It’s been 30 days since Kathy put her house up for sale. The market seemed to be in favor of sellers, and she’d already worked out the financials and logistics. But buyer after buyer came and left. She couldn’t secure an offer.

Kathy decided to hire a realtor, thinking their professional insights and expertise might offer a solution. After a thorough house tour, they found the problem: the house in its current condition simply wasn’t appealing enough for today’s buyers. 

Like any homeowner, this was difficult to accept for Kathy. After all, she and her family had worked so hard to make this place feel welcoming. Yet, after accepting that something was indeed lacking, she decided to make a few simple improvements, which helped her close the sale in the next 15 days. 

Here are five tips to help expedite your home sale, if you’re in a situation like Kathy: 

Declutter

A clean, clutter-free space is a sight for sore eyes. If you’ve been living in your home for several years, you may have found a tendency to fill it up with your belongings or personal collectibles. Unfortunately, this isn’t a good selling point from the buyer’s perspective. 

Therefore, decluttering the place and depersonalizing it is one of the best (and quite simple) home improvements you should try to increase your chances of selling your home. Consider renting a storage unit if you don’t know where to put your extra belongings until you move out. 

Remove your carpeting

Wall-to-wall carpeting is something that turns off modern homebuyers. Earl White, the founder of House Heroes, LLC and House Heroes Realty, confirmed this in an interview with Best Life. “Laying down a shiny new wood floor across easily pays for itself several times over.”

If you’re worried that such an authentic floor might not be in your budget, White has a solution. “There are good alternatives to traditional wood floors. Home renovators can buy engineered or laminated wood for a fraction of the cost of an expensive floor,” he added. 

Update your lighting and fixtures

If you want to dramatically change the look and feel of your home, look no further than your lighting fixtures. Dim interior lighting and dated fixtures don’t really inspire contemporary homebuyers who prefer lots of lights – both artificial and natural.

Your buyers should feel that this is a place they would love to own, not something out of the 80s and 90s. Also, make enough room for sunshine to brighten up the space and have it appear larger. 

Finish up minor repairs

You may think that minor repairs are a waste of time, but don’t be mistaken. If not attended to in a timely fashion, these minor faults can turn away your prospective buyers, causing you to lose out on a great deal. And if fixing little things isn’t a sexy prospect for you, not losing hundreds or thousands of dollars (even millions, depending on your home’s value) likely is.

Not sure where to start? Dented door jambs, missing screens, broken windows, cracked plaster, Sheetrock damage, and leaky faucets are all good places to begin. 

Apply a neutral coat of paint 

Painting your walls can certainly enhance your home’s curb appeal. However, as mentioned before, it’s best not to go overboard and make it too personal. Therefore, you need to select neutral tones or more buyer-friendly colors. (Save the fuchsia for your next place!)

That said, you don’t have to turn your home into a bland waiting room. There are light earth and beige tones with pops of color that can make your home appealing and visually interesting. Think of the color selection process as a gift to your buyer.