A few ways to quickly up your home value for a summer sale - By Carrie Colby

Planning to sell your home this summer? You may have a little - or a lot - to do in order to get your home market ready. But you don’t need a huge budget. These tips can help you get it looking great with little effort, and cash.

1. Paint

 Paint your walls, a splash of color is an easy way to warm up the space, make it look more updated, and banish fingerprints and stains. Use a soft neutral like a favorite gray shade for a modern look.

A fresh coat of paint on your front door is a quick fix that pops with potential. Use a bright color like red or yellow to differentiate your home from others and make it shine from the street.

2. Curb Appeal

Aside from your door, a few easy tasks can make the front of your home look great - important when you’re looking to sell your home since poor curb appeal can keep potential buyers from even coming inside. A new layer of mulch has been called the easiest and quickest way to add curb appeal. Pulling noticeable weeds, giving the lawn a quick mow, and bringing in fresh flowers - if you can’t plant, put a few pots near the front door—can make all the difference.

3. New Appliances

Even if the rest of your kitchen needs work, new stainless steel appliances can tempt buyers. If you end up with a fancy new fridge you don’t want to leave behind, make sure to let your real estate agent know so it’s stipulated in the contract.

4. Bathroom Updates

A new or painted vanity, hardware, fixtures, and lighting can make a tired bathroom look fresh again. Don’t forget the little things - a new set of towels, a nice rug, a modern shower curtain, and sleek accessories can make the space look good, even if it’s really in need of a gut job.

5. Update the bedrooms

You’d be surprised how new bedding can transform the look of your bedroom for next to nothing. Get a bed-in-a-bag set that looks nice but probably doesn’t have the thread count you want for everyday use, or spend a little more for something you can take with you when you move.

Have a room that’s currently an undefined space? A blowup bed covered in some nice bedding can help buyers envision how they’ll use the room. Multipurpose rooms can confuse buyers, leaving them unsure if a home will work for them.

6. Set the scene outdoors

Everybody is into indoor-outdoor living the days. A few tricks outside can make your place look
inviting.

Create a seating area with some inexpensive outdoor furniture. Scour garage sales or catch a sale at Home Depot or Target. Put up an umbrella for shade and use inexpensive pavers or deck tiles to define the space. Stage it for outdoor dining and you’ve just created valuable, usable space buyers can see themselves enjoying.

7. Window coverings

If your window coverings are ugly, old, and not doing your house justice, or if they’re keeping too much light from streaming into the home, consider taking them down. Natural light is high on almost every buyer’s must-have list. You can purchase inexpensive drapes at any big box store that you can use to frame the windows - but remember to keep them open at showings, and to clean your windows first!