Spring is officially here and with that, thousands of homeowners across the country will be putting their homes up for sale in the coming weeks. With the economy improving, buyers are motivated and more active than they have been in quite a long time. So if you’re thinking about putting your home up for sale this season or thinking about doing so in the future, you can do one of two things:

1. Roll the dice and list your home as is and hope for the best
2. Take matters into your own hands and make a few relatively inexpensive quick fixes to make your home shine above the rest

We happen to like option 2 best.

Recently, George to the Rescue’s George Oliphant met with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage agent Ronnie Aiosa to talk about some small projects you can take on to add some real value to your home.

Here are a few of their quick tips:

KITCHEN – Undoubtedly the heart of the home and something that potential buyers pay special attention to.

• Countertops: Upgrading your formica or other outdated coutnertops with granite is a relatively quick way to completely change the feel and aesthetic in your kitchen.
• Paint: For just a few hundred bucks at most, you can pay a professional to apply a fresh coat of paint to your room. It’ll change the complexion immediately, making it appear brighter and much cleaner.
• Cabinets: Buying all new cabinets can drain one’s resources, but for a few bucks you can add some pop and a more modern look by investing in new cabinet knobs.

LIVING ROOM – Where the family comes together to enjoy movies and television and quality time.

• Declutter: You may have pieces of furnture here that are comfortable or serve a practical purpose, but you need to take a look at every piece in this room and ask yourself whether it might be worth putting it in storage. The last thing buyers want to feel as soon as they walk in is overwhelmed by clutter. Freeing up space will make the living room look bigger, homier and cleaner
• Dress to Impress: Think of each showing as a performance. What can you do to make your home show well and make potential buyers feel at home? If you’ve got a fireplace, clean that ash out and throw some fresh logs on and light that fire. The crackling wood and warmth will sure warm any visitors heart.
• Walls: You should also remember to be selective with what you display on your walls; pictures are nice but you don’t want to take up a whole wall with pictures of your family. Dress to impress!

BATHROOM – Buyers are looking for clean and functional spaces

• Flooring: If you’ve got bad tiles, it’s certainly worth exploring replacing them. If your flooring is in pretty good shape, for a few bucks you can regrout the entire bathroom. You’d be amazed at the difference you’d see.
• Paint (again): This goes for basically any room in your home. A fresh coat of paint will make your bathroom look bright, clean and inviting.
• The Little Things: Remember, it’s the little things that count. Dust off those Venetian blinds, throw a scented candle on and give that shower/tub a great scrub; make it shine!

There’s a stat floating around that says buyers know within 30 seconds of walking into a home whether they could see themselves living there. If you want to place your home in the best possible position to capture buyers’ hearts and minds, you can undertake a few simple projects to get the job done. Even if you’re not ready to sell yet, getting a jump start now will save you headaches down the road, add value today and make your home look and feel better now.

There are a slew of other inexpensive projects you can hire someone to do or even take on yourself! Share some of your ideas in the comments section here!