1. Revamp Interior Paint
Do this now. Absolutely the classic example of a home renovation project that costs little but transforms a house. If you're intent on the For Sale by Owner approach, it follows that you'll want to do the painting yourself: check out our interior house painting tips.Paint sprayers are extremely attractive, but they often don't meet homeowners' expectations. They require a lot of masking and walling-off of rooms, and the sprayers themselves have a learning curve: basically, they have huge prep time. However, if you're contemplating selling your house and are moving furniture out anyway, consider spraying your house on a mass scale and accepting that prep time as a given. The cheaper paint sprayers will not work on a whole-house scale. I've used an off-the-shelf Wagner, and it was fine for one or two rooms but I couldn't imagine doing an entire house. (Buy Direct - Wagner Spray Tech Power Paint Sprayer). One thing to note about the cheaper paint sprayers is that the container for the paint is attached to the spray gun, which can get heavy.
A second option is to upgrade to a better paint sprayer. The Graco DX Airless Paint Sprayer is a step up from the Wagner--a huge step up, but well worth it for spraying on a whole-house scale. The Graco is a light-duty version of the paint sprayers that pros use and it even allows for pressure rolling. (Buy Direct - Graco DX Airless Paint Sprayer).
2. Reseal Asphalt Driveway
If you have an asphalt driveway, filling in cracks and resealing takes an afternoon and it looks super to have that deep black tone back again. Note that we're not talking about installing a new asphalt driveway. This is a much more involved and expensive project that doesn't necessarily look better than mere asphalt resealing.3. Install New Kitchen Sink
The kitchen is the heart of the home. It's also the heart of many successful home sales. Your current sink may be scratched, cracked, or just plain ugly. Kitchen sinks are fairly easy to remove. Plumbing is usually a matter of one-for-one water supply and drainage connections.A normal, white double-bowl kitchen sink such as the American Standard Americast is attractive, fits in with any kitchen style, and is cost-effective. (Buy Direct - American Standard Americast Doublebowl Kitchen Sink). It can be installed either drop-in or undermount. Farmhouse-style sinks seem to be all the rage (those deep basin-style sinks), so if you want to upgrade you might want to look at Rohl Shaw`s Original Fireclay Apron Sink. Other than price, you'll want to consider that installation is more difficult. Unless you already have a farmhouse sink, you'll need to reconfigure the cabinet. As complicated as that sounds, it may be worth it if you really want to give your kitchen some zing. (Buy Direct - Rohl Shaw`s Original Fireclay Apron Sink)
4. Put in New Kitchen and Bathroom Countertops
Readers may balk when they see this recommendation, but consider this--countertops comprise large square footage in the very room that turns the deal for many homebuyers, the kitchen. Also consider how much money you expect to save by selling on a For Sale by Owner basis, and the cost of new countertops sounds more reasonable. If the style of your house is such that pricey slab granite is expected, then by all means do that. But in most cases you will be able create a spiffed-up kitchen with cheaper Corian, Silestone, or other man-made surfaces.5. Power Wash Every Exterior Surface
I am the last person to be a proponent of power washing. To me, power washers are the leaf blowers for the new millenium: noisy, energy-guzzling, obnoxious. But when you're selling your house, it's easy to put those objections aside. Power wash your steps, driveway, and especially house siding. With the siding, though, be careful not to direct the water upwards. This will drive the water behind the siding. A basic power washer is the Black & Decker Compact (Buy Direct - Black & Decker PW1300 Compact Electric Pressure Washer). I advise to go up a notch to Black & Decker's BW1600 for more guts to tackle those big spaces. (Buy Direct - Black & Decker PW1600 Pressure Washer). By the way, the numbers 1300 and 1600 refer to pounds per square inch--in other words, to water pressure.If your house siding is an unmitigated disaster, you need to install new siding. The cheapest way to go is installing vinyl siding.
