Getting your home ready to be listed?

Save money by taking care of these upgrades that are easy to do

You’re thinking about listing your home but dread all the work and money it’ll take to get the place marketready. Instead of hiring pros for ever y job, why not do some of the tasks yourself? You’ll save a bundle and work on your own schedule. Even someone who doesn’t know a screwdriver from a hammer can handle them.

“I actually find it surprising to see how many people think DIY projects are difficult,” said Charrel Sanabria, an agent with Realty One Group, Emerald Coast, Florida. Online tutorials give step-by-step visuals and detailed instructions (there’s no shame in hitting the “rewind” arrow). Watch a few how-to videos, then decide which projects you want to tackle yourself. Here are some suggestions:

Landscaping the front yard

“Landscaping” may sound like you’re supposed to trim your hedges with the proficiency of Edward Scissorhands, but what it really means is much simpler: sprucing up. “Mulching, pulling weeds and planting new greener y are all ver y easy for any home seller to do,” Sanabria said. As for those hedges, just trim them so they’re neat. All of this attention to your front yard will add up to elevated curb appeal, which is a big influence on buyers.

Giving interior walls a fresh coat of paint

Besides being the most budget-friendly way to instantly make a room look more inviting, painting is one of the easiest DIY projects. You need only a few basic pieces of equipment; besides paint, you’ll need a roller and sleeve, extension pole, pan, ladder and tarps. Be smar t about the colors you choose: If the walls are dark, paint them a neutral tone, suggested Sanabria, to satisfy the majority of buyers’ preference for lighter rather than bolder shades.

Fixing cracks and holes in walls

This easy repair involves putting spackle evenly on the cracks or holes with a putty knife

and doing some light sanding with a fine-grain sanding sponge. Wait until the spackle is completely dr y before painting.

Decluttering cabinets and closets

People will open ever y kitchen drawer and bedroom closet, so it’s imperative to keep them tidy. Do like a professional organizer and set up three bags, each with its own destiny: keep, donate and discard.

Rearranging, or staging, rooms

Staging is hot these days because a professional staging can often sell a house faster and for more money than if it wasn’t staged. Do some of the things that a pro would do: Evaluate each room with a critical eye. Is there too much furniture in the space? Is any of it blocking doors, windows or special features like a fireplace? Are there too many colors or not enough? If you’re displaying family photos, political or religious items, or framed diplomas, remove them so you can depersonalize the space. Buyers want to picture themselves, not you, living in the house.

GETTY IMAGES To save money, homeowners should consider which projects they can tackle on their own.