How to Fix Up a House

Clean up the house. This doesn't cost that much in supplies and will give the whole house a better appearance. Spray a wash on siding and hose it off, or use a pressure washer on brick. Pressure wash walkways as well. Clean the inside of the house, making sure to get the baseboards, behind furniture and other places that are usually ignored.

Paint the walls. Choose a paint that compliments the furniture and overall theme of a room and repaint. This improves the appearance of an area more quickly than anything else and can hide imperfections such as dirty walls or scratched up trim as well as minor cracks or small nail holes. Use putty to fill in holes before painting.

Get new flooring. It doesn't have to be the most expensive, but remember that with flooring you generally get what you pay for. If you can't afford good quality hardwood, new carpeting isn't a bad second choice and is fairly cheap in comparison.

Upgrade your light fixtures and door handles. Houses usually come with cheap lighting that sometimes turns color after a time. Replacing these items usually only requires a screwdriver and maybe an additional person's help. Nice lighting and other hardware can be found at home improvement stores. Remember that in most cases, it is best to go with the same type of metal for both the lights and door knobs. For example, it looks better if the lights and knobs have an antique iron look than to have antique knobs and shiny new brass light fixtures.

Replace the counter tops in the kitchen, if they are not to your liking. Granite would be one of the more costly options, but stone counters are going to add to the value of your home. If you want to spend less, molded synthetic counters are also a nice look and show no seams. Formica-type counters are the least expensive; if you plan on using them, at least try to get the rounded edges to avoid seams.

Add new hardware to cabinets -- if you have a decorating theme in the kitchen, be sure the hardware complements it -- and if the cabinets are faded and old, consider painting them. This will require sanding off the old finish, painting on a primer and then applying a new coat of paint. If you need to apply more than one coat of paint, it is best to sand the surface in between with a fine sandpaper so that the coats will stick together better.

Add landscape plants that are lower and not overgrown, or trim down current plantings. You want the yard to look fresh, but established. Keep shrubs low around windows so that people can see the charm of the house. Add flowers if it is an appropriate time of year, and plant a flowering tree to give a big splash of color in the spring.