Selling a house is risky business in any market. With the right touches it can be made easier though.

1. Add curb appeal:
Dress up your entrance, add large or colorful plants on either side of the front door to accent your entrance. They can be planted in the ground or in pots. Give your home a fresh coat of paint or in the case of brick, stone, stucco or vinyl siding just clean the siding and windows. Refinish your front door or replace it, make sure the door fits the style and color scheme of the house. Doors that are stained, painted a deep red or dark green are often the best for curb appeal. Just changing your door hardware may be all you need to dress up your front door. Make sure you mow your lawn and weed any planting beds you have around the house. Also add more mulch to any planting beds that may be needing a little more. Usually 2-3 inches is all that should be in any planting beds. Clean up your mailbox and post or replace it with a new one. Planting flowers around the base of the mailbox is a simple and attractive way to add curb appeal to the front of any house.

2. Less is more:
Keep the clutter in your home to a minimum. Add small decorative items sparingly around the home. Leave out as many family pictures as possible, this can sometimes distract buyers. Don’t fill a room with furniture, use furniture that fills a room. That may sound confusing, but what it means is use furniture that is the proper size for a room and use as little furniture as possible. This will make a room feel much larger. In larger spaces you may want to keep the furniture away from the walls that way there is still a path around the room, but the room won’t feel so empty. This can also be handy if the wall space is small or the room is oddly shaped. If you have a small bedroom try using only one night stand or a tall dresser instead of a long dresser so the room will feel larger.

3. Increase your space:
If you have unused rooms try to give them a purpose. A bonus space may make a perfect office or guest bedroom. Try finishing your basement off or just cleaning it up. Add some furniture and decorations and extend the living space in your home, this will really appeal to buyers. Also finishing and insulating your basement walls will increase your homes energy efficiency.

4: Add light and bring in the outside:
Change or remove old blinds, shades or curtains that don’t look good or darken a room. Just opening blinds, shades or curtains can make your home feel brighter and larger. If your room doesn’t get enough natural light add more lighting. Add lamps, ceiling fans, recessed lights or accent lights to the room. If the lighting in the room is unattractive or in bad shape replace it. In bedrooms, offices and living rooms adding a ceiling fan can add light and appeal to the room. Bring in flowers and other natural items to help bring the outdoors inside. This can be especially useful in basements or rooms with little or no windows.

5. Use color effectively:
Stick to neutral colors. Remember dirt, grass, water, sky when choosing colors. Natural colors attract the most buyers. Sage green, sky blue, bone, off white or similar colors are the best to use. When decorating keep mostly to simple monochromatic schemes such as black and white, this will help make your home feel more relaxing and will make it easier for buyers to picture themselves living there. Give your rooms a fresh coat of paint, this will make your home feel more well cared for and cleaner.

6. If it’s broken replace it:
As the heading states if there is anything that is broken, damaged or worn out replace it. Replace old worn out door, window or cabinet hardware. Repair or replace damaged or outdated cabinetry, replace damaged flooring and install new lighting to replace worn, damage or outdated lighting. Any plumbing, electrical or HVAC problems should be repaired by licensed professionals. Replace or refinish old appliances or plumbing fixtures.

7. Have it inspected:
Most sellers don’t think of doing this, but rather than leaving it to the buyer and having only a short time to make repairs or lose a sale it makes sense. A home inspector could find problems that you may not be aware of or help you figure out the best places to spend your money. This can have a great deal of influence on your ROI (return on investment). The money you put into these small repairs should be recovered in the asking price, if not you will lose money.