If you have been dragging your feet to make all those repairs, now is the time to fix all of those nagging things that you just lived with. Inside the house, look for things like stained ceilings, missing tile, broken windows and doors, heavily scratched floors and other signs of neglect. If you have a deck, check for cracks in floor boards and loose railings. Make a list of everything you see and then decide which things you’re going to tackle. Acompetent  real estate agent can be very helpful in determining what needs to be done and what doesn’t.

It’s important that your home makes a good first impression. To make sure buyers want to see the inside of your home, make sure the outside is well-kept, tidy and inviting. It’s important to touch-up or completely repaint trim, keep the grass cut, edge along sidewalks and paths, maintain flowers and shrubs and keep the yard tidy. You never know when curious buyers will pass by.

Resist the urge to roll your eyes at this one. It is imperative that your home looks livable. Potential buyers may not be able to see past your clutter. Think of it this way—don’t move things you no longer want or need. Make decisions now and your house will sell faster and your move will be easier.It’s no secret that getting started is the hardest part of decluttering. Take one room, or even part of one room, at a time and dive in. Recycle or shred paper. Donate books, toys, clothing and duplicate household items. If you’re getting frustrated and you can’t deal with one more stack of papers or shoebox of old photos, put them in a plastic tub, label the box and stack it somewhere out of the way. A stack of boxes doesn’t look like clutter.

If you decide to do some interior painting, stick to neutral colors. Neutrals don’t distract and they allow potential buyers to imagine their things in your home.

This may be the most important step you take toward getting your home ready to sell. For a home to live up to the “move-in condition” description, it has to be clean.If you already keep a clean house, simply keep up the good work, checking to make sure you don’t overlook little-used closets and other nooks and crannies that aren’t part of your weekly routine. This needs to be a deep cleaning.

Your furniture is arranged the way it best suits you and your family. When you’re staging your home to sell, you’ll need to use your furniture as marketing tools to help create inviting vignettes.Avoid having furniture lined up along the walls. Pull the sofa away from the wall and pull chairs close to create a conversation area. Also, you may need to remove some furniture so it’s easy for people to walk around in the rooms.

If the weather allows, plant flowers in pots, window boxes or right in the ground to add color and pump up the curb appeal. Pay close attention to the plants, keeping them watered and trimmed.Inside the house, fresh flowers in vases add color, life and the feeling that you, as the home seller, are putting your best foot forward. It may not matter to some buyers but others will appreciate this detail and take it as a sign that your home has been well cared for.

If your lamps and other light fixtures are outdated, consider replacing them with modern ones. Buyers don’t want to feel like they’re taking a step back in time with outdated fixtures. This is an easy fix that will help sell your home.

These are simple stuff that won’t cost you a bomb but will definitely increase the appeal of your home.

Credit: Familyhandyman.com