Target areas for renovation before putting it on market

Appropriate makeovers based on the vintage of your home could yield a faster sale at a better price. Such targeted improvements also save you money when compared with full state-of-the-art renovations throughout the home.

To uncover the top age-appropriate home improvements and repairs, Bankrate asked four real estate experts to share their suggestions for houses by era: pre-1960s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Pre-’60s homes

Add power, check pipes and remove carpeting.

Vintage homes have many charms, but the ability to power modern appliances is not one of them. According to Sid Davis, a Salt Lake City real estate broker and author of “Home Makeovers That Sell,” homes built before the advent of hair dryers, computers and monster TVs typically had between 60-amp and 90-amp electrical service. Today’s homes typically have 200-amp service.

If you have an older home, upgrade to a minimum of 100 amps. Check the wiring, as older homes may have aluminum wiring that no longer meets code.

Plumbing is your second priority. If you’re lucky, you have copper pipes; if not, you likely have galvanized pipes, which corrode over time.

Ready for some good news? Homes built before the 1960s often have a hidden advantage sitting right under that funky old carpeting: hardwood floors.

“Hardwood floors are a hot commodity today,” says Pat Combs, president of the National Association of Realtors.

’60s homes

Replace windows, update cabinets and evict termites.

“If you’ve got the old, single-paned aluminum slider windows, absolutely upgrade those,” Davis says.

You can do wonders with a ’60s kitchen by replacing dated cabinet hardware with stainless steel or nickel knobs, pulls and hinges. If the cabinets are solid wood, Davis suggests these steps before replacing them: clean, sand, stain or paint, and reveneer. If that won’t help, try replacing the doors before getting all new cabinets.

Termites, if present, will have had sufficient time to cause significant damage to ’60s homes in Southern states, says Wendy Patton, co-author of “Making Hard Cash in a Soft Real Estate Market.” Her advice: Inspect immediately and treat annually.

’70s homes

Update kitchens and baths, and lose the wild colors.

Homes from the ’70s really show their age, inside and outside. This was the era when outlandish colors found their way onto everything from countertops to toilets.

You can lose the time warp quickly and easily with a fresh coat of paint. Modern epoxies can give new life to those puce or avocado bathtubs, showers and kitchen appliances. Dated exteriors can be similarly transformed on the cheap, Patton says.

’80s homes

Upgrade countertops, ditch wallpaper and clean up.

Laminate countertops gave way to hard surfaces in many homes of this era, creating a bit of a kitchen arms race for sellers.

“If you want to replace your kitchen counters, look around your neighborhood,” Davis says. “If everyone has granite, then you’re going to have granite, too. If everyone has Corian, then you’re going to go that way, too.”

Wallpaper is another ’80s trend that may date your home.

“Wallpaper was really big, but it’s not now,” Combs says. “My advice is to pull it all off.”

’90s homes

Upgrade appliances and clean or replace carpeting.

Intuitively, you would expect that a ’90s home would require fewer upgrades than something from the ’80s. But depending on its age, a ’90s home may require more work for one reason: Home appliances wear out most frequently when they are 10 to 15 years old. Davis suggests replacing them sooner rather than later.

Don’t hurry into a new roof, however. If your roof is more than 10 years old, have it inspected and, if it makes the grade, include the inspection report in your buyer’s packet.

A clean carpet always says “welcome home” to prospective buyers. Have yours cleaned, then cover the traffic areas with a plastic sheeting.

“People coming through will say, ‘Wow, these people are serious about clean,’ ” Combs says.

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