Real estate brokers say these small things make houses look much better

Extra-clean grout in the same color is a must, so Whitten suggests a tile grout cleaner. This battery-operated power scrubber is the easiest grout cleaner option because it spins around 60 times per second to take care of stains, mold, and grimy spots — no elbow grease on your part is needed. It’s also water-resistant, so you can rinse the grout as you clean with this lightweight and super-precise scrub brush.

Glen Whitten, a broker and realtor at Ohio Property Group, LLC, recommends grabbing a doormat, and this durable mat is such a trendy option. The fade-resistant PVC is durable enough to stick it outside of your front door. The adorable white lettering comes in several styles, and it not only makes your porch or entryway inviting, but it’s embossed so it won’t get scuffed or start to peel when you step on it. It hides dirt, and you can even wash off any mud stains on this non-slip mat.

“The best way to make your house look better is to declutter,” explains Rashard Alomari, the founder and CEO of real estate business Fair Cash Deal. When it comes to your bedroom or closet clutter, these under-bed storage bags give you the perfect place for things. Even if you stuff a bunch of different blankets, towels, and clothes in them, the clear top lets you quickly see everything you packed away. They’re also tear-proof, so you can pull them out all the time without worrying about rips.

To go with those matching towels, Whitten suggests grabbing an updated shower curtain, and this waffle weave option is so trendy. It has plenty of texture, but the solid color keeps your bathroom looking crisp and minimalist. This machine-washable curtain also repels water, so it won’t look damp after every shower.

Catherine Mack, co-owner at House Buyer Network, suggests a quick bedding swap to elevate your home. “If you've stayed in a top end hotel you'll notice their bed linen is always white and has a crisp feel. Replacing colorful or tired linen with fresh white will instantly make your bedrooms feel more expensive,” she says.

This sheet set is the perfect choice, because the fade-resistant design means they’ll look keep that new, crisp look for a seriously long time. They’re also breathable, so you can leave them on all year without worrying about these hotel-like sheets feeling stuffy. Plus, this soft microfiber set is machine-washable, so they’re easy to care for.

Blonde also recommends fixing up your front porch or patio. “Sweep and pick up debris. Wipe down any furniture, mailbox and light fixtures,” she says. To avoid a super gross process when you wipe down your outdoor furniture, reach for this mildew stain remover. Spritz it on whatever furniture is a bit grimy, and you won’t have to spend a bunch of time scrubbing. It even works on your trendy upholstered outdoor sofa, and it protects everything from getting coated mold again.

“If you’ve ever walked in a historic part of town they often have one decoration in common all year round. A door wreath,” Ron Leffler, a Virginia real estate broker tells Mic. “The perfect front door wreath catches the eye and enhances the building behind it.” So, reach for this budget-friendly wreath that’s covered in delicate and trendy faux eucalyptus branches. It has a plastic hoop on the back to keep its shape — even if you leave it on your door for every season.

If you’re thinking of tossing a scratched-up table or doing something even more expensive like replacing cabinets or a hardwood floor, Whitten recommends touch-up furniture markers. Not only does this repair set give you a six common colors of furniture markers, but it also comes with matching wax sticks (and a sharpener) if your wood has an extra-deep scratch.

Mack also suggests grabbing easy-to-setup solar lights to quickly elevate your garden or the path to your front door. “First impressions count and can give a wow factor. Lighting up your pathway and focal points in your garden make your home inviting and improve security,” she notes.

This solar-powered set comes with six weather-resistant lights to line your entire patio. They automatically turn on at dusk, so you won’t have to think about them at sunset every day. With this set, you also won’t need to hide a bunch of wires under flowers or bushes. When it comes to setting these lights up, Mack recommends you “set them out in the day and then adjust them after dark to get the look you're aiming for.”

Michael Kelczewski, a realtor and broker with Kurfiss Sotheby's International Realty, says, “I like to add scented candles to listings. Aside from the aesthetics, the scent prime and potentially influence a prospective buyer.”

This candle scented with eucalyptus and orange offers that refreshing calm that you want in your space, along with underlying scent notes of clary sage and musky white patchouli. The sleek gold jar is its own decoration on a coffee table or shelf. “This candle is one of my all-time favorites,” one reviewer raved. “The scent is simple yet calming and alluring.”

“Investing in a lamp can make a big difference when it comes to making homes look better,” explains Carter Crowley, a co-owner, licensed realtor & senior acquisition manager for CB Home Solutions. “Lamps provide adequate lighting. But the best part about them is that they can even give off the illusion of creating a space that looks bigger. If your house is painted in neutral colors, then buy a lamp with a warm yellow light. It will blend well with the entire theme, and potential buyers will fall in love with the house.”

With this LED floor lamp with timer settings, you can elevate your lighting without splurging on a side table. The slim, modern design also works wherever you need it to. It’s also perfect for cozy spaces, like the bedroom, because you can easily change the warmth of the LED with the included remote for a relaxing glow.

Whitten also suggests putting up a wall light, so your front door also looks welcoming at night. This one lets you use whatever outdoor bulbs are your go-to, and you can choose between a matte black, rust patina, or silver finish to match any front door. It also has a water-resistant seal, so you can even have a welcoming light on a rainy night.

