Kitchens and bathrooms remain the top jobs home owners are taking on in remodeling projects, according to a new survey by the National Association of Home Builders.

The top remodeling projects of home owners, according to the latest survey of remodelers, are:

1. Bathrooms

2. Kitchens

3. Window/door replacements

4. Whole house remodels

5. Room additions

6. Handyman services

The report’s finding of the main motivation behind home owners’ decision to remodel is not too surprising: To repair and replace old components and to upgrade amenities.

But more than 20 percent of remodelers surveyed said they’ve been noticing a drop in the number of customers who are remodeling to try to increase their home’s value.

The survey is yet another indication that more home owners are happy staying put–at least for now–and instead are looking at how to enhance what they already have.

Nearly half of the remodelers surveyed said they’ve been seeing an increase over the last year in the number of home owners who are undertaking remodeling projects so they can avoid moving.

“Home owners are repurposing spaces and making more efficient use of their home’s square footage,” says NAHB Remodelers Chairman George “Geep” Moore Jr. “Whether it be young families or couples aging in their homes, people want to let their house adapt with their needs as they change over time.”

According to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, home remodeling is expected to post its best year this year since 2006.

But while home owners want to enhance, they also want to save.

“Before it was curb appeal, showiness and keeping up with the Joneses,” Duo Dickinson, author of Staying Put: Remodel Your House to Get the Home You Want (Taunton Press), told USA Today in a recent article on remodeling trends. But now more home owners want their homes to reflect who they are. “The house is the most direct mirror of your personal values. When people renovate to change their lives, they waste money.”

These more “me-centered” remodeling projects may include livening up outdoor spaces, creating “livable kitchens” that are multi-purpose and make the kitchen serve as a room for more than just cooking, and smaller master baths (like removing that luxurious spa tub for a larger shower)

Also in saving a buck, more home owners are looking at doing more of the work themselves. According to a new report from Bank of America, 70 percent of home owners are taking on home improvement projects that they once hired out in order to cut costs, tackling everything from plumbing to painting.

Foreclosures left abandoned for weeks, months, or years at a time can take a big toll on nearby home values. In the end, everyone in a neighborhood can feel the fallout.

Can some of these foreclosures be saved? Investors in recent weeks are certainly snapping up foreclosures in bulk and turning them into profitable rentals. But what about some of the foreclosures left lingering … the ones that no one seems to want?

A Morgan Stanley’s analyst recently estimated that nearly 95 percent of distressed homes are in such bad shape and not even suitable for renting.

In Detroit, which has been plagued by foreclosed homes the last few years, firefighters there are proposing a controversial new plan: Let the homes burn.

If the vacant building is more than 50 percent on fire and does not pose a risk to nearby structures, they propose to let it burn, and in the meantime, help save the city money … and maybe save nearby property values too?

The proposal comes at a time when Detroit is experiencing a series of suspicious arson fires, which has led to dozens of vacant buildings and homes blazing.

“We are in no way looking to ‘let the city’ burn, this is about saving lives and money,” Donald Austin, Detroit’s executive fire commissioner, told WDIV-NBC in Detroit. “My department is strapped, the budget is strapped, and it’s time to look at a new way of doing things.”

The proposal still has to win approval from city officials. Some argue that the buildings are uninhabitable and will eventually be torn down so firefighters might as well let them burn instead of wasting more money trying to salvage the unsalvageable. But others argue the vacant homes should not be able to burn unless they are on a predetermined demolition list.

Detroit has an estimated 80,000 vacant homes and buildings, according to a new documentary, “Burn,” about Detroit firefighters. The fire department estimates that 40 to 60 percent of the city’s fires are in vacant structures too. Some of these fires are being caused from scrapping, in which thieves remove metal piping or other building materials from a home leaving it vulnerable to catching fire.

Several cities across the country aren’t leaving their eyesores to flames but instead a bulldozer to chip away at its deteriorating foreclosures. For example, this past summer, Bank of America announced it would donate some of its foreclosed home inventory–homes that were deemed uninhabitable–to local agencies for demolition in Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, and other cities. Other banks announced similar steps. The land in many places will then be used for new development or open space.

“There is way too much supply,” Gus Frangos, president of the Cleveland-based Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp., told Bloomberg News back in July. “The best thing we can do to stabilize the market is to get the garbage off.”

What do you think? Can a deteriorating home still be saved, or are they better left to demolition or ash?

It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to improve a home and make it more sellable, according to HomeGain’s 2012 National Home Improvement Survey.

HomeGain surveyed nearly 500 real estate professionals nationwide to determine the top do-it-yourself home improvement projects that offers some of the biggest bang for your buck when selling a home.

