Thinking of listing your home for sale this year? If so, you probably already know that competition for motivated, qualified buyers is fierce. You want to attract the best buyers in the shortest amount of time when your home is for sale. Everyone does.

That’s why you’ve got to make your home a stand-out — but you don’t have to break the bank to do it! A few simple improvements and updates will make all the difference in your home and the price you sell it for.

Enhance your Curb Appeal

As you are getting ready to put your home on the market, take a walk around the perimeter. Drive up in your car like a visitor to your home and take a hard look through their eyes. Think basics. What would prospective buyers and realtors see when the drive by?

You only have one chance to make a great first impression on buyers: They won’t go in and look at the rest of your beautiful home if they don’t like what they see on the outside.

Many simple and affordable improvements can be made to the exterior of your home before you move on to major outside operations.  First, get everything sparkling clean — from your windows to your garage doors — with soap and water. If you are not impressed with its sparkling beauty, you may have to consult a professional.

Everything from power-washers to air-compressors to earth-movers can be rented on your cell phone or laptop. Remember, a substantial facelift to your property will add to the value of your home and will attract high-end buyers.

Take Time to Smell the Flowers

Give your landscaping a boost with edging, mulch, gravel or extra flowers. Nothing does more than landscaping to draw a buyer into a home. You want to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to spiffing up your yard, so keep it simple: clean, attended to and inviting.

Keep Looking Up

Make sure gutters are clean and replace any that are damaged or missing. This can usually be done inexpensively, even if you hire someone else. Unless your home is the Taj Mahal, professional gutter installation will only cost you hundreds of dollars — not thousands.

Speaking of thousands of dollars, if your roof is more than 15 or 20 years old you should get it inspected and have the report at the ready for prospective buyers. If the report is not good or if you already have leaking or structural issues with your roof, you need to seriously consider replacing it.

No matter how much they like your new kitchen or bathroom, buyers won’t overlook a leaky roof: The home will take longer to sell and fetch a lower price when it does.

Get Back to Basics

You don’t want to spend a great deal of money on a home you are about to leave. You’d like to only invest money that will come back to you when the home is sold. The best way to do that is by taking care of basic maintenance issues first.

Buyers want to first be assured that the heating and air conditioning work and that the roof and walls are not going to crumble or leak, so invest in those items before you start remodeling or doing any large-scale redecorating. Major structural or electrical issues will be directly reflected in the price of your home — fix those things before you begin.

Remember What’s Important

You are trying to market and sell your home — you’re not auditioning for an episode of Cribs.

You want your home to be inviting at first glance and appealing at the second one. Don’t drop a fortune on new kitchen appliances if your basement is flooding. Don’t add on a bedroom or bath if there are structural issues to deal with. You are much less likely to get a positive return on your investment in a kitchen or bathroom remodel than you will by putting your money into basic home maintenance.

Make your home functional before you make it fashionable. You can attract the best buyers and get the best price without a ton of money or work: Fix what needs fixing and spiff up the rest. You only need to invest a little effort and insight to give your house the look that sells at the best possible price.