A wonderful home value article gives a great sense of how to really improve the value of your home, taken from various surveys from around the country. Obviously the most effective way to increase your home's value is to fix things that are honestly broken. But after that, enhancing beauty and utility goes a long way in making better first impressions and commanding higher bids on your home.

Here are the rates of return shown from these surveys:

* Minor kitchen remodeling (Connecticut)--125%
* Major kitchen remodeling (Kentucky)--92%
* Basement renovation (California)--98%
* Bathroom remodel (Oregon)--90%
* Exterior paint (Pennsylvania)--90%
* Master bedroom (Florida)--86%

As you can see, while any home improvements will raise your home's value, most will not pay you back dollar for dollar, so they should also be done with YOUR ENJOYMENT in mind. Having said that, in these surveys, the only investment that actually paid back more than the initial investment was "minor kitchen remodeling."

This is because, as you know, the kitchen is typically considered the centerpiece of the home, and people give more value to the kitchen in their minds. Low-cost improvements to a kitchen -- as those available from Custom Art Cabinets -- can capture a prospective buyer's imagination and really promote a higher bid.

In fact, it's generally accepted that major improvements are for your pleasure and convenience. Minor improvements are the way to actually earn money. And of the few recommendations on this list of inexpensive ways to increase the value of your home, improving the kitchen cabinets is among them.

Our custom artwork is surprisingly affordable, especially if you already have cabinets with inset glass. For a very small investment, you can give your home a very real feel of luxury.