The term “home improvement” has a tendency to evoke images of new decks, added rooms, replaced appliances, or remodeled rooms. However, if your schedule or budget don’t allow for a major project, there are a number of simple, cheap ways you can improve your home and improve its value. Here are some of the best options for a quick value boost when trying to sell your home.

1. Paint an Accent Wall

Many homes have the same, neutral, bland paint throughout the house. Though this does offer a clean feel, it does not grab the buyer’s attention. It can make the home look generic and therefore less valuable. To mitigate that effect, find a small wall that can be painted an accent color.

Some good locations might be the entry way (to make a good first impression), the back wall of the kitchen, the back wall of the dining or living room, or a wall that edges the stairs.

For even greater intrigue, you can use a sea sponge to create the popular sponge-painting effect. This is best done in the space between the kitchen cabinets and the counter tops. If you really want to save money, check out the clearance tables in home improvement stores’ paint sections. When paint is mixed incorrectly, it is marked down up to 90% off the original price. Just be sure you will have enough paint as this mistake color cannot be replicated.

2. Exchange Mirrors

Bathrooms are an ideal place to make your home look more valuable. When people see beautiful bathroom spaces, the home looks unique and more expensive. For this effect, remove any plain mirrors. Mirrors with no or small frames look cheap to your potential buyers. Go out, shop the sales, and look for more ornately framed pieces.

Of course, some of these can be costly, but if you’re a savvy shopper, you will be able to get them for a good price. Or, if you’re particularly crafty, you can take your old, frameless mirrors and visit a craft store for a cheap, beautiful frame and simply put the pieces together.

3. Update Your Lighting Fixtures

Nothing says “valuable” like a chandelier. While some chandeliers can cost a pretty penny, you can also find inexpensive chandeliers that make your home look great on a budget. You may also want to consider purchasing accent lights for areas like the kitchen, entryway, and dining area. Colorful blown glass lights are a great option for the smaller spaces.

Again, you should be shopping the sales. Don’t go straight into a high-end store with no coupon. If you want to increase the value of your home without breaking the bank, perusing the clearance and sale items is key.

In actuality, value-increasing home improvements do not have to be expensive. The goal is to make your home look clean, unique, classy, and lived in. For added effects, you can have cookies baking in the oven whenever your house is shown or keep a bowl of fruit on the counter. Little details that tell potential buyers that this house could feel like home can only help. So add color, make your bathrooms more elegant, and wow them with your lighting fixtures. You’ll have a satisfactory sale in no time.

Paul Denikin began learning the ins and outs of DIY home repair while making his home better fit and more accessible for his daughter, Maggie, who has special needs. Paul wants to continue to help special needs parents like himself, and offer them a source for ideas. And that’s why he created DadKnowsDIY.com, a website that offers home improvement project how-tos and other accessibility information. When Paul isn’t being handy around the house, he likes to take Maggie to the movies on the weekends.