Whatever the season or the reason, it’s never a bad time to seek out new ideas for reinventing your home. Because expensive large-scale renovations aren’t a viable option for many of us, consider simple changes that can make a major difference in enhancing your house.

And these days, redecorating on a dime may never have been easier.

A few budget-conscious ideas can make a world of difference on the home front. Painting, installing new fixtures and sprucing up walls are easy and inexpensive ways to give your home – and your spirits – a lift. You can complete such projects on a weekend or even after work, bringing your house in line with the latest design trends.

Simple changes even can increase the value of your home, which is something to consider in today’s competitive real estate market.

Perhaps no addition is quicker and easier than fresh paint. Much like any other home design idea, trends evolve over time. By applying a fresh coat of paint and different colors in different rooms, any home can be given new life. With dozens of colors readily available at reasonable prices, one afternoon spent painting can make a big difference as seasons and trends change.

The most far-reaching changes can range from new floor tiling to kitchen cabinets and countertops, but there also are more modest and affordable installation options. Something as simple as new doorknobs, address plaques or even a mailbox can add new energy to a home on a budget.

By hanging some fresh decorative items on your walls, aspiring do-it-yourselfers can make big changes without breaking the bank. Whether it’s an old painting, creative wall treatments, a new mirror or shelving from the local hardware store, all you’ll need is a solid method for hanging these items around the house.

“The most common mistakes DIYers make are to hang things with any nail, screw or pushpin in their junk drawers. Different applications call for different hanging methods,” says Mike Madland, Product Manager at ITW Brands, an anchor and fastener manufacturer.

Fortunately, there are new options in your local home improvement store that provide strength, ease of use and durability no matter what you’re hanging.

For those heavier items, try self-drilling anchors like Twist-N-Lock product from ITW Brands. You actually hear an audible ‘click’ when a screw is inserted into the anchor, letting you know it’s installed correctly.

For lighter items, there are novel creations like Tap-N-Lock anchors that install like a nail, but provide the security of an anchor. Simply tap-in the anchor with a hammer and install a screw or one of seven available hook options and the anchor automatically flips-up behind the wall, providing greater holding power. For more information on anchors and hooks visit www.ezancors.com.

Whatever your plan, establish a budget, enlist help from friends or family, and your home quickly can feel brand new.

Whether you’re entertaining guests or trying to sell your house, nothing beats a great first impression.

And when it comes to improving its exterior to appear more inviting, there’s no substitute for decorating the curbside view with a few key enhancements that beckon you inwards.

“With the current state of the economy, homeowners continue to look for ways to enhance their homes,” says Jeff Dross, senior product manager at Kichler Lighting, a company specializing in indoor and outdoor lighting. “Simple enhancements to existing outdoor areas, such as lighting or landscaping, can have a big impact on the overall aesthetics of your property.”

That all-important first impression can be enhanced with a few simple cosmetic changes that include:

Slate: There are many natural materials that can be incorporated into outdoor landscaping projects, but one of the most popular is slate. Used patio design, roofing, entryways and more, slate provides a classic and natural outdoor element that works nicely against typical landscapes. Stain-resistant and non-absorbent, it’s also a very durable rock that helps warmly lead visitors into your home.

Landscape lighting: Outdoor lighting elements not only provide decorative flair, but complement a home’s exterior facade and add that extra touch to the landscape. With a wide variety of creative designs, outdoor lighting also can accent other aspects of your property, including your porch, or the walkway to your patio. For example, Kichler Lighting offers a wide range of landscape lighting fixtures, from lighted potted planters to coordinating outdoor chandeliers and wall sconces.

Energy efficient products: The buzz on energy efficient products continues to grow as homeowners remodel and expand outdoor settings. The key to reducing energy consumption in outdoor lighting is the reliance on LED lighting – an ultra energy-efficient light source that uses 75 percent less electricity than typical incandescent lighting. And, depending on the particular style you’re seeking, there are a variety of LED fixtures that can help welcome visitors to your home while accommodating your energy efficient needs.

“Decreasing energy consumption and its costs remains top-of-mind for homeowners when tackling remodeling projects,” says Dross. “As the technology of LED continues to grow, manufacturers continue to develop products that not only are energy efficient, but aesthetically pleasing and provide added design elements.”

Outdoor fans: With an array of exterior cooling options, outdoor fan designs have certainly come a long way. Not only do they provide refreshing, cooler air, but design innovations have made them the perfect accent to any outdoor space. Outdoor ceiling fans are now moisture-resistant to withstand certain weather conditions, and some are even equipped with energy efficient DC motors to reduce energy consumption while being safe for the environment.

For more information about outdoor lighting options, visit www.kichler.com.