“In a buyer’s market, sellers need to dress their homes for success before putting them on the market,” says Louis Cammarosano, HomeGain’s general manager. The survey shows “that do-it-yourself home improvements like cleaning and de-cluttering and lightening and brightening your home are cost-effective ways of increasing your chances of selling faster and closing closer to the asking price than homes rushed to the market with no improvements.”

Here are the top five projects that real estate professional recommend to their clients–projects that have the potential to offer some of the highest returns on investment at resale, according to the 2012 HomeGain survey:

1. Clean and declutter

What to do: “Removing personal items; wash and clean all areas of inside and outside of house; freshen air; remove clutter from furniture, counters, and all areas of the home; organize closets; polish woodwork and mirrors.”

Estimated cost: $402

Potential ROI: 403% or $2,024 to the home’s sale price

2. Lighten and brighten

What to do: “Open windows; clean windows and skylights inside and outside; replace old curtains or removing curtains; remove other obstacles from windows blocking light; repair lighting fixtures; make sure window open easily.”

Estimated cost: $424

Potential ROI: 299% or $1,690

3. Repair electrical and plumbing

What to do: “Update leaky or old faucet spouts and handles; repair leaks under bathroom or kitchen sinks; laundry room pipes; toilets should be in good working condition; remove mildew stains.

“Update electrical with new wiring for modern appliances and/or Internet and other audio/visual equipment requested in homes today; door bell should work; service sprinkler systems; fix lights and outlets that do not turn on; replace old plug points with new safety fixtures.”

Estimated cost: $808

Potential ROI: 293% or $3,175

4. Landscaping

What to do: “Front and back yards; add bark mulch; rake and remove leaves, branches and debris; plant bushes and flowers; add planters and hanging plants; mow grass; water lawn and plants; remove weeds and dead plants; manicure existing plants; any yardwork that improves the curb appeal of a home.”

Estimated cost: $564

ROI: 215% or $1,777

5. Staging

What to do: “Add fresh flowers; removing personal items; reduce clutter; rearrange furniture; add new props or furniture to enhance room/s; play soft music; hang artwork in walls.”

Estimated cost: $724

ROI: 196% or $2,145

However, the survey finds that the home improvement projects that offer the highest potential price increase to a home’s resale value continues to be updating the kitchen and bathroom. Home sellers could potentially see a $3,255 price increase to their home at resale by tackling kitchen and bathroom projects, according to the HomeGain survey. But those projects aren’t usually cheap to do. Check out our post earlier this year about the 2011-2012 Cost vs. Value report to see what home remodeling projects offer the biggest potential returns at resale.

More home owners want more space in their kitchens and are expanding the kitchen’s use for more than just cooking, according to the latest findings from the American Institute of Architects’ quarterly Home Design Trends Survey. The survey, conducted in the fourth quarter of 2011, focused on kitchens and bathrooms.

“Kitchens seem to be regaining their function as the home’s ‘nerve center,’” says AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker.

During the housing downturn, kitchen design fell as a priority for home owners, Baker notes. But as the market has picked up, Americans’ interest in kitchens has been renewed.

“The last few years have seen kitchens take on new functions with dedicated computer areas and recharging stations,” Baker notes.

The kitchen products and features growing the most in popularity, according to the survey of architects, are:

1. Computer area/recharging stations

2. Integration with family space

3. Renewable flooring materials

4. Recycling centers

5. Adaptability/universal design

Home owners are also placing more emphasis on sustainability in choosing products in the kitchen, such as with renewable flooring materials and renewable countertops increasing in popularity.

Sustainability is also important in bathrooms, the survey found. One of the biggest growing concerns for home owners in designing bathrooms is finding ways to minimize utility costs, according to the architect survey. As such, products like LED lighting, dual flush, and water-saving toilets are growing in demand, Baker notes.

Photo Credit: Paint Quality Institute

Springtime is the best time to give a home a fresh coat of paint, according to the Paint Quality Institute.

“By painting in moderate weather, you’ll likely get a longer-lasting paint job,” says Debbie Zimmer, paint and color expert for the Paint Quality Institute. Zimmer says that exterior painting is best to do when temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but not when it gets too hot. “Very hot days can cause the paint to dry too quickly and impair good paint film formation,” she notes.

Some more tips for exterior painting from Zimmer:

1. Paint in the shade and avoid painting in direct sunshine. Sunlit surfaces can be 10 to 20 degrees hotter than the air temperature.

2. Don’t paint when it’s too windy. Wind can cause latex paint to dry too quickly as well as cause dust and other contaminates to imbed in the paint, possibly creating a surface ripe for mildew, Zimmer says.

