Santa Cruz Real Estate Experts Team Sedenquist

Sellers who refuse to make minor repairs are likely to pay dearly for their stubbornness, says Sid Davis, author of the new book Home Makeovers That Sell (AMACOM, 2007).

Here are some of Davis’ suggestions for sellers who want to get the most out of the deal.

• Start with the kitchen; it’s the most important room in the house for most buyers. Refacing the cabinets or sanding them and painting them white is often a worthwhile undertaking. If the flooring is in poor condition, replace that too.

• Update the bath. While paint and flooring help here too, sellers may find spending $200 to replace the mirror and vanity set will net them the greatest payoff.

• Clean the laundry room. Hire a carpenter to install built-in shelving and repaint and replace worn flooring. Upgrade the light fixtures.

• Scrub, scrub, scrub. Squeaky clean wows buyers, Davis says. “If people think [a home] is super neat, they'll give [the seller] the benefit of the doubt. If it's dirty, they'll assume it's ridden with hidden defects,'' he says.