Try a little fresh paint to help woo a home buyer

The Paint Quality Institute has come up with suggestions for sprucing up a house to get it ready for sale. The top 10 touch-ups: Make sure the front door is wellpainted. It will make a great first impression.

In the entry hall, touch up areas where the paint shows marks or nicks, and clean every surface. Better yet: Put on a fresh coat of neutral-colored paint throughout.

Touch up bathrooms and kitchens as needed, and put plenty of effort into the powder room, which many will visit during their tour.

If you want to make your kitchen look bigger, paint it white or offwhite. At the very least, remove food stains from the walls and conceal water spots by applying primer followed by some touch-up paint.

Sand, prime and paint windowsills, as needed.

Check woodwork. You can quickly touch up chipped or marred paint on chair rails and floor molding.

Inspect areas that come in frequent contact with soiled hands: window frames, door frames, edges of doors, and walls around light switches. If they are dirty, you may be able to clean them, assuming you used a glossier paint; if that doesn’t work, then do touch-up painting.

Same approach with cabinet doors: Scrub clean of fingerprints, if possible, or touch up painted areas. Pay special attention to the kitchen, which should be spotless.

Water stains on the ceiling from old roof leaks are a huge red flag for prospective buyers. After making certain that your roof is sound, be sure to prime and repaint.

Put the finishing touches on the house by scrutinizing every remaining wall and painted surface, looking for stray flecks of paint, as well as marks and stains from whatever source. Conceal them with some touch-up paint.