Staying Put in Today's Housing Market

Happiness is subjective. Keep that in mind if you are considering a remodeling project that is very personalized. A gas-stove fire pit in a domed, star-studded living room may be just what you’ve always wanted to bring the outdoor Balancing the cost of a remodel, such as this updated kitchen, with what you expect to recoup in an eventual sale can be tricky. experience in, but, if potential buyers shy away, that project may have to make you happy for more years than you had thought. Sort through possibilities by drawing up a list and ranking projects from least expensive to most costly. Next, decide just how much happiness you can realistically afford. You may find that simple improvements can keep you smiling. One way to increase your level of satisfaction is to remove the burden of clutter. It can be difficult to let go so call in a friend or a professional organizer to help. Sort items into three piles: items to keep, donate or throw away. With fewer items around your home, you can then check out smart-looking organizers. In bedrooms, closet systems can tame unruly clothes and shoes. In the garage, setups provide places to hang, stow away or store aloft items. In the home office, stylish yet accessible containers hold items needed for each task. One longstanding mood-lifter and easy way to change the look and feel of a space is among the least expensive projects you might tackle: painting. “It can give the most dramatic change at a reasonable cost and it gives a room a whole different feeling,” says Melanie Wood of Knoxville, Tenn., who operates an interior design and color consulting firm to the home furnishings industry and is a past president of the Color Marketing Group, a not-for-profit association of international color designers. People are often concerned about using colors in their spaces because of the effect it might have on potential buyers. But if the buyers don’t like it, they can always get out a bucket of white, says Wood. “Fresh, current colors enhance the property. People love the opportunity to see the emotion of a room through the colors used. Strong chromatic colors can offer the wow side of nature or go for a more serene look with botanical greens or soft aquas. Painting for a dramatic change can make you fall in love with your home all over again,” she says. Another project to consider is to make your house more user -friendly. Based on concepts of universal design and aging in place, these projects need not be expensive. Increase lighting levels in transition zones, such as stairwells or between two flooring types. Switch door knobs and faucet controls to levered handles that are easier to grasp and turn. Install heavy-duty slide-out shelves in cabinet to make it easy to find items in the back. For more ideas, see “Affordable Ideas to Retrofit Your Home for Accessibility” and “New Products and Trends in Universal Design."

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