Do's

-Consider glass as an option to ceramic tiles. Ceramic doesn't offer the decorative benefits of newly re-discovered glass tiles that reflect light and add a glisten and glow to kitchens and bathrooms. The cost difference is minimal.

-Specify drawer-style refrigerators/freezers and dishwashers. You'll love the deign flexibility to place where you want them. Perfect for contemporary kitchens where you want only base cabinets with open shelves above.

-Research exotic and reclaimed woods. Recycled wood salvaged from soon-to-be-demolished buildings and eco-friendly rosewood is in growing demand as homeowners mainline individualism and earth-friendly wood finishes.

-Luggage rooms. With today's on-the-go family, where to stash all their luggage is a growing problem. Most harried travelers want it in one place, to find the right piece for the right trip and to have their travel sizes of 3 ounces or less in at-a-glance place.

-Look for bolder, deeper colors for trim like shutters, doors, and window frames. Professional color forecasters believe this is the next big trend.

-Textures. Mixing natural materials such as slate and stone, wood and natural fibers, earthenware and recycled barn wood. Anything weathered; wood, metal and glass gives newer homes a sense of history.

-Install engineered stone compound countertops. Cheaper than granite, but come in a variety of colors and finishes, this synthetic alternative to nature is cutting edge in 2007 kitchens.

-Place a second laundry in your Master Suite. Walk-in closets are everywhere, why not put your own laundry next to your dirty clothes? They've been popping up more and more in 2006, and sure to go mainstream in 2007.

-Put up a wrought iron fence instead of a wood or chain-link fence. Wrought iron says luxury to homebuyers.

Don'ts

-Install bowl-shaped above-counter bathroom sinks. The splashing and over-all up-keep has earned these the reputation of nice to look at, but don't want one.

-Install too many glass kitchen cabinet doors. It looks great in magazines, but busy homeowners don't have the time to keep their kitchen cabinets organized to keep the picture perfect look. Plus if you hate washing the windows, having more glass in a greasy room like a kitchen is high-maintenance.

-Minimize breakfast bar countertop overhang. Buyers hate when they can't pull up a stool comfortably for a cup of coffee. Make sure yours extends past base cabinets at least twelve inches, preferably fifteen-eighteen.

-Go cheap and omit trim around interior window openings. Drywall finishes-only around windows doesn't say contemporary, it says like a bullhorn; cheap.

-Utilize concrete-blocks in exterior walls in new construction. One, it's ugly and two, unless they are properly sealed at installation and every three years thereafter, they'll leak moisture. Mold is a big by-product of improperly installed and maintained concrete-block, inside or out.

-Specify spiral staircases. Once the rage for mid-seventies make over's, now death to a home seller. The boomers have aged, their kids don't like them, unfriendly to pets and young children. Take yours out and put in a standard staircase (inside or out) before you sell.

-Underestimate softness of Bamboo wood floors. The first user reviews are in on this popular eco-friendly flooring, and they're not pretty. Easily dented and scratched, and prone to warping from variations in climate and humidity levels.

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Mark Nash, is a residential real estate author, broker, columnist and writer based in Chicago. His fourth book 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home received eighteen five star reviews on Amazon.com. His latest book; Real Estate A-Z for Buying & Selling a Home will be published in December 2006. Mark publishes a free monthly ezine for real estate professionals. Agent to Agent features ten articles that offer free reprints for agents, home buyers and sellers through EzineArticles.com . Real estate news and book reviews, Celebrity Homestyles, Home selling and buying tips and advice, Joke-of-the-Month, Help this Agent, and agent marketing tips. Over 5000 subscribers in the U.S. & Canada. Subscribe at: http://www.AgenttoAgentEzine.com