I am selling my house...how much should I upgrade to improve appearances?

If its not broken don't fix it. Not necessarily true. Take down the pictures fill the holes and dab on some paint, don't have it? take a chip take to Home Depot they will match it. Anything personal put it away. New floors--are they really worn? replace-Counter tops - if there are really bad go ahead but understand you may not get a whole lot of money back just because you replaced. Getting rid of clutter, personal objects, creating floor space, open airy atmosphere is probably one of the most important things you could do. Offering incentives is always a great way to bring buyers-even in a depressed market. Certainly I would invest minimal to achieve the max.

Curb appeal is so important to the sell of your home. Do any and all cheap fixes. Mow the lawn. Remove clutter. Anything that will make it more appealing. Touch up scratches and shampoo the carpet. When considering the more expensive fixes (i.e countertops, carpet, etc) consider the return it might or might not give you. If you spend several thousand $s, what are the chances of you recouping that money on the sell. It is totally possible that the new buyer will replace the carpet or repaint to their preferences anyway. What you want is the buyer to feel like the house has been taken care of. If you do not take care of your home, it is a sign that you do not think much of your home and therefore the buyer will not think much of it either.

I just moved into an apartment that was a complete reck. Let me tell you a good scrub and freshly painted walls goes a long way. Unless anything is totally damaged and in obvious need for repair I wouldn't worry about it. Worry more about putting your clutter away, making sure everthing is clean and organizing rooms so that it is very welcoming.

Painting is quick and cheap. New lighting fixtures... not expensive. Counter tops is a nice idea if your cabinets are decent. You can always paint your cabinets and add new hardware. Don't forget landscaping.

Any thing that does not look commecial change it.