Typically those seeking to do a short sale are short on cash and time. However, as Kiplinger.com points out, “with existing homes selling at the slowest rate in a decade, if your house will be on the market, you can’t afford not to spend some money.” So, what are some cost effective ways to boost your homes appeal?

Landscape

Do all of the obvious chores like keeping the lawn mowed, pruning existing plant life and watering regularly. This is especially important in Orange County where even just a
small patch of green can look like a dream yard. Kiplinger suggests adding a few large potted plants to spruce up the entrance to your home because “A plant in a pot looks much bigger than when you put it in the ground.” More for your buck, Chuck.

Inside

When prospective buyers walk into your home you want them to feel as if they’ve lucked into a real bargain not stepped into a “fixer-upper” situation. Take a little pride in your home and clear out any rubbish or clutter, wash the walls to brighten the paint, do the
windows (inside and out), give the floors a good scrubbing and the carpets a good cleaning and patch any holes in the walls. You’d be surprised how these simple steps can really add a shine to your place.

Garage

Tackle the garage. You heard me.
You’re moving anyway, so now is as good a time as ever to get rid of all that junk that has piled up over the years. Have a yard sale to help you recoup the small out of pocket costs from sprucing up your home and haul the rest to your local Good Will, Orange County has tons of them. The larger your garage looks, the better. Potential homeowners will be envisioning it filled with their own boxes, bikes and books or if they’re dreamers, they’ll want to actually use that two car garage for, you know, two cars. With these tasks completed, your short sale may not be the quickest escrow closing on the block, but it will go a long way toward impressing any potential buyers.

Minda Reves is a SHORTsense.com freelance writer