Getting Your House Ready to Sell

by R. Scott Bronstad | Oct 17, 2025 | Baths, Home Improvement

High-Impact Home Projects That Pay Off for Sellers

When you prepare your house for sale, the goal is simple: maximize your return and sell quickly. As a homeowner, I know the drill. You could spend endless hours on a 20-year-old house, but I focus on the high-impact home improvements that actually bring value and appeal to a broad range of buyers. Forget the “nice-to-haves”; we’re tackling the projects that pay for themselves. Get your real estate agent’s advice, and then let’s dive into these three must-do projects.

Front and Center: Curb Appeal Landscaping

I start every home-selling prep with curb appeal because it’s the first impression buyers get, and you only get one. For this house, the front and back beds needed a serious overhaul. Years of neglect meant I had a jungle to tame, especially in the back.

First, I tackle the weeds. This isn’t a casual pull; I’m talking about a wholesale clearing. I spend a day (or three!) vigorously pulling and whacking every weed and stray vine until the beds are bare earth. It’s labor-intensive, but a clean slate is essential. A neglected yard screams “deferred maintenance” to buyers, which they mentally translate into a lower offer. A clean, fresh yard says, “This house is well-cared for.” Final step: landscaping felt to prevent future weeds.

Next up: the mulch. This is the single most transformative, yet inexpensive, thing you can do for your landscaping. I haul in two truckloads of black mulch—that’s two full yards of material. I spread it thick across all the front and back beds, being careful to pull it away from the base of the trees. A fresh, dark blanket of mulch makes existing plants pop, suppresses new weeds, and instantly gives the whole property a crisp, professional look. This single step makes the biggest visual impact for the least amount of cash and effort, and it dramatically enhances the home’s immediate perceived value.

Pro-Tip: What Your Real Estate Agent Wants You to Prioritize

To truly maximize your sale price and speed, you must spend your money where it counts—on areas buyers immediately notice. Consult your agent on local trends, but here is a general guide to home improvements that sell:

DO (High ROI)	DON’T (Low ROI)
Paint: Fresh, neutral paint (interior/exterior) is the single biggest cosmetic improvement.	Replacing Windows: Unless yours are visibly rotten, buyers rarely appreciate the cost of new windows.
Kitchen Updates: Focus on cosmetic changes: painting cabinets, new cabinet hardware, new faucet/sink, and basic tile backsplash.	Major Electrical or Plumbing Overhauls: These are expensive and hidden. Fix any problems, but avoid wholesale upgrades.
Bathroom Updates: New vanity (like the half-bath project!), new mirror, lighting, and clean grout/caulk. These are major buyer focal points.	Swimming Pools: While they add fun, they restrict your buyer pool and often don’t return their investment at sale time.
Lighting: Swap old, dated fixtures for modern, attractive ones. It is cheap and transforms a room.	Highly Personalized Finishes: Avoid bold, unique wallpaper, custom built-ins, or extreme color palettes that only you love.
Curb Appeal: Power-washing, fresh mulch, tidy landscaping, and a welcoming front door.	Solar Panels (Owned/Leased): Can complicate financing and often don’t provide a direct return on investment for the seller.

Half-Bath Vanity Swap: A Major Refresh

Small spaces offer big opportunities for a visual refresh, and nothing updates an old house faster than a new vanity in a bathroom. My next project is replacing an outdated pedestal sink in the half bath. The old pedestal was fine, but a vanity adds storage and style, both of which appeal to buyers.

Note: I forgot to get a pic of the pedestal sink… trust me, it’s everything you’d expect (worn out, dated, exposed plumbing).

I find a great deal on an Amazon “kit”—a quality plywood cabinet with a decent sink, though no fixtures. I’ll reuse the existing faucet, but I definitely grab a new brass drain kit with a modern push-button stopper. As I’m pulling the old sink, a couple of floor tiles pop loose. What should have been a simple plumbing swap just got complicated.

I scrape the old thinset off the floor and off the back of the loose tiles. Since the previous owners had recently updated the floors, I have extra tiles on hand, thankfully. I re-attach the tiles with fresh thinset, but I decide the entire floor grout line looks messy now. To make it look right, I scrape up all the existing grout and prepare to reapply. Of course, in the process, three more tiles come loose—it’s a classic example of one job leading to another! I repeat the process: clean, thinset, reattach. Once the tiles are solid, I re-grout the entire floor.

With the floor clean and solid, I paint the baseboards and apply fresh caulk all around the perimeter. This makes the floor look completely finished and new. Finally, I install the new vanity, securing it firmly into the wall studs, and finish the plumbing hookup. I test the drain—no leaks! The small bath is now stylish, functional, and looks brand new, a huge value-add for very little cost.

Mitigating Water Damage and Protecting Against Future Problems

The last project is fixing a hidden problem: water damage under an upstairs sink. A clogged AC drain line (which was tied into the sink line) backed up and soaked the particle board floor of the cabinet. Particle board is a sponge when it meets water, and it had ballooned and warped, a guaranteed red flag for any home inspector. This isn’t just cosmetic; it signals a possible ongoing issue. Addressing water damage is critical before listing a home.

I start by using a jigsaw to carefully cut out the damaged particle board. I use the resulting hole as a template to cut a replacement floor piece from a scrap of $3/8$ -inch plywood. Plywood is the smart choice here because it won’t swell and balloon like particle board if it ever gets damp again.

Since the vanity has a structural cross-bar in the front, I can’t just slide the new floor piece in. I cut the plywood replacement in half, fit both pieces through the opening, and then carefully position them. I screw the new floor down into the remaining good wood of the cabinet sides. I also add some scrap wood pieces to the back to give me something solid to screw into there. The floor is now solid and water-resistant.

To fully protect against any future moisture, I finish the job by painting the entire new floor with a coat of oil-based black satin paint. Oil-based paint creates a durable, moisture-resistant seal. I also apply a bead of caulk along all the seams. This solution is robust, clean, and completely eliminates an inspector’s concern. Buyers look for a house where all the “little things” are done, and fixing this kind of hidden issue is a clear demonstration of a seller who cares about the home’s integrity. These three home improvements directly address major buyer concerns: curb appeal, updated finishes, and freedom from hidden defects. That’s how you get top dollar!