First, prioritize those renovations that will have maximum impact, both in terms of aesthetics and investment values.  Also prioritize the projects that will enhance the livability and enjoyment of your home.

Next, decide whether or not it makes sense to handle those projects on your own or call in a professional for help.  According to the experts at Sears Home Services, while talking on home remodeling yourself can seem daunting, enlisting the right help can make the process simple and seamless.

Here are three areas of the home to put at the top of your list this year:

The Bathroom

According to the National Association of REALTORS , one of the best investments in a home is a bathroom renovation.  Remodeling a bathroom that’s more than 25 years old substantially increases the value of your home.  While your bathroom may not need a complete makeover, updating cabinets, lighting, tiling or countertops can go a long way toward improving design and functionality.  Or consider a few quick fixes, such as a new towel bar, shower-curtain rod, robe hooks or showerhead.

The Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home.  Kitchen renovations don’t need to be dramatic to be impactful.  Updates such as new countertops, cabinets, appliances or flooring can all dramatically improve the kitchen.  These improvements can also help yield increased functionality and space throughout the kitchen.  For a simple refresh, homeowners can give their kitchen a new look by replacing the hardware on cabinets, painting or updating fixtures.

The Floors

A great way to upgrade an area of your home and pull a room together is to install new floors.  There are many options to choose from:  tile, laminate, porcelain or ceramic tile, vinyl or hardwood.  Consult a home-improvement retailer or flooring expert to help make the best choice and to ensure proper installation.

For more specific information on your particular property, email Kay Horacefield and visit Clear Lake and League City Realty.   Call Kay, we are ready to answer all of your questions and provide the support.

Rebecca Kolls, the consumer strategist of home and garden for Iconoculture—a leading consumer trends advisory firm—has been getting a lot of attention talking about the most anticipated 2012 home decorating trends.

She says 2012 will not be about flashy, over-the-top design; but rather, about decorating for real life—a home that’s smaller, more well-equipped and custom-made for its owners’ lifestyles.

Kolls says 2012 trends highlight practicality, rightsizing, style-telling and universal design. She says despite a decrease in average overall square footage, kitchens are growing, homeowners are adding more porches, ditching the conventional living room concept and embracing fewer – yet larger – rooms.

Instead of one purely decorative element, Kolls says homeowners are springing for more affordable luxuries with experiential benefits.

In the bedroom, these purchases include new mattresses for increased comfort and a better night’s sleep, plus items like improved lighting and window coverings that facilitate a gentle transition from sleeping to waking. Bathroom remodels include items like towel warmers, steam showers and multiple body spray outlets that promote relaxation and spa-like indulgence.

Furthermore, Kolls says homeowners in 2012 will be looking to tell a story through their decorating, with pieces that put a personal stamp on their spaces. People are stylizing the most-used room in the home—the kitchen—by adding workstations, artwork, photography and more furniture-like cabinetry enhanced by decorative cabinet knobs and pulls.

And since baby boomers are caring for their parents, their children, and sometimes even grandchildren, all while making plans for their own future, Kolls says more will want to spend the rest of their lives in their own home.

That also means homes with several generations under one roof will be utilizing technology to help keep all members of the family safe and well. In fact, Kolls predicts that wireless home health monitoring technologies are expected to grow by $4.4 billion by the year 2013.

That is a trend we’ll talk more about in the New Year.

By: John Voket