It's no secret, selling a home in today's tough market can be a challenge. So how do you differentiate your home from the sea of listings, short sales and bank owned homes? Here are a few tips on quick fixups that may cost a little but can save you thousands.

1. Get your home Q-tip clean - wipe baseboards, windowsills, window tracks as well as around faucets and switch plates. Rid your home of strong odors, including those of pets, mildew, cigarettes and cooking.

2. Spruce up the yard - Trim shrubs from the top down. If needed, remove dead plants and buy inexpensive replacements

3. Declutter, Declutter, Declutter - Say goodbye to knickknacks, family photos, refrigerator magnets and anything else that isn't needed. Buyers need to be able to visualize themselves and their things in your home - that's difficult to do for most people if it's filled with your "stuff".

4. Remove outdated wallpaper - Paint the walls a neutral color. Creams and beiges help a buyer imagine her furniture in the home. And neutrals make rooms look larger, strong colors shrink a room by half.

5. Get rid of dated lighting - Reasonably priced fixtures from Lowe's or Home Depot will look best if they're of a consistent style throughout the house.

6. Regrout bathroom tile and replace caulking - Home stagers say that fresh grout and caulking are almost as appealing as a paint job.

7. Refinish your floors - Shiny hardwoods can sell your home. It's not cheap but a fresh coat of varnish will make every room look richer and will help your home sell faster. So what you spend can be offset by a higher selling price or less time on the market.

8. Install new faucets - They can help you instantly update an older kitchen or bathroom.

9. Don't forget about the garage - Make sure the door is in excellent shape, if it's not, then replace it (think curb appeal). Be sure to paint the floor to cover up any messy oil stains.

These relatively simple tips can significantly improve your home's selling price & reduce your marketing time. Seller's who take the time to implement these changes are reaping the benefits. Homes that stand out - just sell faster. The best homes are even receiving multiple offers.

Another way to look at it is this - if your home is no different than the multitude of others on the market, then the only way you differentiate yourself is by lowering your price.


Information from a Good Housekeeping article was used for this post.