Add value to your home!

Curb appeal. "A good first appearance on a home can add as much as 5 percent to 10 percent to the value of the home," says John Aust, president of the National Association of Real Estate Appraisers. "Homes in a neighborhood tend to vary about 10 percent from house to house, assuming all other things are the same."

 Good windows. "People are looking at exposures and windows," says Phipps. "It's been a cold winter for most of the country and energy efficiency is very important."

Insulated windows are always a plus, says Strong. "Typically, they pay for themselves in five years," he says. The cost: for an average 2,600-square-foot home, estimate about $10,000 for new windows, he says.

Well-placed skylights are also a good touch to add value, says Phipps.

Landscaping. Mature trees "are worth $1,000," says Strong.

And having outdoor spaces with touches such as pergolas and Victorian garden swings "can be very helpful," says Phipps.

Appraiser John Bredemeyer remembers one $250,000 home in Omaha that had no landscaping at all. "It was stark," says Bredemeyer, national chair of government relations for the Appraisal Institute, a professional group for real estate appraisers. "It just stood out as unappealing."

Conversely, you don't have to spend a fortune on plants, either. Just keep it "typical with the neighborhood," he says.

Bankrate-20 things that can alter the value of your home