3. Avoid the rain. Wait for another day if it’s rained within the last 24 hours. If several days of rain is forecast, postpone your painting for several days until a rain-free week.

4. Prime the surface. Apply a coat of primer to any new surface that has never been painted, or spot-prime areas where paint has worn away, Zimmer suggests.

5. Don’t skimp on paint. Use top quality 100 percent acrylic latex paint. It’s durable, flexible, colorfast, and can often last 10 years or more compared to ordinary paint, Zimmer says. To make the paint last even longer, apply at least two coats–a coat of primer and coat of paint, or two coats of house paint, she adds.

6. Don’t postpone painting. Postponing painting the exterior of a home that is long overdue can actually cause damage to a home. Exposed wood can begin to rot and other types of exterior siding also can suffer when the paint starts to wear off, Zimmer says.

Creativity and cost-savings are the main themes driving new-home design trends today, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Here are some of the latest new-home design trends, according to NAHB:

1. “Pocket offices.” More space is being added to popular family gathering places like the kitchen and family room. As such, space devoted to formal home offices and dens are falling to the wayside. Instead of a formal home office, more new homes are incorporating a small space devoted to home management, known as “pocket offices.” These pocket offices may be anywhere, even included in a large pantry. They also might be tucked away near the kitchen or family great room. Most people today are mobile with their electronics and home office items anyway so they might not need as big of space to spread out and a “pocket office” may suffice.

2. Tucked away relax spots. Window seats and alcoves are increasing in new homes because they don’t take up much space but can still provide some private time.

3. Master laundry rooms. Laundry rooms are being added onto the master bedroom’s walk-in closet for added convenience.

4. “Shadow” units. As more families live together under one roof, “shadow” units are increasing in popularity in new single-family homes. These units may be built alongside a home and operate as a separate living unit accessed through a door from the home’s main floorplan. Shadow units may also include homes that come with at least two master suites, such as one located on the ground floor and one upstairs.

5. Rectangular home designs. Rectangular home designs are increasing in popularity because they are more cost-effective to build. The trend was once grand, multiple roof lines. But to make rectangular designs appealing, these homes may have two windows in a corner with mitered glass to allow unobstructed views and light to flow in, according to NAHB. Or these homes might mix exterior materials, such as with metal, wood, and stone to give the home a more modern look.

You have a great house to sell, but then you look next door–could the neighbor be hurting your chances of finding a buyer and getting the highest price for your home? Certainly, the “neighbor effect” has become a growing problem in recent years.

Foreclosures and abandoned homes have left some nearby properties decaying, which has made some buyers grow wary of moving next door to a home with overgrown lawns, boarded up windows, and trash scattered about.

But foreclosures and abandoned homes aren’t always the problem. Sometimes it’s just a stubborn nearby neighbor who is making it a challenge to sell.

Maybe they send their yapping dog outside whenever a potential buyer comes near, or their yard or fence’s lack of upkeep is bringing down the “look” of the street. Buyers don’t just eye the home for-sale, they’re also looking next door to see who their neighbor will be…and they don’t want to see trash.

A man in Brighton, Colo., was accused of sabotaging his neighbor’s home sale. The man posted warning signs to potential buyers on his recreational vehicle parked outside of his home. He wanted to let would-be buyers know what they could expect if they moved next to him: Loud parties, loud music, and loud cars. He also warned he has three Rottweilers and he’s “anti-horse” (the home is in a horse community). The real estate agent said buyers quickly stopped calling after the man’s signs went up.

County officials did step in, fining the man up to $100 per day for the signs and for having too many vehicles and trailers parked on his property.

Some cities are cracking down on messy neighbors, imposing daily fines or, in extreme cases, even putting them in jail.

A 53-year-old woman in Mount Pleasant, S.C., Linda Ruggles, was jailed for six days for having a messy yard and not paying a $480 city fine for it. The yard had piles of shingles on the rooftop (for three years), a driveway covered in scrap metal, and toilet bowls that were being used as planters. Neighbors had complained that the woman’s messy yard was bringing down the value of their homes.

But neighbors, contractors, and a real estate group offered to help the woman clean up her yard, after learning her business had slowed and all of her money was going toward keeping up with her mortgage to avoid foreclosure on the home she had owned for 15 years. She said she didn’t have the money to cover the cost of cleaning up her yard.

In some cases, a neighbor’s mess may be due to a health or financial circumstance, in which a helping hand is all that is needed. But in other cases, you may stumble across a saboteur neighbor who just doesn’t seem to want to help their neighbor sell a home. For some tips on how to handle potential saboteurs and messy neighbors, check out Battling the Neighborhood Eyesore.

