Over the years, fashions in home furnishings come and go. We've moved through being dazzled by earth tones, to falling in love with mauve tones to sun-baked tones... and on and on.

None of this is terribly important unless we are trying to sell (and get top dollar for) our house. Suddenly, it begins to make sense to install a gourmet kitchen in place of our old, pragmatic kitchen-like-Mom-had. Why?

Because sellers may receive a higher price if they make certain changes than they would have it they hadn't, and the higher price may even exceed the cost of the changes, as well as hastening the sale.

This is why many sellers eventually feel that they're selling their home at the point when it finally looks the way they wanted it to look. "Maybe," they often say, "we should just stay here."

Maybe. But the fact is, it's important to treat your home objectively, like a product on a supermarket shelf competing with others for buyers. If you like what you create, you have a better idea of what you want to buy, once your home sells. For example, Americans are falling in love once again with the Great Room, a large living space that generally includes the kitchen and often eliminates the need for a separate living room. Many sellers are taking out walls and retrofitting their homes with Great Rooms. Not a bad idea at all, though you should check the cost/benefit ratios before proceeding.

Need more information? Just call Beth at (425) 450-5208 and visit her website at www.bethbillington.com.

Beth Billington is a Realtor® with Coldwell Banker Bain in Bellevue, WA.