• Outside Tidy: Trim up overgrown hedges, deadhead flowers (if appropriate), clean up debris. Mulch, for fast and easy beautification.
• Gutters: Keep them clean and replace bad ones.
• Create usable outdoor space. Clean up that patio furniture and arrange for dining and conversation. Don’t have patio furniture yet? Check out local estate sales, Nextdoor, Craig’s List and Facebook Marketplace to get patio furniture at a heavy discount. It’s amazing how many quality items sell for pennies on the dollar.
• Regularly maintain your heating and cooling systems. Maintenance is much less expensive than replacing these big-ticket systems. Ask if your provider has a discount if you sign up for a regular maintenance plan (make sure any plan will actually save you money).
• Clean up!
• Replace any burned out light bulbs, inside and out.
• Steam clean your carpets (you can rent steam cleaners if you are DIY inclined).
• Declutter.
• Incandescent to LED: When your incandescent bulbs fizzle out, replace with warm LEDs (we favor 2700K soft white). Pay attention to whether a fixture is dimmable or a three-way and replace with the LED version.
• Upgrade your cabinet hardware. We fancied up this $500 hardwood entertainment center with crystal-look glass knobs that were 26 for $18.
• Paint! Looking for a fast and cheap way to give a room or just your front door a lift? Paint is an inexpensive do-it-yourself option. A red door means welcome and are rumored to help homes sell faster.