Courtesy of Concorde Branding
- “Turn on all the lights.Diane Reidy with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Chicago suggests adding floor lamps to rooms that don’t have enough light or even borrowing table lamps from friends and neighbors to brighten things up.” Community Table
- “Brighter blubs give a better appearance! I’m all for using energy efficient bulbs. But this is not the time for that. You want to fill the house with at least 100 watt bulbs to make it look brighter and bigger. Easy Agent Pro
Style
Courtesy of Miller Smith
- Add pops of color. Now that you’ve painted the walls a pleasure neutral hue, think about adding in pops of color. These could be colorful pillows on couches and beds, or a bowl of green Granny Smith apples in the kitchen. Community Table
- Watch where the eye goes. There are speedy and low cost solutions to many of the little problems that together make a home seem shabbier than it needs to. Staging Diva
- Walk along each corridor and into every room and check where your eye is drawn (better yet, ask a critical friend or family member). If the eye is drawn to the chipped white paint on the door frame, take some “”white out”” and fill it in. If it's those old nail holes in the wall, see if you can hang a picture to cover them. Staging Diva
- Glue any peeling wallpaper. If it's really horrible and you can't afford the time or money to fix it properly, hang pictures and strategically place baskets. “
- Fresh flowers, pretty soaps, candles and other odor devices are a great investment. Easy Agent Pro
Walls
Courtesy of mark lawrence art
- “Invest in new artwork. Displaying new artwork is a great way to breathe new life into a room. Photography can be used to contemporize a room and add a splash of color as well.” HGTV
- “Apply a fresh coat of paint. It's the best bang for your buck that will quickly refresh a dull, dated room. Slap a fresh, neutral color on the space. Choose a beige or taupe for living spaces and a neutral green or blue for bathrooms.” HGTV
- Add mirrors. Mirrors make rooms look larger, says Brad Carlson, a Realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene–The Woodlands, TX. He suggests picking up mirrors on the cheap at Michaels or Marshall’s. Community Table
Courtesy of Miller Smith
- Use neutral colors on the walls, but bring color to your property with furniture and decorations. You don’t want the property to be too loud or too weak. Easy Agent Pro
Cleaning
Courtesy of bark
- “Dust, vacuum, clean the windows and mop the floors. Make sure there are no odd odors floating around or major stains on the carpet or furniture.” HGTV
- “Unpleasant pet odors won't win over buyers. Be sure to get rid of old carpet that can trap offensive smells. Replace it with fresh new carpet in a neutral color. It'll go from designed to smell to designed to sell.” HGTV
Courtesy of Chad Jones
- “Let in some air. Open some windows for at least 10 minutes. There is nothing worse than walking into a stuffy house or one that smells of smoke and pet odors.” Staging Diva
- “You’ll want to watch what you cook! Showings can happen at any time. Be sure to have your sellers keep the fish and strong spices at a minimum. They can be a turn-off!” Easy Agent Pro
- “Get rid of kitchen odors by pouring hot salt water down the drain twice a week. Also, grind some lemon rind in the disposal.” Easy Agent Pro
