Best Real Estate ROIs

Over the past few years, Americans have been in a renovation frenzy.
In 2001, U.S. homeowners spent $104.6 billion on remodeling projects, estimates Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. By the end of 2005, spending had risen to $149.5 billion -- an increase of 43 percent over four years.
"It was the stars aligning," says Kermit Baker, director of the remodeling futures program at JCHS. "Financing costs were very low for