Making quick fixes to your home before selling always pays off, adding real dollars to the value of the home. Be sure to put your money and effort into the fixes with the biggest return on investment.

Replace worn flooring, and repair existing hard surface flooring

Repaint walls and ceilings, and remove wallpaper and popcorn ceilings

Update kitchen by resurfacing existing cabinets and updating the countertop

Clean the bathroom. Thrice.

Add curb appeal with neatly trimmed plants and flowerbeds

If the carpet is worn, dated, stained, smelly, wrinkled, or just plain ugly, replace it. Carpet is a relatively cheap item, head to the store and ask for a good-looking, inexpensive, beige carpet. Repair cracked tiles, and replace peeling or yellowed linoleum. Buyers think a cracked tile means a cracked foundation and become immediately wary of the house. Refinish worn flooring, such as hardwood, saltillo, or concrete floors. Get them clean and shining.

Buyers spend a lot more time than you'd think looking at walls and ceilings, checking the house for cracks and leaks. Make sure to patch those walls and prime and paint any old stains. Nothing screams fresh clean house like a new coat of paint. It's a very rare buyer that will have the same taste in wallpaper as you, I promise. It will cost you less to remove it than a Buyer will deduct from their price when they see it. Neutralize wall and ceiling colors with a fresh coat of paint. I think most rooms look better with a bit of judiciously applied, and appropriate, color. Be careful though: when in doubt, go for the beige. Popcorn ceilings are a major no-no. Not only do they collect dust and absorb odors, some can contain asbestos, which can be a health hazard. Yes, it's messy. Yes, it's a pain. Do it anyway. Get rid of it.

Kitchens sell houses. Clean and updated kitchens sell houses faster and for more money. There are an ever-changing variety of ways to improve your kitchen at a low cost. Cabinets can be resurfaced, painted, glazed, or have new doors and facings hung on existing frames. There's no need to rip everything out to get a good looking cabinet. Countertops have to be clean, and you don't need to be fancy about it. There's laminate countertops that are now available in a nice range of colors and styles; tile countertops can be lovely and a weekend DIY project if you are handy. Don't forget the backsplash too! Appliances can be expensive. Replace anything non-functional, as well as any that don't match the others. If you can't replace appliances, then at least get them scrubbed and sparkling clean. Consider a new sink and faucet.

No Buyer will walk into a grungy bathroom and exclaim, "How nice!" It's got to be clean, and I mean REALLY clean. I can't emphasize this enough. Fresh paint, nice towels, and good lighting can go a long way to making an old bath look, well, okay.

Curb appeal can make or break a house. In the MLS system, the front of the house is often the first picture an agent or potential Buyer will see. If the outside doesn't look good, those Buyers will skip right over it. Keep the yard trimmed and neat, and free of weeds. Your front yard is not an appropriate storage area. You know what I mean. Consider adding flowers or potted plants to spruce up an entry.