SEATTLE -- The age of do-it-yourself projects seems to be at an all-time high, with homeowners tackling all kinds of design challenges, both small and large.

How do you know if your sweat equity will really translate into solid cash equity in your home?

The show, 'My House Is Worth What?' is one way to find out, and they're here in Western Washington touring homes and filming episodes.

It's lights, camera, and action, inside homes across the Seattle Metropolitan area.

Homeowner Doug Patterson opened up his home to the TV crew.

"You've got your HGTV addicts, people who watch it all the time," he said. "This has been one of our favorite shows and your home is going to be the largest purchase you ever make and you're going to put the money and additional equity into it, especially when you think it's going to come back in turn."

That's why Patterson and other local homeowners from West Seattle to Kirkland want to know their home's worth.

Is the remodeling right on, or did they go overboard with fixtures? Did they over personalize their space, or keep it neutral for the next buyer?

Real Estate Broker Jennifer Winchell summed it up: "People like to buy into something they can see themselves in, not the previous owner, so you kind of have to look at that when you're remodeling. Just don't paint the house purple."

Host Kendra Todd did not tell us about any purple houses, but said she has seen her fair share of odd things.

"This one guy in DC turned a home office, into a bat cave," she said. "I don't think that would appeal to most homeowners."

She also told us about another one in Miami, "They had a faux fireplace and converted it to a real fireplace, it doesn't get very cold in Miami, I thought that was a little silly."

The homeowners show off the house and the work they've done and then put a dollar amount on what they think it's now worth.

"I feel pretty confident about it, so I'm not really worried about it at this point," Patterson said.

Winchell already looked the home over and while she lists the pros and cons and crunches the numbers, Paterson nervously waits to hear the value she'll put on his home.

Patterson said, "I would like to put more, but I don't want to out price myself out of the market."

Winchell responded, "There's a little bit of pressure. You know it's very personal for the homeowner, you know they put their sweat equity, like a lot of their hard work into this."

We all have to wait about five or six months to see if Patterson's home is worth what he thinks it is. It takes a full day for the crew to film each house and then several months, to get it all put together back at the studio, to air on HGTV.

Winchell said Seattle's real estate market is saturated with homes for sale, making it a buyer's market.

"We are seeing increased amount of inventory over the last four weeks, so buyers are taking a little bit longer, they have more options, she said. "So they're checking everything out before they make a decision, where as before things were flying off a lot of quicker. So being priced right in this market is extremely important."

Winchell also offered up a few tips for the sellers out there.

She said we have so many great classic homes in this region, from the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, that you should be careful not to hide the original features or character of the home.

For instance, don't carpet over hardwood floors. And if you do like bright colors, even purple, just put a fresh coat of a neutral color right over the top, before you put your house on the market. Paint is very inexpensive and easy to change.