Placing a home on the market is a big decision, but sometimes the best way to maximize its value is to make many small decisions. Little things about how you prepare the house for sale can add up to a lot of extra dollars on your closing price. Think about these four ways to boost the value of your home. In fact, some things you can do are to focus on things like curb appeal, touch-ups, and removing your personal touches from the home before you sell.

Focus on Curb Appeal First

As any real estate agent will tell you, curb appeal is crucial when selling a home. First impressions are everything, and potential buyers will often make up their minds about a property before even setting foot inside. That’s why it’s so important to take care of the little things before putting your home on the market. Make sure the gutters are clean and the grass is trimmed. Fix any cracked sidewalks or chipped paint. Small investments like these can go a long way in making your home more appealing to buyers. So before you start planning any major renovations, focus on improving the curb appeal of your property. It could make all the difference in selling your home quickly and for top dollar.

As a general rule of thumb, you should always aim to improve the curb appeal of your home before listing it for sale. This is because potential buyers will often make up their minds about a property based on its curb appeal before even setting foot inside. By taking care of the little things, you can make a big impact on how buyers perceive your home. For example, make sure the gutters are clean and the grass is trimmed. Fix any cracked sidewalks or chipped paint. Small investments like these can go a long way in making your home more appealing to buyers.

Scrub Your Identity…

Homes often show better and sell better when they’ve been staged with furniture, artwork, rugs, and so on. One thing that can hurt this visual sales pitch in homes for sale is when there are personal items sitting around. Monogrammed decor, family photos, and even those little marks of the kids’ heights make buyers feel like they’re visiting instead of shopping. Set those items aside until the viewing is done.

We all want our homes to look their best when potential buyers come for a visit. But sometimes, the things that make our houses feel like home are the same things that can turn buyers off. If you’re selling your home, it’s important to take a step back and look at it from a buyer’s perspective. What might seem like a minor detail to you could be a major deal-breaker for them.

One of the most common mistakes sellers make is failing to declutter and depersonalize a home before showings. Buyers want to be able to envision themselves living in your home, and it’s hard to do that when they’re surrounded by your family photos, toys, knick-knacks, or other personal belongings. It’s important to clear off surfaces, pack up personal items, and put away anything that could make your home feel like someone else’s.

…In Fact, Scrub Lots of Things!

Cleaning is the part of staging a house that nobody wants to do, but it can do a world of good for both a showing and for taking photos to put in the various listings. Camera flashes have a nasty habit of revealing the dirt and dust you can’t see in normal light, so clean the place thoroughly before buyers can see it. The same goes for pet stains, which will also show up when using your flash. If you’re not sure about the state of your carpets, hire a professional carpet cleaner to come in and do an inspection. They’ll be able to tell you whether the carpets need to be replaced or just cleaned.

When you’re cleaning, don’t forget the windows! Clean windows will let in more light and make the whole house look brighter and more inviting. If you have time, wash them inside and out to make them sparkle. Even if they’re on the second floor, attic, or in the basement.

Finally, declutter each room as much as possible. You’ve already depersonalized your house, but also make sure that the items that remain for the showing are neat and orderly. This doesn’t mean you have to move everything out, but enough that the place could be considered ready for showing to interested buyers.

Touch Up, But Don’t Repaint

Over the years, life has happened. Door frames, walls, and trim get scuffed and scratched, creating unsightly damage that is even more glaring when seen without the distraction of furniture and decor. These areas obviously need to be touched up, but don’t waste your time repainting if the surface is otherwise in good shape. A buyer is likely to apply their own colors, so don’t spend money applying paint that will just get covered up in a few weeks.

Selling your home for top dollar means getting it ready to put its best foot forward. Spend some time preparing your home for the market way before your listings go live. Having a ready-to-show-off house right out of the gate means that you’ll give a much better impression to interested parties, and that’s one of the best ways you can command the best price for your property.