Dan Belcher, real estate broker and the founder/CEO at Mortgage Relief recommends adding a decorative plaque to add some curb appeal. “Since it is the first thing that people see when they walk by your house, it adds to the overall appeal of your house without breaking the bank,” he says.

This easy-to-customize plaque is made of durable metal and coated with a layer of rust-proof black paint. On either side is a screw hole for installation, and the plaque comes with two screws. With a sleek, modern design, it’ll look good on all types of outdoor siding, brick, or even stone.

“Surprisingly, swapping your door handles makes a huge difference,” Mack explains. “Whether it's vintage or modern, handles are the first item to swap out.” Grab this set of glass door knobs to add elevated vintage accents all over your home. Each one sports a brass base with an intricate, fluted glass design on the knob that looks vintage for a budget-friendly price. These dainty door knobs also come with hardware that’s easy to install and super durable.

“Pots, whether vintage or modern, spruce up your entry. Place five or six in various sizes with plants outside your front door,” Mack says. This durable plastic plant pot set comes with two sizes to quickly start your front-door foliage collection. They have four built-in drainage holes to make your entryway plants even easier to take care of. These pots are also finished with a trendy and speckled stone-like texture.

As for what plants to add to your new front door setup? “Lemon trees are perfect for entryways, not only do they have fragrant blossoms and bear fruit, they're are lucky as well,” Mack notes.

“Wallpaper isn't just for walls, and when it's put on a single piece of furniture rather than an entire room, it poses far less of a concern. A simple method to completely transform a room's appearance is to line the interior of a small cabinet, the drawers of a dresser, or the backs of bookshelves,” says Ron Wysocarski, a broker and the CEO of Wyse Home Team Realty.

This geometric option is such a trendy choice that can make worn furniture turn from an eyesore to a centerpiece. The peel-and stick-design makes it a super quick process to transform cabinets, shelves, or whatever else you want to refinish. It’s also completely waterproof, so it will even work for kitchen or bathroom drawers. It’s also trimmable for small utensil drawers, and it won’t leave any stickiness behind.

When it comes to decor pieces you’re tired of, Wysocarski suggests using gold leaf. “The addition of gold leafing may instantly update an item and give the area a posh atmosphere, whether it is applied to a living room furniture or an old lampshade,” he says.

This pack of gold leaf sheets makes it easy to add that metallic finish to a plain vase or a forgotten bowl. Not only will they add a bit of shine to a vase that feels a bit boring, but they also create a chic texture. This bulk set comes with silver, gold, and rose gold to match your other decor pieces.

Whitten also suggests adding house numbers next to the front door, and these modern matte black options create such a sleek entrance. Even with the floating design, these numbers are easy to put up with the included screws and handy template. Made from stainless steel, they’re rust-resistant if your front door isn’t covered, and these durable numbers can handle storms or bad weather.

To go with your new front door light, Whitten recommends refreshing the paint on your door for a quick and easy upgrade. This jar of paint is specifically made for your front door, so you won’t need to look around for one that’s durable enough to handle weather. It comes in 16 trendy shades including red, black, and bright blue and has a fade-resistant formula that even works on metal, so you can avoid repainting your door all the time.

Whitten also recommends matching kitchen and bathroom towels, and with this six-piece set of the latter, you’ll won’t have grimy or mismatched towels and hand towels hanging up in the bathroom. This absorbent set is also made of machine-washable Turkish cotton, so it’s super easy to refresh all of your matching towels with your other laundry.

“For [decluttering] to work, you don’t even have to be a minimalist,” notes Alomari. “All you need to do is find a place for every item in a room, and your house will look tidy.” This faux leather storage ottoman is the easiest spot to tuck things, and it blends right into your living room. It’s 12 inches wide and deep, and 13 inches tall, so there’s plenty of storage space. It’s also waterproof if you want to pop a tray on this collapsible ottoman and use it as a drink spot.

According to Alomari, you should grab some flowers and plants for around your home. “You don’t have to spend a fortune on them. Instead, go for the cheaper options that will similarly help you make your house look better,” he says. “The addition of plants will bring the place to life and add a little bit of zen to it.”

These flower seed packets are a go-to because they’re super budget-friendly, and you won’t get stuck with a sad plant that wasn’t taken care of in the mail. It comes with a bunch of different heirloom flower seeds, and they’re all individually wrapped. Of course, there are also instructions to ensure your home is filled with flowers without a ton of effort.

Daniel Cabrera, a real estate agent, contractor, and founder of Sell My House Fast San Antonio, suggests grabbing some curtain lights. “You can buy LED window curtain string lights to help elevate the appeal of your home,” he says. “If you love hosting parties, things can’t get better than this upgrade.”

The best part about this LED set is that they do more than just twinkle behind your curtains because they have eight lighting modes. There are also eight colors to choose from as well as eight different modes (twinkling, sequential, slow fade, etc.) and a remote to change them throughout the night as the vibe shifts. Each strand is completely waterproof if you want to use them for a backyard dinner party, making these a multipurpose must-have.

