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Along with champagne toasts and New Year’s kisses, the New Year brings fresh resolutions for your biggest investment. Make 2011 the time to enhance your living space in ways that increase its desirability next year. It may also be a moment to get more for less, as contractors, designers and remodelers often offer discounted services.

“Homeowners should set goals that continuously improve their home, not only to customize, but to enhance the property’s value and appeal,” said Jim Dohr, president of Coldwell Banker Gundaker. “The results are tangible and can help create points of differentiation when you put your home on the market.”

Here are some tips for improving your home in 2011:

• Set goals. When creating resolutions for yourself and your home, establish detailed and attainable goals. Instead of saying you’ll fix up the entire house, prioritize specific projects and budgets for each.
  
• Do an annual physical. The chilly weather, which keeps us indoors, creates a fine opportunity to give your home a physical. Get the heating system serviced, check visible water pipes for cracks or leaks and have appliances inspected. Making these type of annual maintenance investments will help you avoid larger, more expensive repairs down the line.
  
• Get organized. From mortgage payments to home improvement project receipts, create a file to document all of the improvements you have made. This process will help keep your finances in check and provide a sequential paper trail for home buyers.
  
• Brighten it up. Many homeowners and buyers are looking to create a headquarters for spending quality time with friends and family. Does your home offer that inviting space? If not, it may be time to rethink your cozy kitchen, refresh your living room or update that drab guest bedroom.
  

Coldwell Banker Gundaker, the leading residential real estate brokerage company in St. Louis, operates 23 offices with nearly 2,000 sales associates serving metropolitan St. Louis and east-central Missouri. Coldwell Banker Gundaker is part of NRT LLC, the nation’s largest residential real estate brokerage company. NRT, a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, operates Realogy’s company-owned real estate brokerage offices. For more information, please visit www.cbgundaker.com.