Have you ever had a messy neighbor almost derail one of your deals? How did you handle it?

You arrive at a listing appointment to be greeted by a big German Shepherd’s slobbery licks or two Chihuahuas yipping away at your every slightest movement. Many home owners have pets, but pets can pose a serious challenge when listing a home for-sale.

Stagers and real estate professionals traditionally want to remove any signs of a pet living there, tucking away the kitty litter boxes and mounds of pet toys and beds. They’ll also want to address that smell: Yes, Fido, often leaves a scent behind that a little vanilla and cinnamon candles or plug-ins may try to ease.

While you’ll likely better your chance with buyers by removing any signs of a pet on the premises, sometimes you may have no other choice but to tackle Fido head on. What do you do? … Stage the pets!

When I sold my home a few years ago, I didn’t know what to do with my two small, feisty dogs during the workday when impromptu showings came about, and I wasn’t able to get home in time to hide all traces of dog, including the dogs themselves. (Many home owners don’t like the idea of paying for doggy daycare if they’re already paying for child daycare too!) So why not stage the dogs too?

That’s exactly what I did to my Yorkshire Terrier and Italian Greyhound. It was winter so I dressed them in matching light blue sweaters–a tad much, I realize, but I wanted them to look clean and well-groomed–so buyers would know that my house was too! I kept the dogs in their new, fluffy beds in the laundry room behind a gate, with a framed sign posted near the entryway to let guests know they were there.

The sign had a picture (showing the dogs in matching handkerchiefs–again, wanting them to look clean and well-put together–but also showing the dogs as harmless, in case they barked whenever the door was opened.) The sign read: “Welcome to our home!” I included the dogs names to personalize it, a reminder that they won’t harm you as you look around since they’re behind a gate in the laundry room (where they’d like to stay, please), as well as a mention to please forgive any barking–”we get excited to show off our home!”

Ironically, the dogs seemed to help me sell my home. We received two offers from buyers when the dogs were present, and none when they weren’t there. Did we make our house–or at least our laundry room–more memorable? Certainly. But did we turnoff some buyers? Probably a few, but we probably won over a few too who had a soft spot for well-dressed dogs.

Some agents and staging professionals have actually used dogs in listing photos to show off a home online–it’s a new staging trend called “placement pets.”

The “placement pet” idea gained some traction when the now-former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s listing photos (yes, we said “listing” photos, not those other photos!) featured a fluffy orange cat sleeping on the windowsill in a bedroom.

Others took notice and started experimenting with the staged pets in photos too: Fluffy cats perched on windowsills, Golden Retrievers playing in a yard to appeal to families, and boxers with choke collars in the industrial city loft that might attract singles, according to an article at AOL Real Estate on the “placement pets” trend.

In the article, Tristan H. Harper, a senior vice president of Prudential Douglas Elliman agency in New York, says he uses designer dogs to help sell properties, even all the way up to using the perfectly poised pooches to sell a $3.75 million penthouse.

Sure, pets can be a turn-off to a lot of home buyers–those who have allergies, pet haters, or simply just view them as smelly pests. But when you don’t know what else to do with that home owner’s dog or cat and there’s simply no other place to hide them, then maybe instead of trying to pretend they aren’t there, you just give them a little staging too.

[Reposted with permission from Reinventing Space blog.]

What is it about model homes that make them so appealing? Is it the freshness of all new; is it the sassy paint colors, the perfectly placed furniture, art and accessories or the beautiful groomed backyard that makes you want to plop right down on that comfy club chair?

Well…. Yes to all the above.

From blue print to drawer pulls, that model home is meticulously planned by builders and skilled professionals to make it beautiful.

Models homes are lovely because they have the latest and the greatest, are fresh and new, and are meticulously detailed. Psychology–more than decorating–is applied to make them look so fabulous.

So how can you make your next listing as appealing as a model home? Here are 10 ways.

1. Clean. Those nice angled vacuum lines, gleaming windows, and perfectly manicured lawns in model homes speak to a potential buyer: You don’t have to do a thing. Translate that into: A little elbow grease goes a long way.

A super clean home says “turnkey” to the potential buyer. Have every inch of the home, blind slats to porch light glass, super clean and perfectly coiffed. According to a national 2011 survey done by Home Gain, a $290 cleaning investment gives a $1,990 price increase, or a 586 percent return!

2. Fresh and smells good. People buy homes on emotion, and your five senses are a direct path to your brain. If a home smells and looks “funky,” “doggy,” “smoky,” or if the stove is coated with cooking gone bad: The home is off their list.

