conomists predict the worst of the recession is over, but the housing market still has a way to go to complete recovery. It pays to think positively and improve your home, both to boost its value as the market recovers, and to enhance its livability for your family now.

Improving your home is usually a good investment, as long as you focus on improvements that offer high return on your dollar. Renovated kitchens and baths increase a home's value, as does a great deck or patio. Finishing the basement remains a good way to improve value and livability while also expanding square footage. Think of it as double the return on investment - not only are you creating an appealing space in your home, you're actually making the home bigger for potential buyers who want maximum living space.

Finishing a basement is a favorite technique of home flippers - investors who purchase distressed properties for a low price, renovate them and sell for a profit. While flipping may not be in your future, you can still borrow a page from the flipper's handbook and finish your basement to improve your home's value.

One hit home improvement TV show bought a home in Hamden, Conn. to flip. The 1,200 square foot Cape Cod-style home, built in 1950 had fallen into major disrepair. While extensive interior and exterior renovations could give the home curb appeal and entice buyers, the flippers knew that finishing the basement would be a fast, cost-effective way to add living space and square footage in a neighborhood where they were competing with homes that offered more updates.

Many unfinished basements are dark, damp and don't provide homeowners any enjoyment of the space other than use for storage. The flippers used the Owens Corning Basement Finishing System to quickly finish this basement, giving it a new life with light and usable space. Where normal drywall construction could have taken several weeks and blown the flippers' renovation schedule, using the Basement Finishing System allowed them to finish the basement in just two weeks.

The renovation added 500 square feet of finished living space to the small home, and ensured potential buyers found a bright, inviting space when they toured during the open house. Finishing a basement is also a great way to improve the healthfulness of a home. A dark, damp basement that could have been a breeding ground for mold and mildew associated with respiratory disorders instead became a dry, bright and tidy showpiece area of the home.

While you might not have your own full-time construction crew like a home flipper, or the spotlight of a national TV show, when it comes to finishing a basement you don't need to. Professional installers can finish a basement in about two weeks using the Owens Corning Basement Finishing System. The system features built-in thermal and acoustic benefits, and the walls are durable, resisting dents and stains. It easily turns a cold concrete basement (that might deter potential buyers) into a warm, comfortable space that can be used for bedrooms, baths, office space or family rooms. Finishing the basement quickly not only ensures you have an attractive space to show buyers at a time when market competition is fierce, it also affords you faster enjoyment of your current space now.

Visit www.basementfinishingsystem.com to learn more.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

ntertaining at home is the perfect way to spend time with your family and friends, as nothing beats relaxing and enjoying the beautiful summer weather with your guests. Unfortunately, hosting the party has always had one down side -- being stuck in the kitchen cleaning and cooking while others enjoy the festivities.

Now, there is hope for home entertainers. New kitchen innovations provide an easy way to entertain, while adding a gourmet touch to your decor. Spend the evening socializing instead of slaving away in the kitchen.

reaming of traveling to your favorite tropical destination? Are you, like many, skipping your vacation due to the current economic recession? Don't worry. Creative homeowners are bringing the idea of travel into their home by incorporating exotic decor that provides the feeling of a travel retreat.

According to a recent "Vacationing at Home" survey by Febreze and Harris Interactive, 75 percent of people would like to travel to an exotic destination around the world, but cannot afford to in the current economy. Furthermore, 84 percent of people feel that staying at home is a great way to relax.

This is why so many people are choosing a "staycation," where they spend time at home instead of traveling. The staycation idea has inspired a new trend in home decorating and design: tropical home decor. Inspiration for the trend springs directly from pleasant past vacation memories -- simply open up your photo album and reminisce about your trip to Hawaii or Brazil.

f the words "nature-inspired decor" make you think of muted wall hues or overwrought floral fabrics, it's time to rethink your take on this hot design trend.

Nature-inspired design can certainly be soothing, sedate and traditional, but a plethora of new products and techniques is also bringing the bold, bright and fun side of nature indoors. Whether it's a throw pillow that looks like birch bark or a full wall mural of green bamboo, nature's brighter side is spicing up modern American decor.

If you're looking for fun, funky ways to bring the brighter side of nature-inspired design into your home, here are a few ideas and items to look for: