Kitchens have become the heart of our homes.

If you are like most people, you spend more waking hours in your kitchen than in any other room in your home. And the funny thing is, so do our children, their friends, our friends, relatives and our dinner guests (just try keeping dinner guests out of your kitchen!). For many, it’s where the quality family time happens.

It’s no surprise then, that people are making major investments in their kitchens. If you look at the latest Cost vs. Value report*, you’ll see that kitchens rank relatively high on the % of cost recouped. Your average midrange kitchen remodel of $60,536 with a cost recouped of 68% will provide you with a space that works better, with new cabinets, countertops, flooring and appliances all for 32 cents on the dollar…a bit over $19,000. Plus, the $41,423 recouped at resale is tax-free if the house is your primary residence. On top of that, you benefit from the use of the remodeled space, usually for many years. Not many investments offer that kind of package.

So what are you waiting for? Improve the room you spend most of your time in for pennies on the dollar. You work hard and you’re worth it!

*Data in this paragraph © 20011 Hanley Wood, LLC. Reproduced by permission. Complete city data from the Remodeling 20011 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded for free at www.costvsvalue.com