When you look at your home through the eyes of a potential buyer, you probably find many things that need to be improved before putting it on to market. 

To get your house ready for sale will cost you some effort, but it is definitively worth it. 
If you don’t pay this attention to the home you wish to sell, the potential buyers will notice right away, and their visit will not last more than a few minutes.  Also many real estate agents will agree with the importance to prepare a house for sale. Home improvements not only can help sell a home faster, they also can boost the sales price.

Given that most sellers have little time and money, there is a need to define how to invest correctly to get your home ready to sell. Some actions can have a big impact on a buyer’s perception of your home, and cost you no money at all.

Start with decluttering your house. Select from your bulging closets and storage rooms the items to keep, toss, recycle, or donate to charity. Then there are those knickknacks, family photos, souvenirs, and other items scattered throughout every room. Pack up the items you plan to keep to take with you to your new home and storage the boxes out of the main part of the house.

The next step is a good cleaning. Buyers don’t like to buy other people’s dirt.
Next on your to-do list would be basic, inexpensive improvements. Applying a fresh coat of paint can make a huge difference in a room’s appearance. Choose neutral colors. Most buyers want to be able to move into a house without having to immediately tackle redecorating and repair projects.

Go through your house and notice all the low-cost fixes or changes you could make that would appeal to a buyer: a new shower curtain, updated knobs on kitchen and bath cabinets, a new welcome mat by the front door, and so on. Look at it as a product; don’t get emotional when you diced on improvements.

The house should be odor-free. Avoid masking it with heavily perfumed scents; instead, get rid of the source of the odor.
The first impression is crucial. What buyers see in front of them is what will stick in their minds as they form an opinion about your house and decide if they want to make an offer to buy it.

Sometimes sellers assume that a major remodel of the kitchen or bathroom is sure to boost a house’s sale price enough to be worth the cost. But this is not always true.
Before you undergo an expensive remodeling, consult a good agent who can tell you what’s going on in the marketplace. What are homes similar to yours selling for, and what level of finish do these homes have. For example, how much work has been done on other houses for sale in your market and what is the quality of that work? Then you can decide if you should undertake a more costly remodeling project before selling.

And most important, don’t confuse decorating with home staging. Staging is about presenting the house so buyers can see themselves in the home instead of seeing the other people’s things. Space, light and updates make a home attractive for buyers.