For many of us our homes are much more than the place we sleep at night, they are an investment. To see the long-term financial benefits of enhancing a home, there are a few things you should know.

It is not enough in today’s design conscience world to simply paint your walls.

“As a living space, a home’s design and condition impact our lives day in and day out," said David Hollies, a remodeling expert and industry educator. "As an investment, we seek to preserve and enhance our value in the marketplace.”

According to Hollies, there are five areas to focus on when remodeling your home

Distance is also known as the curbside appeal, which translates into how attractive one’s home, is from the street. One way to increase the appeal is by landscaping your front yard and also making sure the siding and paint on the house is fresh and clean.

Deficiency is whether or not your home is lacking some aspect that the neighbor’s homes have. For example, if your home has one and a half bath and all the rest of the homes are two and a half, then you might consider adding another bathroom to be valued at the same price as the other homes in your community.

Distinctiveness can distinguish your home from the others on the market. It is what will sell the house. This can be achieved by adding special features such as a walk-in closet, a fireplace, a grand foyer, or even a spa-tub. Demand is what will determine whether you should add a special feature to your home. The demand for fireplaces in a home may not be the same in Las Vegas as they are in Colorado. Added features can even be seen as an extra hassle to clean or upkeep if they are not in demand. The remedy is to investigate the features that are being included in new homes. Chances are if it is not being built into the new homes, it is not a need in the market.

Degree is used in moderation. To what degree that you remodel your home determines whether it will rise in value. Too many additions and projects will have little impact on resale value.

According to an annual survey conducted by Remodeling, a design magazine, the top five remodeling projects in 2004 ranked in the order of percent recouped at home resale included minor kitchen remodel (92.9 percent cost recouped), siding replacement (92.8 percent), midrange bathroom remodel (90.1 percent), deck addition (86.7 percent) and midrange bathroom addition (86.4 percent).

Additions that may be attractive, but have little payback at resale are swimming pools, gazebos and a home office according to the Real Estate Journal. Finding Peace in Your Home Not only do we seek to gain financially from our homes, we can also gain physically, emotionally and spiritually. This can be accomplished through creating harmony and balance in the home.

“We have all walked into someone’s home or office that has felt cold or unfriendly and instead would rather be in a home that is warm and inviting. If the energy of the home is not harmonious, it has become stagnant and can cause poor health,” said Bartley.

Phree Bartley, a local consultant believes that a better life can be created with feng shui (pronounced fung sway). Feng shui (translated, wind and water) is an ancient art of placement that originated in Tibet and migrated down through India then to China. It is the practice of balancing life forces of the body (known as "chi") in a living or office space, Bartley said.

The focus of this art is to promote health and happiness in the human spirit by manipulating the position and placement of wind and water to harmonize with the natural forces of nature, resulting in a healthy, happy and prosperous life.