Improvements That Won't Break the Budget

The last three years that has been a craze to remodel your home, spend thousands of dollars in kitchens and bathrooms and you will get that money back tenfold. Now we are seeing the days of "If my house is just worth what I paid for it, I would be happy". We are now asking ourselves, how much (if anything) should we spend on improving my space for the long-term so that I don't overimprove and overspend?

I ran across an article in my February 2009 Realtor Magazine and they offered the following suggestions:

1. Kitchens and bathrooms still make the biggest impression on buyers
2. Stainless steel appliances are still essential today in almost every home price point
3. Some things you can do that won't break the budget but add value are tiling a backsplash, painting kitchen cabinets instead of replacing, change the hardware, add undercounter lighting

It seems that more emphasis are now being placed on spending less to gain more and in this is economy saving money is at the top of everyones list.