Ten painting touchups that can help sell your home, courtesy of the Paint Quality Institute:
1. The front door. A fresh coat of paint makes a good first impression.
2. The entrance hall. At the very least, clean every surface and touch up areas where the paint shows marks or nicks. Better yet, give the whole hall a fresh coat of neutral-colored paint.
3. Bathrooms. These rooms get special scrutiny from prospective buyers, so touch up as needed. Put extra effort into the powder room, which many will visit during their tour of your home.
4. The kitchen. Size does matter when it comes to the kitchen. If you want to make yours look bigger, then paint the kitchen white or off-white. At the very least, remove food stains from the walls, and conceal water spots by applying primer followed by touchup paint.
5. Windowsills. Especially if your view is special, prospective buyers will likely spend time gazing out. Sand, prime, and paint the most important sills as needed.
6. Woodwork. Touch up chipped or marred paint on chair rails and floor molding.
7. Areas frequently touched by soiled hands. Those include window frames, door frames, edges of doors, and walls around light switches. Clean them or touch up the paint.
8. Cabinet doors: Scrub clean of fingerprints, or touch up painted areas. Pay special attention to kitchen cabinets, which should be spotless.
9. Ceilings. Water stains from old roof leaks are a red flag for prospective buyers. After making certain that your roof is sound, prime and re-paint these potential deal-breakers.
10. The stuff you might miss. Scrutinize every remaining wall and painted surface, looking for stray flecks of paint, marks and stains. Conceal them with some touchup paint.