When it comes time for realtor Jeff Packer to help clients sell homes in the Detroit area, one of the first things he teaches is how to add curb appeal.

“Just like going out on a first date, you want to look your best and curb appeal is the same thing,”; said Packer of The Packer Group. “If the outside of your house doesn’t look great, potential buyers are going to think the same of the inside.”;

Many homeowners don’t want to invest too much money in a home that soon won’t be theirs, but thankfully there are plenty of ways to improve curb appeal without breaking the bank. We talked to Packer and another expert realtor about four simple and inexpensive projects that will help sell your home in a flash. Keep reading to find out just how easily you can tackle them.

Add Curb Appeal by Landscaping Your Yard

Perhaps the easiest way to add curb appeal to you home is by mowing the lawn, adding mulch or flowers to the yard, and trimming the trees.

“The cheapest thing to do is to make sure the grass is cut and looking good,”; said Packer. “Put fresh mulch in the landscape beds. It can really help a tremendous amount, and it’s inexpensive to purchase. Anyone can do it.”;

If you’re selling your home during the cooler months, consider adding fall-friendly plants and shrubs in place of spring flowers in your yard, Packer added.

“You can even buy potted plants that are already in bloom, if you don’t have time to grow your own,”; he said.

Add Curb Appeal by Painting

Your front door is one of the first things potential homebuyers will see, so make sure it looks perfect by giving it a fresh coat of paint.

“Front doors take a lot of abuse from the weather and can look old quickly,”; said Danni Springfield, a real estate expert in San Antonio. “You want it to look good when the realtor has to open the lockbox, since the buyer is going to be standing there just looking around.”;

Besides adding a fresh coat of paint to your door, you can also buy and hang an inexpensive wreath to match the season.

“A wreath can be a nice, inviting piece in the front entryway,”; said Packer. “We do that with a lot of our clients to give a house a homey feel.”;

Power Wash Your Home’s Exterior

Homes can collect a lot of dust and dirt over the years, so it’s important to clean the outside of your house if you haven’t done so recently.

“Power washing a home can make it sparkle, and it cleans the windows,”; said Packer.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money hiring professionals either.

“You can rent the power washer, hook it up to your hose up and in just a couple hours get rid of the dust that can collect on a house,”; Packer added.

It’s also a great way to get rid of any bird and insect nests that may have collected in your home’s high places over time. Just make sure they’re empty first!

Buy Seasonal Décor for Your House

No matter if you’re selling your home in the summer or winter, there’s some sort of seasonal décor you can add to your home to give it some extra flair.

“Bright furnishings are important, and they don’t need to be expensive or high quality,”; said Springfield. “When you’re selling your home, you’re selling a fantasy of what a buyer can expect when they live there.”;

Adding holiday decorations can take your home the extra mile, especially if you’re selling in the winter, said Packer.

“It gets darker a lot earlier in the winter, and having the front of the house decorated with Christmas lights can really enhance someone’s experience,”; he said. “We sell a lot of real estate in that season, because buying a home is an emotional purchase. Christmas lights can remind buyers of the house they grew up in. The emotional connection to the home and the décor had a lot of do with it.”;

Even if you’re not selling in the winter, there’s plenty of other décor you can add to the front of your home to match the season.

“There’s so many cheap things that people are can do to boost their curb appeal, and many of them are just a weekend’s worth of work,”; said Packer.