I’ve already covered some of the basic items you should take care of before listing your home, things like cleaning the house and putting away clutter. Once you’ve done that though, you may want to go a step further. The work below will take a little extra effort and perhaps some money, but the investment will be small while adding value and making your home easier to sell.

• If you have a mailbox, is it looking a little beat up and worn out? Give it a fresh coat of paint and apply some new numbers. As the saying goes, you never have a second chance to make a first impression and a mailbox might be one of the first things a prospective buyer notices even if you’ve probably looked past it for years.
• If your light fixtures are looking like they belong in a different decade (and not in a good way), consider updating them. Simple fixtures can typically be purchased for anywhere from $30 to $300 so are an inexpensive way of “remodeling” and bringing your home current. If you’re not handy with electrical work (it’s simpler than you may think and instructions are usually included with most fixtures, just make sure you’ve turned off the power!), a handyman can typically take care of this for not much more.
• If some of your rooms are particularly dark, consider installing new lights. A more economical option would be to get some floor or table lamps.
• After pressure washing the drive, you might consider filling in any small cracks and sealing the concrete.
• If the paint is peeling on the outside of your house, touch up those spots if possible. If the wear and tear is considerable or the color of your home might detract from it, having it repainted, even though the cost is several thousand dollars, may be worth it. If painting the whole house is too much work or money, consider painting just the trim.
• Invest in a new set of address numbers. This is a very inexpensive project and can be done in under an hour but does wonders to update the look of the house.
• Beyond washing all the windows, it’s a good idea to replace any that have cracked ones. This will certainly be called out on inspection and the buyers may ask for a price reduction or for you to replace them. If the crack is major enough, and FHA loan underwriter may require it to be replaced before funding the loan.
• If your roof is nearing the end of its life, you may consider replacing the whole thing. A worn roof is one of the biggest red flags there is and if the buyer is using FHA financing, it will almost certainly hold up the deal or even end it all together if the appraiser says there is less than five years’ useful life in the roof and you can’t get a roof certificate. The good news is, a new roof will add considerable value to your home so you can price it accordingly at listing and mention it in the marketing remarks. If the roof is in decent condition but just has a few missing shingles or some of the caulking or seals around roof vents are cracked or worn, this is an easy fix.
• Repair any damaged gutters or downspouts. If your home doesn’t have gutters, this is probably not an investment you want to make as you won’t recoup the cost, but it may be worth considering.
• If your front door is dated or worn, this is one of the best investments you can make with a return of 186% in this area according to the “2024 Cost vs. Value Report” from Zonda Media. If the door is otherwise contemporary-looking enough, but literally darkens your doorstep, you should consider painting it a brighter color. Even changing out the hardware can be an inexpensive upgrade that will make your home shine. After all, the doorknob is the first thing a potential buyer will touch.
• Interior painting, while it may not fully repay the investment, is something to consider, especially if the current walls are looking faded or just drab. New paint does wonders for a home, making it look newer for a relatively low cost. Choose a neutral paint scheme.
• Remodeling your kitchen is probably more than you want to do and doesn’t typically return the investment. (According to the same Zonda report, however, minor kitchen remodels actually return 114% in our area.) You might consider more limited upgrades though. Update door and drawer hardware and the kitchen faucet.
• If you don’t have an automatic garage door opener, consider installing one. These range from a few hundred dollars to under a thousand.