"Ed" wrote in message
...
It has been my experience that you will rarely get your money back. A
house will sell for the going rate in your neighborhood. Imagine if you
spent time and money fixing it up and the new owners just scraped
everything you did.

Ever watch the TV show "Sell This House"? Amazing how much return there is
on a couple of hundred properly spent dollars. Who cares if the new owners
re-paint the day they move in, as long as they liked the house and paid top
dollar for it.

I'd pain the attic, spruce up the kitchen. I'd not replace cabinets, but
I'd paint, maybe add a shelf or planter if needed, maybe a new light fixture
or under cabinet light on the counter if you have none. Light, bright,
colors everywhere in the house.

Remove any clutter you may have lurking in the garage or basement, even some
furniture if crowded, to give the illusion of being a large house.

As for the going rate for the neighborhood, you want to be on top of it or
even exceed it if possible.