Why Should I Fix Up My House Before I Sell?

Cleaning

• No buyer likes viewing a dirty house, because the first thing she may think about is how much cleaning she'll have to do if she moves in. Even if the house meets her standards, she may be uninterested in placing an offer because of how unclean the house is. You should clean your house prior to putting it on the market to give it the best chance to sell. That means cleaning every corner of every room, each of the windows and walls, tidying the garage and any areas that need work. Before even thinking of small renovation projects to make your home more enticing, it should be clean. The cleanliness will make it more attractive to buyers, and may mean more money in your pocket.

Decluttering

• You can hardly do an effective job of cleaning a house until you've decluttered it, so it's wise to declutter as you go. Decluttering involves discarding items that you no longer use, or packing up your belongings and storing them off-site before potential buyers begin viewing your home. Decluttering is important because if a room is a mess, it may automatically give the potential buyer a bad feeling and prevent him from seeing all the details of the room. A cluttered room can also look smaller than it actually is. A survey by real estate website HomeGain, as cited in an MSN Money article, found that clean, decluttered homes sell for an average of $2,000 more than cluttered homes.

Painting

• Painting is a smart idea if your house's paint is chipped, cracked or needs a facelift. Painting a room for the sake of it won't necessarily help your home sell, because the buyer may have a different vision for the room and plan to paint it anyway. But you can always attract the buyer who's not interested in making many changes by having each room painted so the buyer can move in without a major painting project. According to Century 21, fresh paint yields a 73 percent return on investment. If you've got an outdated color in one or more rooms, paint them to make them more attractive. If the original color is an eyesore, the buyer may factor in the price of paint and his time to upgrade the room, and this can mean a lower purchase price. Painting is a way to show the buyer that your house is "move-in" ready, meaning he'll have fewer expenses upon purchase.

Room by Room

• If you're thinking of completing a small renovation prior to listing your house, it is important to know which rooms generally yield a higher return on investment. Kitchen and bathroom work are regarded as the most profitable, and yield an average return on investment of 68 to 72 percent, according to Century 21. This return can be greater if you can save money by doing the work yourself. Installing new flooring, adding a fireplace and replacing your windows have a 50 to 62 percent return on investment. Finishing your basement and adding a pool have low returns, because not everyone wants a pool and some people may wish to leave the basement unfinished or renovate it in a different way.