When it comes time to sell your house, smart improvements can be just the thing to make your home more appealing. But some renovations pay off better than others.

Fixing up your home for sale can be costly. So proceed with caution, since some improvements pay off better than others. Good Housekeeping says bathrooms and kitchens are usually your best bet. You can usually get about 90 percent of what you paid back when you sell you house.

But you have to be careful, if you live in a neighborhood where there isnt a lot of fancy renovating going on and you put in granite countertops, you cant expect that a buyer in that neighborhood is going to pay a premium for that. Good Housekeeping says in todays real estate market, an updated kitchen is one of the most important selling points.

Anything that makes a kitchen more homey, or useful, or open, thats a homerun.

This includes wood cabinets, solid-surface countertops, and new appliances. You can give your cabinets a quick and inexpensive face-lift by replacing the hardware and scrubbing them with a degreaser. This could cost as little as $100.

But you get the biggest bang for your renovation buck by sprucing up your bathroom. New sink faucets can change the look of a bathroom fast.

And if you only have one bathroom? Good Housekeeping strongly suggests adding another. Most buyers wont even look at a house with less than two bathrooms these days. Investing a little in the right places can make a big difference in the value of your home.

Good housekeeping says that if you will be renovating your bathroom, some of the projects with the best returns are: double sinks, recessed medicine cabinets and ceramic tile on bathroom walls and floors.

And Good Housekeeping says creating bigger outside living areas is a huge trend now. A patio made of clay or concrete is easy to install and costs less than a wooden deck. And you're bound to get your money back. Just stay away from traditional masonry bricks, because they can crumble after a few years.

Manufacturers' Contacts:

Moen Faucets

www.moen.com

American Standard Faucets

www.americanstandard-us.com

Peerless Faucets

www.peerless-faucet.com