You face a tough task if you need to sell your home in this market. The real estate market is cold. Money is tight, buyers are few and there are plenty of homes on the market. Here are some cheap steps you can take that could be the key to selling your property.

Many homeowners forget about the sense of smell when listing their home. If your home has a smoker in residence, buyers will notice. Clean the walls with ammonia and have a go at the carpets with a steam cleaner rental.

Dripping faucets in the middle of the night are a form of torture. They also turn off buyers. Check all your faucets. If they leak, replace the washers. If they are beaten up or don’t turn well, replace the entire faucet.

They say the eyes are the path to the soul of a person. In a home, the same is true for baseboards. They tell a story. If yours are beaten up, they tell a scary tale to a potential buyer. Replace and paint as necessary.

Walls are a flat single color surface. This makes them a natural target and they get beat up over the years. If yours are dinged up, fix them. Cracks should be repaired. Make sure the paint blends naturally with the rest of the wall.

It always amazes me when people spend big dollars on beautiful doors and windows, but then go cheap on screens. Screens are cheap and easy to replace. If yours are beaten up, bent, have holes or rusty, change them out.

First impressions count. Give your front door the evil eye to see if it measures up. If it is a bit plain, consider painting it. If you are going to spend some money, a new front door is the place to do it.

And then there is sweat equity. Yep, landscaping. You might have a thing for the jungle look, but most potential buyers will not. Cut back the jungle. Cut the grass. Edge the pathways. Plant some flowers. Just have at it.

I know next to nothing about roofing, but I know a missing or damaged shingle is a bad sign. Give your roof the once over. Have broken shingles replaced. Remove anything that is lying on the roof such as tree limbs. Repair broken gutters.

Although the current real estate market is slow, it is not dead. There are buyers. Homes are selling. The key is to moving your home is in the details. Buyers have lots to choose from so don’t give them a reason to walk away from yours.