Peggy Wester Real Estate Agent Ozaukee & Washington County Real Estate

Kitchens have become the focus of many homes on the market today. Because of this, many homeowners have decided to put money into updating their kitchen. While this is a smart choice in a remodeling budget, you need to make sure to spend your money wisely. Keep these "don'ts" in mind when looking at creating your dream kitchen:

1. Don't limit yourself to the kitchen triangle. The working triangle (sink/stove/refrigerator) was a 1950's notion invented to sell cabinets. A wiser design is to think of your kitchen in "stations": cleanup, storage, cooking, etc.

2. Don't design with only one person in mind. This simply means to think about how everyone in the household uses the space. Focusing only on the chef's needs, for example, leaves out the opportunity to incorporate the needs of other members of the household.

3. Don't forget about the storage. Baking in a double oven is great, but you need enough space to store all the appliances, food and utensils necessary for cooking. While glass front cabinets are beautiful to look at, do you really want to have your opened cereal boxes, bags of beans, mixers and other small appliances on public display? Remember to add covered storage into your overall kitchen cabinet design.

4. Don't hold on to your old things in your new space. So, you've upgraded to a new range with a built-in grill. Is that George Foreman grill really necessary anymore? Go through your old pots and pans to see what should be kept and what should go. Cluttering up a new space with unnecessary things can ruin a good design.

5. Don't use tunnel vision. When designing your new kitchen, keep the whole house in mind instead of just the kitchen. How will the new kitchen function with the rest of the house? Just because something may not work in the kitchen right now, it doesn't mean that it won't work in the new space you will be creating. Do you want to have lots of people in the kitchen when you're cooking turkey dinner for Thanksgiving? Then you'll need to remember that you have to have room to sit those people down to eat in the dining room or visit in the living room as well.

The Insight Development Group is planning to begin building a new single-family and condominium development in Mequon in 2009. The Orchard Glen development will include 12 single-family homes and 38 condos on 39 acres of what was formerly a tree farm on Wauwatosa Road. Prices for these Mequon homes will range from $379,000-$490,000, well below the average market value of $800,000 to $1.5 million in the Mequon real estate market. These homes will cater to the first time buyers and "empty-nesters" (buyers looking to downsize from the larger homes they raised their children in). Those people with unlimited financial resources continue to build, since they can get more for their money as the high-quality builders are hungry for work. As a result of home builders in many areas of Wisconsin delaying construction of single-family subdivisions, a need for entry-level housing has arisen. The Insight Development Group hopes to meet that need in Mequon.

You don't have to spend an arm and a leg to make your house value go up.

1. A fresh coat of paint on the walls and ceiling will brighten any room costs less than $70. Make sure to use neutral colors and paint the trim in white for a more polished look.

2. By spending $250 on a home inspection, you will be able to determine what fixes need to be made to your home before you put it on the market. Since sellers typically ask for $2 off the asking price for every $1 in actual cost to repair or replace something, this $250 is a good investment.

3. Replace your old refrigerator, stove, dishwasher or washing machine with a new Energy-Star model. Not only will it save you on operating and energy costs, many utilities offer rebates for proof of purchasing an Energy-Star model appliance.

4. Replace those old, brass fixtures in your kitchen or bathroom with brushed nickel or oil rubbed bronze. You can install a brand new faucet, 10 drawer pulls and 10 knobs for less than $100. This will take your kitchen out of the 1980's and bring it into the 21st century. You may want to replace the light fixtures as well.

5. And, last, but not least, check out your landscaping. A nice, trim yard is a good start. But, it doesn't cost alot of money to add a few potted plants or trim your home in flowers. A first impression makes a lasting impression for buyers.

Making these quick and easy changes will impress buyers and increase the value of your home.

Beginning today and continuing on until Sunday, September 21st, an army of volunteers are expected to descend upon Port Washington's Upper Lake Park to create Possibility Playground, a universally accessible play area. Conceived by a grass-roots organization and organized over the last year, Possibility Playground will feature ramps and slides snaking through a replica of the Port Washington Lighthouse, a chain walk castle, tunnels, a mural of Lake Michigan and a pirate ship. With its flat surfaces and wide ramps, the park is meant to be enjoyed by all children, regardless of their physical limitations. Since it is being built at a blistering pace from the ground up, many volunteers are still needed to help out. Work days start at 8am and continue until 8pm, each shift is 4 hours long and you can take as many shifts as you would like. Food will be provided for all volunteers and child care for potty-trained children is available at nearby Port Washington Yacht Club. Kids 14 or older are welcome to help with construction and those kids between 10 and 13 can help their parents out. Even if you have never picked up a hammer in your life, you can always help hold a board for someone who is cutting or nailing something. Everyone is welcome. Come down to Port Washington to help out this wonderful cause. They need all the help they can get!

Blues lovers need to travel to Grafton September 19th and 20th for the annual Paramount Blues Festival. This festival honors all the fabulous artists that recorded music for Paramount Records in Grafton. The Grafton Blues Association has made it their goal to encourage involvement in the community and promote blues music and its history in school programs. The Blues Festival will help raise funds for its "Blues in Schools" programs, renovating the location where the Wisconsin Chair Factory once stood and the cost of producing its annual Paramount Blues Festival. This open air concert will host music by such artists as the 2008 Grafton Blues Challenge Winners Sue DaBaco & Wise Fools, Grammy winner David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Bryan Lee, Sharrie Williams, Elvin Bishop and 2007 festival favorite Zac Harmon. There will also be a guitar workshop for kids and adults as well as a Jug Band. Make sure to bring a chair or blanket to sit on, as rental chairs are limited. Food and drinks will be available for sale. Coolers, pets and all outside food and drinks are prohibited. Merchandise, such as T-shirts, CDs and posters, will be available for sale. Come out to Grafton and enjoy the blues!