Sometimes your home doesn’t need a whole makeover in order to get ready to sell. Sometimes it just needs a few some simple changes or updates to make it fresh and ready to entice its next owner.

• Take a slow and objective walk through your home with a clipboard and as you enter each room, make a note of what you think needs to change. Then have an objective friend who you trust and hand them a clipboard and ask them to do the same thing. Compare notes over a cup of coffee (or glass of wine) and make a project list for yourself.
• Are the dents in your carpet sunk down to the sub-floor because the furniture hasn’t been moved in years? You don’t need to pay a professional stager. Have a friend whose home you and others always admire for its great design and decor? Invite them over to help you rearrange your furniture and if necessary update your decor (nothing major but sometimes your decor screams a bygone era). If necessary, get rid of any furniture (put in the garage or storage) that look sad and worn out or adding to a cluttered feeling. Review….Rearrange….Refresh & Sell!
• If you take down a framed photo or piece of art, is the wall beneath it a completely different color than the rest of the wall? Can’t afford to paint all your rooms? Give your walls a good old fashioned washing? May be tedious but costs less than paint and can have the same positive affect. Also, wash your baseboards, trim, doors, windows and ceiling fan blades. Get rid of any and all cobwebs even way up in that vaulted ceiling. You might think no one will notice them BUT THEY WILL!
• If you’ve followed the advice you’ve seen in articles and on diy tv shows and painted your entire home in neutral beige or taupe tones, add color and energy to your spaces by the simple addition of live green plants. Live plants bring life to your home. There are plenty of plants that look great and can be easily maintained. When doing an open house or showing, a vase of fresh flowers will do the same thing. People don’t want to live in a dreary monotone home. Give it life with life!
• De-clutter! Again, have a trusted friend who you know will be and you’ll let be honest with you. Buy bins if you’re not ready to get rid of your knick knacks and stash them away out of view. You can decide later what you want to keep and what you don’t want to have to move later.
• You can update your kitchen or baths by simply changing the hardware on your cabinets, updating window treatments and giving your appliances a good scrubbing. Clean the outside, top and inside of the oven and microwave. Again, the kitchen is a great place to place a few small pots of fresh herbs. Basil and rosemary are great for your kitchen. A pot of lavender is a wonderful addition to the bath.
• Have a messy home office but you need all those papers and files, etc? Invest in a few attractive office organizers. Again, they don’t need to be fancy, expensive items. Both Walmart and Target have great office organizing options.

You don’t have spend a fortune to get your home updated and ready to sell. You simply have to invest your own time and energy to get a great result! The only downside is that once you’re finished, you might not decide to sell! Hmmm, but even that can be an upside!!

You work sooooo hard to make sure your home looks clean, crisp and move in ready for your prospective buyers/renters to view. But a common mistake many people make is looking at all the big stuff (painting, landscaping, appliances, etc.) and miss the small things that can scream out at your buyers/renters. Walk through your home and take the time to look up, look down and take a good look all around. Then get our your cleaning supplies or paint brush and let those finishing touches now yell out this home really is move in ready!

• Look Up: Bathroom Ceiling Vents. These hold on to so much dust that once you take it down and look at it, you’ll wonder how you were ever breathing at all.  It’s simple to take down, wash and put back up. But make sure you also take the time to clean the vent fan and around it before replacing the cover. If the cover shows any kind of rust or discoloring, pick up a new one. Cost is low, return is high!
• Look Up: Remove all bugs and dust from ceiling light fixtures. Take down and wash it thoroughly. Then clean around the bulb area before replacing the fixture cover.
• Look Up: Walk through every room with a long mop or swiffer type product and look at the corners or all ceilings and along wood beams for cobwebs. Takes only a moment to remove yet leaves a lasting impression.
• Look Up: Ceiling Fan Blades are notorious for accumulating a tremendous amount of dust which, if left long enough, will be able to be seen or felt as it falls from the blade when they turn on the fan to see if it works.
• Look Up and Down: Ceiling/Wall/Floor Heating Vent or Cold Air Returns: Just like the bathroom vent cover, because of the blowing air and dust that circulates, these also hold onto a lot of dust. The tendency is to use a swiffer or broom and just brush off the dust but since the vent themselves have dust in them, that fresh, clean appearance won’t last long. Take the extra time to remove the vent covers, wash or wipe them down thoroughly. Then use your vacuum hose to clean out the vent itself.
• Look All Around: Stand outside your front, back and side entries. These areas, especially if you have light fixture, accumulate a bunch of cobwebs and bugs. Use a shop vac or wet cloth/mop to clean all around the entryway. Remove the light cover and clean the area and cover thoroughly.
• Look All Around: Take the time to clean your windows on the inside and out. Nothing makes a room look dirtier than sun shining through a dirty, streak, dust filled window. On the other hand, a sunbeam flowing through a clean window is inspiring!

These are just some ideas to help you get an idea what you still need to do. Some of these tasks can seem tedious but in the end a few things will result: If you’ve had allergies you may see an improvement due to the reduction in dust; your home will feel cleaner, look cleaner and present a better and hopefully lasting impression!