This shouldn't frighten you from updating your home, however. Updating is a great way to get rid of previous owners' fashion and decorating mistakes. Updating is also a fantastic way to up the value of your home, or also to up your own family's comfort level. Here are some tips to help you update your home without dating it so that you are unhappy with it and the resale value is much lower.

1. When it comes to major decisions, think neutral.

While one of the most popular ways to decorate today's homes is to make them absolutely full of personality, this isn't really going to help your resale value and can quickly date your home décor.

When you are updating major parts of your home, such as countertops, appliances, your floors, and various other hard surfaces like tile, think neutrally. Your own taste might not be the taste of the next person who comes along. So when you choose the color of your flooring or your appliances, choose neutral colors that can easily match a number of different personal styles.

In order to personalize your home, instead of choosing a bright orange laminate flooring, decide to bring orange into your home some other way. Paint is a great way to bring personality into your house, and your paint colors and designs can easily be changed by other homeowners. You also can change the paint of your home quite easily whenever you go through a personality change. Also consider bringing your personality into your décor through the use of accessories.

There are also a number of different design options that you have that can help bring in personality. For example, many appliances now have the option of paneling, which can be removed is desired. If you ever want to do anything major or extreme, think reversible.

2. Be careful with your structural changes.

When you are deciding to make major structural changes to your home, be careful in how you do it! The best structural changes that you can make are ones that go with the style that your home already has. Choosing the wrong style will actually drop your property value.

If you have a rustic-style home, choose rustic-style structural changes, such as your kitchen remodel. If you live in a modern Bauhaus, then you shouldn't add on a country-cottage style addition.

Your remodeling style inside your home should also match the overall style of your home. Don't put a stainless steel bathroom in your skiing cabin. Don't go for the farmhouse look in your high Colonial house.

3. Invest in quality, not quantity.

High-quality materials tend to have a more timeless look to them. High-quality materials will also last much longer than cheap materials that show up any damage that is done to them. Beautiful woods, or even laminates and high quality synthetic stone, can greatly increase the value of your home along with ensuring a timeless appearance.