These days you often hear about houses sitting on the market for a year or more.  And it's no wonder when you see all the for sale signs out there.  Yet houses are selling and some in far less time than a year.  Why?  Well price is a major driver.  Many sellers refuse to accept the fact that they need to be competitively priced against others in their market so their houses just sit there.

But in addition to price there are some very simple things you can do improve the appeal of your house.  Here are some tips from a recent Money Magazine article:

Boost Curb Appeal

• Upgrade your mailbox, house numbers, doorbell and knocker with a bronze set
• Edge and mulch the beds
• Green the grass with nitrogen rich fertilizer

Update a Bathroom

• Replace a tired looking faucet with a more stylish one
• Regrout old tile floors
• Install beadboard wainscoting over dated tile walls

Spruce up the Interior

• Paint! It completely transforms a room
• Replace boring light fixtures with statement pieces
• Install new switch and outlet covers

Its amazing how many houses I see with simple things like these looking tired, broken or dirty and that really turns buyers off or causes them to make a very lowball offer.  For more ambitious updates here is what Investor's Business Daily said bring the best and worst paybacks:

Best Payback

• Siding Replacement (fiber cement) 86.7%
• Deck Addition (Wood) 81.8%
• Siding Replacement (vinyl) 80.7%
• Siding Replacement (foam backed vinyl) 80.4%
• Minor Kitchen Remodel 79.5%

Worst Payback

• Home Office Remodel  54.6%
• Sunroom addition 56.7%
• Backup Power Generator 52.7%
• Master Suite Addition 61.1%
• Garage Addition 62.8%

Interesting...

So price your house competitively in your market (not by 'I've gotta have') and make sure it looks the best inside and out by upgrading the simple yet effective items that buyers will quickly notice.

Cheers, Sally