It's only natural to want to maximize profits from the sale of your home. Having lived there you know how wonderful a home it truly is. This enthusiasm should be carried over to potential buyers. Your job is to show them how great your home is. Only then can you have a better chance of getting the offers to pour in.

One way to ensure you get the price you want for your home is to make little repairs that are affordable yet give your home the extra boost to make it shine. You want the buyer to not only feel welcome in your home; you also want to make sure that they see how special your home is.

When making your home inviting to others you want to show off how much space is available, provide ample opportunities to show off the lighting, give the buyers a sense of privacy the home offers, and make sure they feel the warmth and security you feel every time you walk into your home.

It is your job to keep up on the maintenance of your home. Only then can your house be sold at the price it is truly worth. Something as small as a loose doorknob, chipped paint, or a crack in your wall may give the buyer the feeling that the house was not maintained as well as you claim. Their logic is simple: if there is one small problem there may be a multitude of others you have tried to cover up.

These are minute problems that will not cost a fortune to fix. Most sellers do paint their walls before they move eliminating any chips in painting. A doorknob can be tightened easily with the right tools. Usually only a screwdriver is needed, and a little plaster can be smoothed over cracks to make them non-existent.

A buyer will shop around until they find a home that is desirable to them. Don't you want them to feel that way about your home?

No matter what size budget you are working with, these simple (and affordable!) techniques can give your home the zest you need to attract the buyers you want!

The Power of Aroma

Do you have pets? Do you smoke? Did you know that at least 25% of potential buyers that know you have a pet will refuse to even see your home? Over 50% of buyers that catch the scent of Fido when entering your home will refuse to continue with the showing. At least 40% of potential buyers that catch the whiff of smoke in your home will not buy it even if they are smokers themselves. What does this mean? The nose knows!

The right scents in your home can attract buyers. The wrong scents can turn them off. So what sort of scents should you look for?

The most popular scents include: baking, vanilla, rainfall, baby powder, cinnamon, flowers, and citrus or fruity smells.

Luckily, the majority of these scents can be found as plug-in style air fresheners or aerosol sprays. Once you have decided which scents will enhance the attractiveness of your home, it is your job to place certain scents throughout the various rooms.

Here is a list of possible ideas to freshen up each room in your home.

Dining Rooms: Place a bouquet of flowers from your garden in a vase and place it in the center of your dining room table. Add a flower scented plug-in or lightly spritz with a flowery air freshener to bring out the natural scents in the room.

Kitchens: A few minutes before a potential buyer shows up pop some cookies, cinnamon rolls, or a cake into the oven to bake. The natural scent of home baked cooking will be aromatically pleasing to your buyers. Just don't leave them in the oven too long! You can also add a cinnamon plug-in to the room to enhance the scent. This is good for all day showings since you can't keep popping baked goods into the oven every 5 minutes! If you aren't that good at baking a citrus/fruity based air freshener can make a kitchen smell divine.

Bathrooms: Keeping an air freshener in your bathroom is a good thing to do even if you are not selling your home. A plug-in that is rain shower fresh can make the difference and neutralize scents that, while natural, are simply not attractive. Spritz the room before buyers stop by with baby powder or rainfall air freshener, since they are good at blocking out unattractive smells that may make your buyers run out on you clutching their stomach.

Bedrooms: Each bedroom should have its own personal scent. Try different scents and find what works best. Typical smells that work well include potpourri, vanilla, fruit, or rainfall. In the end it is up to you. Trust your instincts. If you aren't sure how well the scent works ask for advice from other family members.

You want to avoid musty smells in spare bedrooms, basements, and attics. If the room has windows you should open them at least one day prior to a showing to air the room out. You can neutralize the mustiness with air fresheners.

Other things that work to make your house smell better include: potpourri, incense, and candles. Light them carefully and let the natural scents weave their way through your home.

Bathroom Woes

Let's face it; nine out of ten times your bathroom is going to stink! That is what it is here for. Not only do you need to make it smell good, you want it to look good. People look at bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens more than any other rooms. Usually these rooms are included in the decision to buy a home or pass it over.

You can give your bathroom a simple and affordable makeover by checking out and replacing the following things.

Bathroom Fixtures: Are your fixtures rusted, loose, or just plain old? You can stop by any home repair store and find attractive bathroom fixtures at relatively low prices. When viewing your home the buyer will be able to see the fixtures and if they look like they've been through WWII chances are they are going to be turned off by the bathroom. Unhappiness with just one room can ruin a sale.

Tile: If you have tile in your bathroom make sure the grout isn't dirty or rough. Adding new layers of grout can smooth out your tiles without having to replace them. It can also give the tiles a brand new look. Make sure no tile is chipped. If it is replace it.

Wallpaper/Painting: If your bathroom has wallpaper in it, change it. Wallpaper usually fades naturally over time. Fresh wallpaper can bring out the brightness of this very important room. If your bathroom is painted then put on a fresh coat of paint to ensure there are no chipped paint spots on your walls. Your bathroom should be painted in light shades. Usually light pastels work: light blues, yellows, and mauve can appeal to the emotional response of a potential buyer.

Shower Curtains: Over time mildew will ruin your shower curtain. It's best to just replace it before you sell your home.

Toilets: The most disgusting place in any home is usually the toilet. Scrub the toilet until it is spotless. If there are any chips in the seat lid you will probably want to replace it. You can also add an attractive seat cover to the top of your toilet to prevent chipping before it can occur.

Other ideas to spruce up your bathroom include: adding designer faucets to the sink, shower, and bathtub, decorative moldings, decorating the back of the toilet with a plant, or some sort of cover, cleaning up your medicine chests, and replacing any broken or chipped mirrors. The ideas for the bathroom are endless and can make a difference between a home that is sold and a home that stays on the market.

Let's see that smile!

Want to catch the smile of a potential buyer as they happily stroll through your home? A few mirrors in the right place can help you do just that. Mirrors can bring out the brightness in a room. You can find many different styles of mirrors that will give your home a designer feel. If you do not have any mirrors other than the one in your bathroom you can buy one in any type of furniture store or home decorating store. Of course, they may be more expensive then you are willing to pay for. The easiest way to find mirrors is at local garage sales and flea markets. You can paint around any dusty edges, making them look brand new for just a fraction of the price of store bought mirrors.

Just remember not to over mirror your home. Too many mirrors can make a buyer feel like they are Alice in Wonderland and turn them off. Use mirrors to your advantage, don't have them work against you.

Floor Care

Want to do something simple that can stand out? Make your floors shine. Whether you have tile floors, wooden floors, or carpet you need to make them look brand new. Steam cleaning can be expensive. However, you can rent or purchase a small steam cleaner for much less than paying for professional cleaning.

For Carpet: If carpet is too bad you need to replace it. You can steam clean it and make it look new if it is not too bad. Either way, you want it to look new!

For Tiles: Replace all chipped tiles. Add grout to give the tile a new look, smooth it out, and remove any bumps in the surface of the grout.

For Wooden Floors: Wax your floors so the wood shines. You can find wood polish specifically for flooring at a minimal price.

Remember that you do not have to spend a fortune to make your home beautiful. Something as simple as decorative wall hangings or plants in designer pots can give each and every room in your home its very own personality. As a buyer walks through each and every room he or she will have some sort of emotional response to the personality of the room. If it speaks to them, then you are most definitely guaranteed a sale.