I'm a real estate agent. The best bang for your buck is new paint and a good thorough cleaning.

Clean clean clean. And limit clutter.

I agree with new paint. Also a good decluttering and getting rid of furniture that you don't use to open up the space. Also, take half your clothes out of each closet (assuming they are full) so that storage doesn't appear to be a problem. People often overlook cleaning windows which I think can really open up a room too.

HGTV has non-stop shows about staging for sale, spend some time watching them.Or, I will summarize because I've seen waaaaay too many of them.

1) Clear all clutter and then clear some more. Closets should never be as full as they actually are when you are living in a place. Get all the stuff off your bathroom vanity and kitchen counter. Also, off every surface in the house. Throw stuff out and pack stuff away - you'll need to do it before you move anyway. The house should be kind of empty - less furniture and stuff than you normally live with.

Depersonalize - get rid of all those pictures of family and friends. Also any art or decor which is too strongly personal taste. It's possible that the things you love best, the quirky or amusing ones, might be best stored.

Immaculate cleanliness, especially in kitchn and bath. But everywhere. Have any carpets professionally cleaned.

Paint is cheap and not that hard to do. So do it.
Plus, the smell of paint makes buyers happy.

Bathrooms: paint, change light fixtures, faucets and vanity counters - none of these need to be expensive changes. Get a new shower curtain and towels. If the floor is dire think about peel and stick tiles, or a floating floor that you can install yourself. Depending on the vanity, it might be improved by painting and new hardware.

Kitchen: Painting the cupboards a neutral color like white or dark brown might help, depending on your kitchen. Replacing hardware with something neat and modern makes a big difference. New counters, if they need it, does not have to be expensive - use Ikea butcher block or attractive formica. Ditto with faucets. Clean stuff off the counters, out of the cupboards (so it doesn't look to buyers like storage is an issue). Once again - it should be immaculate.

And, talk to your realtor, it might be worth replacing the appliances with new stainless steel ones, if it means a fast sale at top dollar.

If you have pets, minimize their presence - cat boxes clean and out of sight. Dog toys/beds neat, clean and tucked away.

Oh, and make sure the door to your condo looks inviting and clean - paint it if you can and make sure the entry is organized and welcoming.

Buy fresh flowers.

Good luck.

(Note to self: must watch less HGTV).

take a look (online) at the other properties for sale in your area. do what you can to make your property seem better than the others.

We sold our home in NC in a very slow market that was saturated with 20 of the exact same houses for sale within a mile radius. I constantly checked to see what our "competition" offered.

We put a bunch of stuff in storage for a month (closets and the garage stuff), arranged furniture to maximize room flow, freshly painted, put pergo down in one small front room with bad carpet and put up a simple backsplash in the kitchen. I think we put about $500 into the house and ended up being the only home in the area that sold.

clean/de-clutter and paint. and also, get a good real estate agent who knows how to price your condo right - and then listen to their advice. (i'm not a real estate agent, but i thought ours did a great job in helping price/market/stage our condo - we had 5 offers w/in 3 days and were under contract in less than a week)

1. Get a Realtor who specializes in condos in your area (one with a great track record)
2. Price it aggressively.

Your Realtor can give you invaluable advice as to how to stage it for a quick sale, what works and what doesn't, what to spend your money on and what not to.

Paint, polish and clean. Place should be immaculate. If flooring and kitchen is outdated, better be reflected in the price or you’re wasting your time.

Hi everyone, this is great advice! These are really helpful and easy-to-follow tips. I thought I had minimized clutter but didn't think about closets. Ours are large - but stuffed. Ditto for cleaning. We're clean, but I missed things like windows, and the entryway and door. Thank you everyone! Now you know what we'll be doing over Thanksgiving weekend :)

don't forget to de-personalize. it's huge. This means even removing your toiletries from the bathroom (put 'em in a paper bag and throw it in the car while you're out during a showing if need be, and put your laundry hamper in the trunk.)

Also: clean the hinge graphite from door frames.

If you have brass door hardware, and if you can afford it, update your knobs and hinges.

If you cook a lot and have stained or dingy stove burner pans, put in new ones during a showing (use your old ones while you're still there).

remember to clean things like light switch plate covers, baseboards, knobs on the stove and dishwasher, etc.

When you leave the house for a showing, open all the blinds and windows *and* turn on table lamps.

Last but not least: I put about $4K into window hardware and drapes for my home while I lived there, and there was no way I was going to give up those babies for a reduced sale price. I spen $200 at Ikea and replaced all my window hardware and drapes, and used all my good stuff in my new home.

You mentioned your floors. If they're hardwoods, get those refinished too. Otherwise have them cleaned and polished. Floors will be as important as the walls unless you can cover up any imperfections without cluttering the space.

Clean and declutter as mentioned. Also, a small bottle of white-out and a black sharpie can help touchup marks and chips left from living in a home. I'm a huge fan of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for descuffing baseboards.

1. paint

2. clean

3. hire a professional to clean and wax your hardwood floors. A pro will own a buffer. Watch out; your floor may be slippery after.

4. Don't replace the appliances unless they are an awful color. White, black, stainless steel, and beige/almond/biscuit are fine. I think buying new ones is a waste because most people are particular about their appliances, especially stoves and refrigerators, and will already have their ideal one in mind. You might choose one the buyer doesn't like. If you must replace them, look around for nearly-new appliances on craigslist. People are continually moving and having to sell appliances.

5. price your place lower than same size, same area condos with similar features. This last is the most important.

Forgot to mention: you can find one-step cleaning and polishing products for wood floors at any large hardware store such as Ace. Look for a product called "Johnson One Step" in a yellow metal can. You'll need about two per room, and a whole bunch of clean, lint free rags (old t-shirts are great) to apply it.

