Many homeowners want to move but feel stuck by their mortgages, owing more on the house than they would gain by selling it.   Some are trying to make their old houses new through remodeling, for their own satisfaction or to boost property value.   Some home improvement projects hold value better than others, according to Remodeling magazine's Cost vs. Value report.  Homeowners used to add value with new cabinets, countertops and other home projects. Now, real estate agents say, their clients are reluctant to dump money into work that won't add to the bottom line at sale time.

People are itching for change.  Upgrading kitchens and bathrooms, adding master suites, expanding family rooms, buying appliances or simply painting or reflooring. Many are doing the simpler work themselves.   They say if they can't sell their home, they at least want a new kitchen or make their home nicer.  The smartest improvements are sometimes the least expensive.  Exterior work may provides the greatest return on your investment.  Eight of the projects in the report's top 10 for recouped costs are exterior replacement projects costing less than $14,000.  Door and window replacements returned more than 80 percent of project costs when the homes were resold, according to the report. An entry door replacement recouped 129 percent of its cost.

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