Selling your home can be one of life’s most stressful events. You want it to sell quickly—and preferably, above the asking price. And, would a bidding war be too much to ask? However there are things you need to do in advance to boost your home’s selling price. Here are nine home improvement projects our experts recommend tackling before putting your house on the market. Since you see the house every day, it’s easy to overlook problems that may jump out to buyers. “Often, a wall can be scraped or peeling, and sometimes, previous water damage was left unattended,” explains Mihal Gartenberg, another agent at Warburg Realty. Also, if you have accent walls, she recommends painting them white. “Let the buyer imagine the color they want the wall to be,” she says. You may need a power cleaner for the window exteriors. In fact, Ryan Dalzell, a realtor with the Dalzell Group in San Diego, recommends calling in the pros. “Having windows professionally cleaned prior to showing the house will help bring in natural light and allow buyers to take in any view the property offers.” When decluttering, don’t forget about the pets. “Just as sellers would be advised to minimize the effect of young children’s toys strewn about the home, they should do the same with pets and their accessories,” says Gartenberg. Try putting fresh mulch around plants, reseeding the bare patches on the lawn, and add some colorful flowers to the garden beds. Remember: curb appeal sets the buyers’ expectations for what they’ll see inside the house. RELATED: 14 Smart Curb Appeal Ideas for Your Most Welcoming Home Yet Daren Herzberg, a licensed associate real estate broker and co-founder of the Babst + Herzberg Team at Compass in NYC, agrees that refreshing a cabinet can give a new look without a major remodel. “By just repainting cabinet fronts and replacing hardware, the kitchen can look largely redone without any real construction.” If the cabinet style itself is outdated, consider replacing just the fronts, which is much more cost effective than brand-new cabinets. “The main purpose of a backsplash is to protect your walls from grease and other stains while you are cooking, but why not have some fun with it?” says Lanna Ali-Hassan, owner and principal designer of Beyond the Box Interiors in Washington, DC. Subway tile in unexpected patterns and contrasting grout can keep it classic, while infusing a little more personality.
