The kitchen is the heart of the home. Just watch a few potential home buyers in an open house. They make a beeline for the kitchen before looking at any other room. A few focal points of a kitchen that people associate with value include the faucet, counter, and flooring.

A kitchen make-over can be as simple as replacing faucets and light fixtures, or as complex as a completely new floor.

Most people overlook the simple methods of redecorating a kitchen. Instead of replacing the cabinets, just have someone refinish the cabinet doors. There are companies that will refinish cabinet doors, and update drawers, for a fraction of the cost of a new kitchen.

Brighter light fixtures in a modern design can update the room. Outdated lighting can alter the mood and feel of an entire room. Next to dull, discolored faucet fixtures, the lighting ‘ages' a room.

Follow this theme into the bathroom. Before looking at flooring or walls, look at the faucets and lighting. Many homeowners are afraid to limit their redecorating to these elements, but it is true, many rooms can be improved by simply replacing fixtures, switches, door handles, and lighting.

One of the cheapest and most effective ways of improving a home's value is to modernize the storage. Easy to clean, dust free storage is very valuable and sought after in today's homes.

With breathing problems on the rise, many homeowners feel that modern storage is not only an important element of the home, but it is a necessity. White, plastic coated, wire shelving is easier to clean than melamine shelving and stronger than glass.

White wire shelving has the added advantage of being easy to re-organize to fit the family's needs as time progresses.

Energy saving is important in today's homes. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars to add new flooring, which new owners may rip up anyway, add an energy efficient water heater. These water heaters cost less than $1 000 and only heat water as it is needed.

Updating a wood stove is another great way to improve a home's value. A corn burning furnace is not only environmentally sound, but it is more efficient than wood, clean, and does not require a chimney. Another alternative is a pellet-burning stove.

Another method of improving the value of a home is updating the water system. Replacing old pipes will improve a home's value. This may also include adding extra faucets outside, adding a special faucet in the garage or carport for cleaning vehicles.

The above home improvement projects should all cost less than $2000 each and can add thousands of dollars to the value of the home. These improvements not only improve the aesthetic look of the home, but it improves the house's fundamental value – no matter who is buying the home.