Some Home Fix-Up Tasks Are Worth Skipping

If your New Year's resolution is to sell a home in 2008, it's probably time to start thinking about how to make that home stand out from the rest.

But before planning any projects, beware: Homeowners aren't recouping as many improvement costs as they could in recent years, according to a recent study by Remodeling magazine. In fact, real-estate agents advise clients not to overdo it, regardless of what the local market conditions are like.

It's more important that it's neat, it's clean and it looks spacious, rather than making sure it's the top of the line, bypass projects that aren't necessary.

If you do a lot of remodeling, DON'T take the cost of the remodeling and add it to the cost of the home and ask the buyer to pay for it, you won't get that higher price.

To keep costs down and spend remodeling dollars wisely, consider the following tips.

1. Ask for advice. Before making any remodeling plans, clear your home of clutter and rent a storage unit, if necessary, to hold extra stuff while the home is on the market. Then, get some advice from a local real-estate agent on how the home stacks up against the competition.

2. Dig deeper. It also could pay to look below the surface by getting a home inspection before listing the property. That way, problems that could hold up a sale are addressed in advance.

3. Look outside. Pay attention to exterior details like the condition of siding and windows.

4. Spend time in the bathroom. Freshening up the bathroom doesn't have to be expensive, but it could be important. It's most important for the bathroom to be clean, but sellers should also consider replacing the fixtures, tub, sink and toilet. Replace cracked tiles and curled linoleum.

5. Keep it small in the kitchen. The other room that often sells a house is the kitchen, but it might be best to keep renovations modest. Remodeling magazine's report found that homeowners could recover 83% of the cost of a minor kitchen remodel at resale, compared with 78.1% of a major kitchen remodel.