The product makes even very worn floors look great, and it won't cause any problems later for the new owners. The shine lasts about two months.

Shake WELL before using, and during application.

www.amazon.com/SC-Johnson-00125-22OZ-Wood/dp/B000F5K3U2

Note: if you have a manufactured wood floor, check with the manufacturer before using.

We sold our house during the recession. Best advice: price well. You have to be realistic. The longer your home sits on the market, the harder it is to sell.

Second best advice: make your home look like a hotel. Nothing personal--no photos, trinkets, etc.--and no clutter. Think neutral, clean, and simple. The place should smell clean, too.

I'm in the same boat! We may sell or may rent, but I asked the condo manager and he said if you sell, it is important to update as much as you can b/c people overlook outdated kitchens and bathrooms. Not many people want to move into a place and have to renovate right away. So, here I am redesigning the kitchen and bathroom...all white with stainless steel appliances.

Urbancricket made a great point; be sure to take anything that you wouldn't want to include in the sale OUT of your condo. It is guaranteed to become a sticking point later on.

Take care of all deferred maintenance.

Sort through and pack up/donate/yard sale as if you are moving in the next 2 weeks. This will clear clutter as well as have you prepared for when you do move.

Get as much light into the house as possible-
Used the brightest bulbs your lamps allow.
Clean windows inside and out.
Change out heavy window treatments for lighter curtains or sheets.

We are Realtors and stage homes. We love to take a set of pictures of the rooms from similar angles that we would for listing pictures. You can tell so much in a picture - drapes askew, too much clutter, dust, not enough sunlight, etc. Start with a set of pictures and adjust until it looks clean (like a hotel or magazine)

General rule for us - if it is smaller than a basketball, it goes. (Packed up...and boxes stored in a pod or at a friend's house.)

Please don't burn scented candles. It will just smell like "fish and roses"...you aren't tricking anyone.

For your closets - splurge on matching hangers (IKEA has sets of wood hangers very affordable). You'll use them after you move and it makes your closet look luxurious. (Bonus - hand your clothes by color and sleeve length.)

Your potted plants are scraggly. Trust me - or take a picture. Plants can add life to a room if they are beautiful...but mostly they just look like experiments. Again, have a friend care for them until you move.

Get new white towels. Don't use them. Just always have them out hanging and fresh.

Clear out your kitchen cabinets, too. Leave only matching dishes and glasses.

Bathroom - one bottle of shampoo, one conditioner, one bar of soap in the shower.

Be the nicest home at the lowest price.

This is all good advice, but I would advise against clearing out all your toiletries - it will look a bit weird, and over-staged. I think potpie's advice to pare your toiletries down to the minimum is better.

I had to sell my own townhome in Nashville after the bubble burst. I lived in a neighborhood where there were at least a dozen others for sale exactly like mine. I sold mine in three weeks, ahead of others that had been on the market for far longer. The two most important things (as many others have mentioned) were staging and pricing it to sell.

Clean everything from the kitchen to the outside windows. Painting is cheap and easy. So is polishing the floors. Get rid of as much stuff as possible (you might not think it's clutter but the less stuff you have in the house the more space potential buyers will see). Arrange the furniture to show off the space. As my realtor told me: make it look as 'Pottery Barn' as possible.

I don't think you should buy new appliances to sell, but think about throwing in an "appliance credit" to attract buyers. They'll think they're getting a bonus.

Really do your research on what similar properties are selling for. It's not about what you want to get, it's about what buyers are willing to give you for the property.

Have a great real estate agent and listen to their advice -- carefully!!

We staged to sell (including new granite counters in the bathrooms -- remainder granite cost $7 a running inch finished, so relatively cheap for the luxury) but our agent was the champion. We sold to a couple she rounded up BEFORE the MLS listing was posted for $3K under asking. Since we needed to be out before closing on our new house, being built at the time, we didn't wait for better offers which MAYBE would have come, but the peace of mind in a tight market was worth the risk to us.

Price and paint if it's grungy, and of course clean. And location.

Listen to your Realtor.

My parents sold their house while there were 5 basically the same houses within 3 blocks that were selling (that we knew about since we don't drive on all the streets). I had to help as my parents went out of the country briefly.

1. Get a really really good realtor. We had an initial realtor that was not so experienced with the potential buyers of our house, pricing and helping as position ourselves in negotiation. Our second one was quite good and very responsive.

2. Clean your house. it's been said over and over again here but it makes your home bigger and nicer than all the other ones. This will get your home offers faster.

3. don't spend too much money on painting (spot paint anywhere that has weird scratches from furniture or shoes etc), waxing your floors or hiring people to do too much work. People are more interested in deals right now than a perfect house. You have no idea how many people are interested in a fixer-upper rather than a ready home.

4. Remember that the market price is probably settled in your area and for what your home is. Anything you do will only help your house sell faster rather than getting you a higher price. that said, the faster you sell the better.

5. Have a price in mind that you can accept. Take the first offer that has solid financing that is at that price or higher. Don't think that you will get a better price, its risky in this market. Ultimately, most buyers will think that your home has been on the market for a long time and that must mean that there's no interest in your home so they can go lower with their offer. Thats a tip from someone my parents know who learned that the hard way.

I just wanted to add, discuss all this with your real estate agent. They can give you real dollar figures for what works and doesn't. Especially if your area is still highly desirable...what i wrote may not apply.

I wouldn't spend too much money. I have viewed many houses over the years, and I think that if the 'bones' of the property are good, that speaks for itself. Personally, I would resent paying extra for a property that had been spruced up and staged specifically for sale.