That’s right, from the outdoor areas to the kitchens and bath; you’ve got to make it shine and make your place look better than that other place for sale down the street. But outdoors or in — what do you do? Amy Matthews host of the DIY Network show, “Sweat Equity!” offered us some advice.

You can add $10,000 to your home in two weekends by easily and affordably fixing up the front of the house, and the kitchen.

The first thing to take care of is the curb appeal. The front of your home is the first thing a buyer sees either from their car or from their computer online. Curb appeal is number one as it becomes a turn-on or a turn-off for the buyer.

For landscaping, do not put in anything that you cannot maintain. Whatever changes you make need to look good five weeks later, as good as they did the first day. A quick clean up or cosmetic change is inexpensive can really catch the buyer’s eye. You want the buyer to see that you are a person who cares for the home, which adds an invaluable sense of trust for the buyer.

Kitchens and baths sell homes. While the front of a home is essential when selling, kitchens and baths are the next priority. Over the years, the kitchen has become almost an entertainment space. As a result, they have to have a little bit of a pop; they should be a good looking, updated space. Resurfacing dated cabinets is an easy transformation that can add so much to the kitchen. New appliances, especially energy efficient ones, can spark further interest in your home.

Before fixing up, every seller should do a clean-up! Simple things like dirty dishes in the sink, or laundry piled on the floor, can turn off buyers, causing them to wonder how you have treated and cared for the rest of house. After seeing what is in the sink, they start to question what is underneath the floorboards or behind the walls. A quick clean up before any open house can go a long way in selling your home. Once the house is clean, there are small cosmetic changes, such as fresh paint and a spruced-up garden, which can increase your asking price to more than a very similar house across the street. For painting, give the buyers some color! The days of white, eggshell, and cream houses are long gone and, as the Color Marketing Group reports, purple, mauve, and exotic shades of turquoise and orange are the hot colors of today.

A little effort can differentiate your home and increase your chance of selling.

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