10 Weekend Home Projects

You don't have to shell out big bucks to get a better price for your home. These easy, inexpensive fixes will add value to your home without breaking the bank. Full Article

1. De-Clutter:  De-cluttering should be the first job sellers cross off their list before starting any other project, agents and real-estate investors say.
2. Make over your cabinets: You don't need to get your cabinets refaced or replaced to make them look presentable. If they're scratched or look dated, just spring for a couple of cans of paint and put a new finish on them.
3. Patch and Paint: A fresh coat of paint in the living room, kitchen and master bathroom will pay big dividends. 
4. Spiff up your home's curb appeal: One quick way to entice more buyers into your house is to spruce up what they see from the street. Spend a weekend cleaning or replacing your mailbox, putting up new street numbers that match the style of your house, cleaning your storm door and windows and touching up chipped paint on your frontdoor. 
5.  Fix your lighting: Get rid of that Hollywood dressing-room-style lighting that frames your bathroom mirror, or at the very least, replace all of the bulbs.
6. Get fabulously clean floors: Settle for a floor that looks spic and span. If you have very dirty carpet, rent a steam machine and get out the stains. If you have hardwoods, buff and polish them.
7. 'Dress' your house: Once your house has been cleaned, patched and painted, it's time to think about the best way to show it off. Home stagers and flippers say it pays to spend a little time on new "clothes" for your house.
8. Create an impression of extra rooms: Most people are willing to pay a premium for a little more breathing room. But no one is going to add on just to sell his or her home. One way you can give buyers more livable area is to spruce up your garage or basement.
9. Tackle the small stuff all at once: Make a list and invest a not-so-fun 48 hours in fixing those broken drawer slides, replacing moldy caulking around the bathtub and fixing that cracked tile or broken step leading down to the basement. 
10. The finishing touches: Replace old, yellowing or brass switch-plate covers with new ones made of brushed metal.