Just like you would detail your car to sell it, invest in clean and spotless carpets, patched, repaired and freshly painted walls, and new appliances if the old have seen better days. Be wary to skip this step and take the low road with room refreshers, candles, and stove burner covers. Potential buyers are not fooled.

3. Color. Any advertising executive will tell you color is a key to properly packaging a product, and a listed home is just that, a product. Throw away the off-white manta of old school home staging rules. Welcome to the era of HGTV. Using color is a powerful and inexpensive way of making that home stand out from the rest, and with so many decorating TV shows boasting the benefits of color, you better get hip to hues.

From the first Web impressions to curb appeal, color is a strong emotional tug for the potential buyer. Update yourself on the latest color trends in wall color, appliance, fixtures, etc., and apply it to your target buyer. For home staging, use earthy, calm tones for the bigger areas, such as wall color, and add pops of saturated colors in the details; such as front doors, accessories, or annuals.

4. Make space. The joy of a model home is the acres and acres of unused storage space and beautifully organized closets. Reduce, organize, upscale, and edit all of the home’s spaces when it comes to closets and storage areas. If the home’s price point dictates, upscale the closets with custom organizing options.

5. Clear a path. Consider that many people with be walking through the home. Make sure traffic patterns, entrances, and exits are well established. Too much furniture, undefined entrances, and awkward walkways confuse and discourage buyers from moving about the property. Follow a model home’s lead and create a concise walking pattern for potential buyers starting at curbside to back fence.

6. Lovely layouts. From the landscape to furniture placement, take a clue from models homes that continuity and flow make for a good mix. Create curb appeal with nicely maintained landscaping, added annuals and perennials, an inviting stoop and well-groomed walkways and driveways. Inside, make sure each room depicts what its function is, enhances the highlights of the room (i.e. fireplaces or upgrades), and allows the buyer to envision themselves in the space.

7. Set the mood. Create ambiance and character in the home with well-thought out placement of sensory and lifestyle components. Soft music, lighting on dimmers, candles lit, and fresh floral are all great ideas for broker or open houses. If you have a concern about candles, battery operated candles that even have timers built in are now readily available. Stage the dining room table tastefully, or set the stage in a back yard with a detailed patio retreat. Offering helpful lifestyle hints has always been a tool in the model home arsenal and always is a huge hit.

8. K.I.S.S. On the opposite note, don’t over accessorize, go over-board with the lifestyle tips, or create “store bought theme” rooms (i.e. Chef-with-a-Hat Kitchen or Anniversary Bathtub vignette complete with Champagne bottle and fake ivy).

9. Appeal to a target buyer. Model home builders hire tony marketing companies that create campaigns to market that home. Consider “WHO” the ideal buyer that will be interested in the property is, and market the property accordingly. From advertising photos to furniture, consider who will find this appealing and desirable.

10. Market, market, market. Model homes have great marketing incentives inside and out. From clear address markers, great signs, to small exit giveaways, to an exit survey. Market that listing to the fullest.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Interior stylist Julea Joseph produces the blog “Reinventing Space” and is a home stager and interior designer based in Chicago. Joseph launched her home design business, Reinventing the Space, in 1999. She also stages model homes for builders and has appeared on HGTV’s “My First Place.” Learn more about Joseph at her web site and blog.

Look up. Notice any smudges or stains on your property listing’s walls or ceilings? An unlikely source may be causing it: Candles.

Candles can actually leave gray, soot deposits on surfaces, according to Bob Schacke with Home Inspection Experts. You might notice it on the ceiling, walls, or around picture frames.

“Candles in glass jugs are the biggest soot generators,” Schake notes. “The jug limits air flow to the flame and this inhibits combustion, causing extra soot.”

So does that mean you have to say good-bye to candles to avoid stains to your walls?

Not necessarily. Battery-operated candles are gaining in popularity and can be one alternative to avoid the flame altogether. Or, Schacke recommends buying high-quality candles and keeping the wicks trimmed to about a quarter inch so that the flame is better controlled.

And if black smoke is already on the ceiling, you should be able to clean it off. First, try to vacuum any loose particles off, and then use a dry sponge or a sponge with cleaner to remove the rest of the stain.

Guidelines at eHow suggests wiping the ceiling with one-teaspoon of TSP–Trio-Sodium Phosphate–and a gallon of lukewarm water. Products are also sold by retailers that can help remove smoke stains off ceilings or interior walls.

Potential buyers will most certainly be viewing properties up and down so make sure to look your listings’ up and down as well, ensuring the ceiling doesn’t dampen any first impressions.