When preparing to list a home, one principle leads to the highest return: update for the market — not for personal preference. Buyers connect most strongly with homes that feel bright, clean, neutral, and easy to imagine as their own. And the best part? Most of the improvements that make the biggest difference aren’t major remodels. They’re simple, affordable refreshes anyone — including renters — can do to make a space feel newer and more inviting.
Below are the most effective ways to prepare a home to attract the widest pool of buyers.
1. Choose Neutral, Inviting Palettes
Buyers respond emotionally to color, and nothing rejuvenates a home faster than paint. A neutral palette creates a calm, spacious feel and makes the home look cohesive in listing photos.
Best choices: warm whites, soft taupes, light beiges, creamy greiges, and organic earth tones. These colors feel fresh, photograph beautifully, and offer flexibility for any style of décor.
Avoid: cool greys and dark accent walls, which may be viewed as dated and can make rooms feel stark or cold.
A neutral color scheme doesn’t just help buyers visualize themselves in the home — it also makes the space feel larger, brighter, and move-in ready. Painting is one of the easiest updates for sellers and is commonly done by renters for the exact same reason: it dramatically transforms a space without major cost.
2. So Fresh and So Clean!
Before spending money on big updates, sellers should prioritize cleaning and maintenance tasks that make a home feel cared for. Buyers notice cleanliness immediately, and it sets a positive tone throughout the showing.
High-impact essentials:
- Fresh interior paint in neutral tones
- Carpets cleaned or replaced if heavily worn
- Windows washed inside and out for maximum light
- Baseboards, doors, and walls scrubbed to remove grime and fingerprints (or paw prints)
- Decluttering — store items neatly in bins and place them in the garage (garages are rarely photographed)
- Incorporate small decorative touches like vintage brass trays or rustic bowls for character
- Minor fixes like leaky faucets, broken outlets, squeaky hinges, or old smoke detectors
- Replace bedding and shower curtains with crisp, solid white cotton or linen for a hotel-like feel
A home that looks and feels clean signals to buyers that it has been well-maintained, reducing concerns about hidden issues.
3. Brighten and Refresh to Make the Home Feel New
One of the highest-impact — and most overlooked — strategies is simply brightening the home. Buyers equate brightness with cleanliness, freshness, and modernity. Bright homes feel larger, more open, and inviting. This is another category of refresh even renters rely on to elevate their space.
Ways to brighten and refresh effectively:
Maximize natural light
- Pull back heavy drapes or replace them with sheer white curtains that graze the floor
- Clean or remove old window screens, frames, and glass to let in maximum sunlight
- Trim bushes or tree branches blocking light; add porch plants or succulents to liven the space
Update lighting for a modern feel
- Replace old bulbs with brighter, matching LEDs
- Ensure all lights match in color and brightness to avoid a patchy or yellow cast
- Add inexpensive plug-in sconces, floor lamps, or neutral table lamps to brighten dark corners
Refresh tired surfaces
- Replace old outlet covers and switch plates with clean white ones
- Recaulk tubs, sinks, or backsplashes for a crisp, “new” look
- Polish faucets and hardware to remove water spots
- Use magic erasers to brighten walls and trim
4. Think “Move-In Ready,” Not “Newly Designed”
Buyers today prefer homes that feel clean, functional, and easy to personalize. They’re not looking for a seller’s dream renovation or bold design choices — they want a blank canvas. Your goal should be to remove barriers to imagination, not reinvent the home.
This mindset also prevents overspending. Most of what buyers want is already achievable through cleaning, decluttering, painting, and refreshing — not costly remodels.
5. Avoid Over-Spending on Low-ROI Items
Some updates feel important to sellers but rarely influence buyer decisions or increase value.
Not worth the investment:
- Brand-new windows
- Specialty high-end flooring
- Major landscaping projects
- Cabinets that buyers may replace anyway
Big-ticket items often don’t pay off because buyers want to choose these themselves. Focus instead on high-ROI refreshes that make the home feel brighter, cleaner, and move-in ready for both homeowners and renters.
Tamara Mattox-Kabat is a design enthusiast, seasoned Realtor with years of experience in Los Angeles and Denver, a home stager, and an interior design student at the Heritage School of Interior Design. She lives in Denver, CO, with her husband and their golden retriever. She brings a personal perspective to the evolving wants of today’s house-hunters. Tamara is passionate about helping others find and create spaces that are warm, timeless, uniquely their own, and achievable on a budget.
FAQs
Neutral colors appeal to the widest range of buyers and make spaces feel larger, brighter, and more move-in ready.
No — most buyers prefer clean, fresh spaces over major renovations, and simple updates often deliver the best return.
Fresh paint, clean floors, spotless windows, and scrubbed baseboards create an immediate sense of care and maintenance.
If the carpet is heavily stained or damaged, replacing it helps buyers feel the home is cleaner and better maintained.
Use sheer curtains, clean windows, trim outdoor greenery, and add matching LED bulbs to brighten dark rooms.
Yes — fixing things like leaky faucets, squeaky hinges, or old smoke detectors signals the home has been well cared for.
Usually — bold or dark colors can feel dated and make rooms look smaller, which may turn off buyers.
Simple, neutral items like white bedding, classic linens, or subtle decorative bowls help create a clean, inviting look.
Only if necessary — small refreshes are typically enough, as most buyers factor in their own landscape preferences.
Move-in ready spaces feel easier to personalize and reduce the buyer’s immediate workload and expenses.