Whatever styles you pursue, there are many ways to reconfigure your home’s exterior, making it more inviting and welcoming for both family and visitors.

Real estate professionals call it curb appeal, but you can just call it home.

It’s a busy time in the wild world of real estate. After a nationwide crisis, there has been a surge of home sales across the country and homeowners once again are looking for ways to increase the value of their houses – regardless of their intent on selling them.

Experts say there are a number of simple ways to help your property see a rise in value.

“To draw buyers in, you need to create a visual story of how they could live in your home,” says Starr Osborne, founder of moving-management and design company Tailored Transitions and author of “Home Staging That Works: Sell Your Home in Less Time for More Money.” “You need to prepare your home in such a way that it tells them a tale of the wonderful life that awaits them.”

With a few quick moves, telling that story can be easier.

When it comes to the inner workings of any home, a lot can go wrong. There are also plenty of inopportune times for a house’s plumbing or electricity to suddenly go out. Plan a proper home inspection and rest easier knowing your property is up to code.

By bringing in a home stager for a couple of hours, you’ll gain insight into your home from someone with an established background in real estate. By offering the odd decorating idea, he or she can help bring your home in line with the latest and most popular design trends.

There are many ways easy or temporary upgrades to your home that can come in handy if you’re showing it to prospective buyers. “Home staging has infiltrated the selling process all across the country,” says Osborne. “Clearly, staging boosts sales prices.”

According to a recent HomeGain survey of 2,000 realtors nationwide, 91 percent recommended staging before selling. Simple solutions from replacing faucets to moving furniture can dramatically impact your home’s sale price.

If you’re looking to sell, improve that first impression. Make sure your lawn, shrubbery, walkway and driveway are all tidy. Get rid of messes and consider a new doormat or some nice planters. Removing books and lamps helps unclutter a living or family room.

Repair paint cracks with spackle and a new coat. Fix cracked or missing baseboards, thresholds and tiling. Make sure hinges are well oiled and that doors and windows open and close easily.

By investing in some nice paints and applying a fresh coat, any home can be given new life quickly and easily. Assign specific colors to different rooms, and you’ll find that walking around the house is a whole new experience.

In a quick-fix marketplace where home values have decreased while transactions increase, deciding to sell or not can be a big decision. But a few simple tweaks can raise your home’s value, whatever decision you make.

It’s one of springtime’s most popular activities: preparing your yard for enjoyable summertime use. However, the rising scarcity of water across the country continues to drive up the cost of landscaping and gardening.

In fact, more and more states nationwide are beginning to prohibit daily watering altogether.

“Fortunately, there are an increasing number of efficient approaches to home landscaping that are surprisingly easy to get started, such as mulching and installing new nozzles that use up to 30 percent less water than the nozzles we grew up with,” points out Mike Baron, Toro water management specialist. “Using less water doesn’t mean sacrificing a beautiful yard.”

There might not be an easier technique to save water than mulching. Placing a three- to five-inch layer of mulch around your plants will help to hold in the moisture and is most effective when used in conjunction with plants native to the local environment.

There’s no need to dig up your yard to completely replace your irrigation system with one that will save water and money. Every spray should have a removable nozzle that you can swap out for a more efficient one – and it’s literally as easy as changing a light bulb.

One of the key parts of the conventional irrigation system that has seen the most development in recent years is the spray nozzle. A perfect example is the new Precision Series Spray nozzles from Toro, which can save water and cash. Responsible for spraying water evenly around a given area, in-ground Precision Series Spray nozzles use a special, embedded chip that creates a spray pattern which offers better coverage and, most importantly, uses less water.

These nozzles offer higher overall irrigation efficiency while delivering larger water droplets, minimizing the effect of evaporation. Using up to one-third less water of regular spray nozzles, this technology can make a world of difference financially and environmentally.

All the parts of an irrigation system – controller, valves, sprinklers – work together to ensure your plants get proper watering. Replacing just one portion of a system with an efficient option helps save water. Over time, replacing all components with efficient irrigation products ensures optimum savings.

Drip irrigation is another efficient approach to green landscaping. By putting water only where and when you need it – at the base of shrubs, flowers, and vegetables – you can use up to 50 percent less water than conventional sprinklers. These systems deliver water slowly, allowing the soil to better absorb water and minimize or eliminate runoff.

Because drip systems are designed to put water closer to a plant’s roots, they offer the most efficient way to cultivate a lush garden while saving water.

“It’s an opportunity to demonstrate good citizenship. No matter what type of grass and plants you choose, you can take pride knowing that you can grow a beautiful, natural landscape while still being environmentally conscious,” says Baron.

For more information about landscaping equipment and irrigation, visit www.toro.com.