A lot of thought goes into preparing your home for sale, and most decisions depend on the amount of investment you’re willing to put in before the house goes on the market and how big your return will likely be.
So it may come as a surprise that many seemingly minor changes can make a significant difference on your house’s sale price.
Small updates won’t fix every problem spot, of course – as Andrea Di Giuseppe, founder and CEO of TREND Transformations puts it: “If you still have your kitchen giving you the vibe of the ‘Golden Girls,’ well, maybe you need to refresh it completely.”

The following little decisions may help you appeal to potential borrowers.

Paint color
Real estate information company Zillow released its 2017 Paint Color Analysis in June, which found that blue hues had the most positive overall impact. Homes with blue bathrooms, in particular, sold for $5,440 more, on average.
However, homes with a blue living room typically sold for $820 less. Red dining rooms have a negative correlation, with homes selling for $2,031 less, on average.
Homes with a light brown or beige living room sold for $1,809 more on average, according to the report.

Hardware
A simple way to refresh key rooms in your home is to update the hardware – cabinet door handles, drawer pulls and interior doorknobs – with something that might look a little newer.
“You can dress up a cabinet – in a kitchen or in a bathroom – very easily just by replacing the hardware,” says Marcia Dorolek, a real estate agent with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Pristine in Bonita Springs, Florida.
She adds that it can be particularly effective if the current hardware is builder’s standard because it may be simple or dated.

Cabinets
If your cabinets have seen better days, you could make a slightly larger update but still avoid redoing your an entire kitchen or bathroom.
“You could very simply reface your cabinetry and change your countertop,” Di Giuseppe says.
Refaced cabinets, which includes applying fresh veneer to the cabinet structure and adding new matching doors and drawers, can remove the scuffs and nicks your kitchen may have suffered over the years.

Behind closed doors
One cost-free update you should not avoid is decluttering – and more specifically, decluttering your cabinets and closets.
“Buyers are very interested, and they’re going to open the closets; they are going to open the cabinets,” Dorolek says, noting a crammed pantry, fridge or closet will make it look like the house lacks storage.
No need to completely empty every nook and cranny, but make it sparse to give off the feel of ample space.

Furniture
You don’t necessarily have to toss your unattractive armchair out on the street, but you should take note of the pieces of furniture that could be improved to better sell the space.
If you’ve got an upholstered chair or sofa with worn cushions or stuffing breaking out, consider a slip cover in the right color to complement the rest of the room.
“You can do a lot of things with a throw cover,” Dorolek says.

Surfaces
Another moderately minor renovation is focusing on the surfaces of the room. You should steam clean carpet that’s in good shape, consider restaining scuffed hardwood and potentially replace a dated countertop if you can still salvage the rest of the kitchen or bathroom.
Rather than going for granite, which hit its peak in popularity a few years ago, Di Giuseppe recommends quartz or similarly engineered stone as a keyword that will stand out in a listing.
“[Engineered surfaces] are very long-lasting, they are easy to maintain and for sure give you the highest return,” he says.

Flowers and plants
Inside and out, accent color from a floral arrangement can give your home the pop it needs to make a buyer feel welcome.
A well-maintained lawn is key with bushes and shrubs where appropriate outside, plus some colorful plants by the door.
“Flowering plants are there to give it some color,” Dorolek says, adding that flowers on a table or counter inside are also a nice touch.
Use other plants inside where it makes sense, but avoid blocking walkways or cluttering any space with too many plants by keeping them on a table top or in a corner.

Pro recommendations
Other little decisions are often based on the location and condition of your home, and if your real estate agent hasn’t given you a checklist of small changes or updates you can make, it may be a good idea to speak with a home stager or other professional to get tips customized to the home you’re selling.
Di Giuseppe recommends always working with a consultant over a person connected to selling you materials to ensure you’ll get an unbiased opinion.
“A salesperson will tell you you need to change everything. A consultant will understand what level of investment you want,” he says.

The Little Things : Small Decisions That Can Impact Your Home’s Sale Price by Devon Thorsby | MSN Real Estate