Before you start making any serious improvements to your home that will cost you a lot of money it would be worth asking a local estate agent a couple of questions :-

What would my house be worth if I do such and such work ?

What is the ceiling for properties on my type in the local area?

If your home is currently worth £200,000 and you are thinking of spending £20,000 on improvements you need to check out the ceiling prices for properties of your type is in the area. If it is £215,000 the your improvements are not going to add value to your house.

Once you are sure that your work will add value to your house you have to decide what exactly you want to do.

1. Create an extra room.

An extension, especially one that creates an extra bedroom or reception room will increase the value of your home. In fact, you may not even have to do the work, selling a house with planning permission for an extension already sorted out will allow you to ask a higher price.

2. Improve your bathroom.

Many prospective buyers look for fresh, up to date bathrooms, so tear out that 1970's avocado suite and replace it with a modern white bathroom suite. Wet rooms are also currently very fashionable but make sure that the installation is done by an experienced professional as a leak can be both disastrous and expensive to fix.

4. Revamp your kitchen

Kitchens are major selling points so think about updating the oven sink, units and work-top (even just putting new doors and handles on the kitchen units can improve the look of a kitchen). Focus Kitchen Appliances have a good range of appliances, units and worktops to choose from.

5 Decorate.

A quick coat of paint gives a good return on your investment although it's probably more likely to speed up a sale than increase the value. Go for neutral colours where possible.

6. Keep it tidy.

Obviously a clean, clutter free home will sell quicker than a home that is dirty and has all the surfaces piled high with junk. Remember, first impressions count.