For many people their home is their most valuable asset.

Whenever the subject of improvements comes up a homeowner can't be blamed for having in mind the effect they will have on its re-sale value, according to Strutt & Parker.

It is rarely the case that what you spend on your home is automatically added to its price. Some improvements are more desirable or more fashionable than others and some can actually decrease your house's value.

For example, a swimming pool is an expensive addition. Increasingly buyers for the larger country houses see a pool as an asset that the best properties should have.

Simon Backhouse of Strutt & Parker said: ''Not all buyers see pools as an asset worth paying for, as not all homes suit having one."

Kitchen and bathrooms are supposed to sell homes, but spending a fortune re-fitting them just because you are going to put your house or flat on the market can be a mistake. It's a question of personal preference; Murphy's law dictates that if you like a traditional farmhouse-style kitchen the next people in will want a cool contemporary feel, and no one likes to feel that they're paying for something that they're simply going to being ripping out.

Some of the most cost effective improvements you can make to your home are the most modest. You really don't have to spend a fortune to really make a big difference. First impressions count, and relaying and re-edging the drive will often give you a return for your money, as will replacing damaged fencing. Painting the front door and the porch is one of the best things you can do, and if the doorbell is faulty the few pounds you spend repairing or replacing it will be an investment.

If you are thinking of selling in the next six months, don't lose interest in your house or garden. Ensure all the normal maintenance is kept going and if the outside paintwork is due to be done, do it - it may be a false economy to ignore it.

Beware of spending too much on the garden. So far as larger home improvements are concerned, anything which increases the house's overall accommodation tends to pay dividends.