, then Lisa Hegland, creator of "Notes from Home; the Ultimate Reference Book for Homeowners," says you've got the No.1 method of sprucing up your crib. 
"Painting is very inexpensive," she said. "What it does for your home as far as brightening it and creating a mood ... it's wonderful."
Flowers are another inexpensive improvement item. You've probably driven by houses where the lawn has brown patches and the trees haven't been trimmed. Not too impressive, was it?
"It's probably worth a lot less in your mind than the house next door where everything's trimmed up," Hegland said.
According to estimates, a nicely landscaped lawn can increase the value of your home by 15 percent, allowing owners to recoup 100 percent to 200 percent of their investment.
If you take on home improvement jobs, it's important to know your limitations and stick to them.
"Stay within your comfort level," she said. "If you're not comfortable crawling out on your roof, don't go there."
Bigger jobs
Perhaps you're considering a more elaborate project. Before you get started, determine how much the job will cost you and what you'll get back in the resale market.
In its annual "Cost vs. Value Report," Remodeling magazine found minor kitchen repairs and bathroom additions provided the highest return. On a national average, the report found, estimated construction costs of $8,655 for minor kitchen remodeling return of 81 percent, or $7,041, nationally. The job would include refinishing existing cabinets, laminating countertops, repainting and other items.
Other areas covered in the report include  bathroom additions, family room additions, major kitchen remodeling, attic bedroom, two-story addition, window replacement and deck addition.
N'ann Harp, president of Smart Consumer Services, a consumer education and advocacy organization in Crystal City, Va., breaks down home improvement plans into pre-purchase and post-purchase camps. Some of the major questions for post-purchase improvements include:
· Will it make the house more comfortable or less costly to operate? Utilities in many areas offer rebates or low-cost loans for energy efficient replacement windows, furnaces, water heaters and other such improvements.
· Will it make the house more secure and durable or reduce maintenance costs? Replacement siding or roofing sometimes qualifies for home improvements loans. The Internal Revenue Service allows you to add the cost of improvements to the basis of your property. (Basis is your investment in property for tax purposes.)
· Will it make the house more user-friendly and easy to live in? While extensive kitchen and bathroom improvements may not be cheap, they'll make for a better place and usually recoup at least most of their cost at re-sale.
Harp said capturing lost space in basements or attics or beneath stairwells is also worth considering. Carving out an extra bedroom or home office-guest room from a dead zone is cost-effective, she said, since it doesn't require the new footings or exterior wall construction of an addition.
It's important, Harp noted, to make these improvements now when you can enjoy them for the longest possible time. This also will cut down on what you have to do when resale time rolls around.
The Seller's story
If you're selling your home, Harp has a list of do's and don'ts aimed at making your place more marketable.
To improve your curb appeal, you can also power wash or paint the exterior of the house. A new mailbox is one of those nice but inexpensive improvements that can add some nice color—just cut down on the cutesy factor, OK? Home Depot (HD: Research, Estimates) sells mailboxes ranging from $6 to $80.
And go for the brass doorknocker. It's a small but significant touch and you can get one for less than 50 bucks. 
Indoors, if the linoleum is shabby, replace it and polish those wood surfaces. Replace the kitchen cabinet and counter laminates in neutral colors.
Buy and install updated cabinet knobs, costing between about $1 and $6 and a drawer pull, ranging from just under $1 to $7, if the cabinets are in good shape.
You can also throw down some inexpensive rugs over worn carpeting — and take the rugs with you when you move. Re-grout the bathroom floor or shower tiles and get a new shower curtain. And throw a little light on the subject — replace ratty drapes with inexpensive mini-blinds. Home Depot sells blinds from about $12 to $45.
Wash the windows and get a housecleaning company to come in and scrub your place from top to bottom.
Then there's the "don't" list. Harp said do not to spend more than 10 percent of your asking price on spruce-up improvements prior to the sale.
Also DO NOT:
· Replace the windows now.
· Buy a new furnace, unless the old one is dead.
· Replace the roof, unless it's an issue with a qualified buyer. 
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