14 fast fixes to help your home sell

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   >>> this morning on "today's real estate ," tips to get your house sold. "today's" real estate expert barbara corcoran says there are some cheap and easy fixes that could speed up the sale. barbara , good morning.

   >> good morning, ann.

   >> you say these are very small things. we're talking about minutia things that could make a big difference.

   >> but they all add up, because every buyer's walking through your house with a set of fresh eyes. they notice everything, so why don't you take care of it in advance?

   >> curb appeal important. you want to get them in the door. you say look at your lawn and trim your grass.

   >> sure. you can pay the neighbor's kid $20 to trim your grass if you don't want to do it. you can green your lawn in three weeks flat with a good greener on the marketplace. and if you want to resurface your driveway, you roll it out like a can of paint and have a new surface on your driveway.

   >> now you've got them in the door. they're walking up to the door, but you want us to replace the door knocker ?

   >> it sounds ridiculous, but a shiny door knocker says i care for my home and you've created a good first impression.

   >> and you like pineapple door knockers ?

   >> i don't care what it is, as long as it's new and fresh.

   >> now you've got mailboxes. you know, that's also very important. it kind of makes a statement, the mailbox.

   >> well, it makes a little statement. again, it all adds up. if you have a really creepy looking mailbox, why not have a nice, shiny new one?

   >> now, going inside the house , we basically want them to basically look at customizing closets, because people, when they buy, look in your house , they're looking in your closets.

   >> they look in every closet, and if you can customize it, and if you can't afford that, just cleaning it out makes a big difference, because you know what happens? every buyer looks in the closet and makes the wrong assumption that if your closet is neat, the workings of the house , the inner workings are in good order. it's ridiculous, but they make that assumption. so why not have a clean closet?

   >> okay, and painting. one of the things about painting is that we've always been told to stay away from bold colors. is that also true if you want to sell a house ?

   >> the number one thing you should paint a house with is linen white. people think it fits in there nice, looks good in the day and night. no replacement.

   >> they also feel like they can paint over it if they want to and don't have to work so hard. gives them options.

   >> it's neutral.

   >> not that i know everything. i'm just augmenting what you've been telling me for a year.

   >> sounds good to me.

   >> spruce up your cabinets. you want the kitchen cabinets to look terrific. this sounds like it could be expensive.

   >> not at all. two-thirds of the cost of the cabinet is the box, which lasts forever. you can pop off the doors and save two-thirds of the cost or use a fresh coat of paint, but to leave an old, ratty cabinet up is ridiculous because buyers assume they'll have to do a gut renovation.

   >> what if you can't afford to replace the drawers, but you can afford new drawer pulls?

   >> it updates the kitchen. you can get a nice-looking, new, modern knob.

   >> you also look backsplashes.

   >> because they're easy today. they have self-gluing backsplashes. you don't have to remove the old one, which is the messiest part. just stick it right on top.

   >> also, you've got a pet peeve regarding chandeliers.

   >> they're the only thing in the room that's directly in your line of vision. it hits you in the head when you walk in and they're personal in style. you're better of getting a simple fixture mounted up flush against the ceiling and it's not objecti objectionable.

   >> so be careful about going too outside the box.

   >> people don't like it. they want to walk into the home and see themselves living there. if it's too personal, they don't make that jump.

   >> it's funny, i go shopping sometimes, i like when the pretty switch plate is there. that's kind of a nice little touch.

   >> you might like it, but the safer bet is certainly a simple switch plate that looks nice and clean because a lot of people don't like that stuff.

   >> that's why they listen to you and not me. you also say base boards are something to consider.

   >> baseboards and the crown molding because they raise the ceiling visually. they visually add about six inches to the eye, and that really counts because people want a higher ceiling.

   >> so, if you don't have crown molding or baseboarding, you might want to consider that. are they expensive to put in?

   >> they are expensive to put in, but not relative to what you get back. you can do a typical room for roughly $200, and that's not a big expense. the plastic, self-sticking ones can really fool the eye. you don't have to go all out and get a nice wood one.

   >> now we're getting nitty gritty. you're talking about the toilet seat . think about the toilet seat . now, how should we think about the toilet seat ?

   >> because no one wants to move into your bathroom. i don't care how nice the bathroom is. so, a fresh new toilet seat and a clean bathroom makes all the difference.

   >> anyway, those are some very important tips.

   >> good note to end on, toilet seats.

   >> i know. we'll try to raise the bar next time. barbara corcoran, you always raise our bar.

   >> thank you.

   >>> still to come today, former

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