A number of home improvement projects can actually lower the value of a home by turning off potential buyers, according to an interesting recent article published by Yahoo! Finance.

The following projects might make you happy if you’re staying in your home for a while, but they can be a bad idea if you’re planning to sell soon, according to the article:

• Converting a bedroom. Most buyers would much rather see a four-bedroom house than a three-bedroom house with a home gym. And if you do convert a bedroom, make it easy to turn it back into a bedroom – and never remove a closet.

• Swimming pools. Not everyone loves a swimming pool. Many buyers see them as a big maintenance expense, a danger to small children, or a potential lawsuit.

• Elaborate landscaping. You certainly want your landscaping to look nice, but extremely elaborate plantings, pools and waterfalls can make buyers think they’ll have to spend a fortune on maintenance.

• Colored trim and textured walls. Buyers know they can repaint walls, but trim is very hard to repaint, and textured surfaces are very hard to remove.

• Hot tubs. Many people are squeamish about the idea of using someone else’s hot tub. And a built-in tub can be hard to relocate.