Home Upgrades on a Budget

Tip #8: Replacing carpet is an easy, inexpensive upgrade

If there's anything that discourages potential home buyers, it's crummy carpeting. Zigi and Yusef had stained carpet in various rooms throughout the house. Luckily, carpeting is an easy and budget-friendly fix.

Nate replaces the carpet in every room of the house, including the stairs that had been covered in tile tread, for a total of $506. To make the stairs in the entryway more appealing, he paints the banister white so that it will blend into the room. "Paint and carpet are the most inexpensive things that they can do immediately," Nate says.

Nate says that unless you can professionally steam clean the carpets to eliminate stains, it's best to just replace them. "I don't want to see anybody else's stains," Nate says.