“One of my favorite budget-friendly ways to spruce up a home is by adding fresh flowers or plants,” says Jacob Brenyo, a licensed real estate agent with awning.com. Not only is this little succulent completely real, but it also has a trailing vine-like look that’s perfect for windowsills and bookshelves, but if this isn’t your taster, there are over a dozen other succulent styles available. It’s already planted in a pot with soil, so you pretty much won’t have to do anything except style this succulent with your home decor.

“New throw pillows or blankets can add a pop of color and texture to a room,” Brenyo notes. This fluffy sherpa blanket is the easiest way to set the cozy vibe. I mean, it even has matching poofs trimming this blanket instead of classic tassels. Plus, you won’t end up with a bunch of fluff and lint all over your sofa when you wash this extra-fuzzy blanket.

As for those throw pillows that Brenyo recommends, these velvet throw pillows are the ones to reach for. They’ll stand out from all of your usual throw pillows with their unique shape, velvet feel, and pleated details that add texture to your sofa or bedding. Even with the chic design, these pillows are still soft and plush enough to be just as comfy as classic throw pillows.

“Adding a new area rug can transform the look of a room and add warmth and texture,” Brenyo says. This patterned area rug adds a bunch of warmth to your home because it has shades of brown that are a classic (and a contrast to any gray walls). As for texture, it’s super soft and has plenty of fluffiness to go with your favorite throw blanket — but it’s not too thick.

Eli Pasternak, the owner of Liberty House Buying Group and a full-time licensed realtor and home remodeler, recommends refreshing your walls. “Fresh-painted walls can increase the value of any home,” he says. “This budget-friendly DIY activity can cost you less than $50. All you need is paint and the will to do the work.”

This paint is such a go-to because it has an all-in-one formula, so it’s basically the only painting supply you’ll have to buy (other than a brush, of course). This 32-ounce can lets you avoid priming, adding a top coat, or even pulling out that time-consuming sandpaper.

“From paintings and prints to tapestries and wall hangings, adding artwork to your walls can instantly make the space look more inviting. Hang pieces that reflect your personality or choose abstract designs for a modern touch,” says Alex Capozzolo, the co-founder of SD House Guys and a licensed realtor in California.

If you’re going for abstract, this set of four abstract prints makes it easy to style and coordinate an entire wall. Each one goes together, so you can stick them all over your home (or even on one wall together) without any of them looking out of place. To make fixing up your walls even easier, this set comes framed.

“Mirrors are great for reflecting light and giving a room an airy feel,” Capozzolo explains. So, go for this oversized mirror with a shape that’s versatile enough for your entryway or even that blank wall in your living room. It has a matching gold-tone chain on top to easily hang it wherever you need something on the wall, but you already have way too many art prints.

As for how to style it, he says, “Hang one large mirror to give the illusion of more space or add several smaller mirrors on different walls to create interest.”

Bill Samuel, a full-time residential real estate developer that specializes in rehabbing houses and reselling/renting them in the Chicago area, suggests fixing up the hardware around your home. “Some of the most common reasons a home will look cheap is the hardware, fixtures, and outlet/switch covers are older throughout the space,” he says. “Swapping out this hardware for newer modern looking hardware will give your living area a more modern and custom appearance.”

This chrome-finish set is perfect for this hardware-swapping project because it has such a sleek design. Each one has a geometric and super thin shape that looks nice and modern on your kitchen cabinets. They’re also a perfect shape for drawer pulls, and this set even comes with everything needed for installation.

“Older outlets that are almond colored or painted over can make your living room look cheap as well,” Samuel says. “Make sure your outlets/switches/covers are paint free and bright white to give your living room space a clean finished look.”

This set of outlet plates gives you that bright white look and enough covers to swap out up to 10 of those retro cream-colored ones at a time. They’re completely heat- and fade-resistant, so all of your outlets will stay perfectly clean. It even comes with matching white screws, so they won’t stand out on your wall.

“Cheap light fixtures definitely stick out the most when walking through a house so even swapping them out for a more modern looking flush mount fixture (under $20) can be a quick way to upgrade the look of your space,” Samuel says.

This LED light makes it super satisfying to toss that old ceiling light because it looks so modern, and it gives you way more lighting options. It even comes with the coziest nightlight option that illuminates the ceiling with a warm glow. When you’re not using the nightlight, you can also choose from three different settings to control how warm the classic light looks.

Bridget Blonde, a real estate salesperson in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, recommends popping some fresh flowers around your home. “This is a nice touch that brightens up almost any room,” she says. Before you grab some flowers, get this super minimalist vase that’s perfect for whatever blooms stand out to you on your weekly grocery run. The slim shape makes arranging easy because the flowers won’t flop over. It also has a bit of an iridescent finish, so it’ll stand out from all of your other vases.

To finish off your patio or porch, Blonde says, “Replace burned-out lightbulbs. Add a seasonal planter. First impressions matter in this business!” To help out those burned-out lights, swap them out with this set of smart light bulbs. Not only will they brighten up your patio, but they also sync with your music and change colors if you’re hosting a backyard party. You can also turn them off with an app if you forget about the patio lights after the party.