NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
How can you boost your home's appeal inside & out if you haven't got a lot of dough? If you're selling your home, changing the way it looks can change how much you'll get for it -- or how fast it will sell.
Here are 5 Tips to help you get the job done on a dime.
1. Take out the emotion.
Once you decide to put your home on the market, Blanche O'Connell of William Pitt real estate says it's best to no longer think of this as "your home" but rather as a commodity.
You'll want to make the most you can of this commodity. Looking at your home from this perspective, will help you keep a fresh eye on it as you take measures to boost its appeal to potential buyers.
2. Tidy up outside.
Make sure the outside of your home looks clean and neat so prospective buyers will be excited to see the inside. If your lawn and yard look sloppy, people will assume you're sloppy caring for the inside of your house too.
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 CNNfn's Gerri Willis shares five tips on how to enhance your home's curb appeal.
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Roll up old hoses, pull garbage cans inside and store gardening equipment neatly. Trim hedges that are overgrown and remove any obvious weeds in your planting beds. You may also want to buy a couple pots of flowers. They're not expensive and they can really make your home look cheerful and inviting.
3. Shake it up.
Often when you've lived in a house for a while, you become less aware of potential eyesores that objective buyers might see. If the inner workings of your home are visible (like the ac unit, gas tanks, vent pipes), you may want to cover them up. If you're not a handy builder, consider planting strategically placed bushes or shrubs to hide the guts of your home.
4. Neutralize your home.
If you've got brightly colored interior walls, you may want to paint them a more neutral tone. Potential buyers will want to see a blank slate, not your passion for avocado green walls and brown shag carpeting.
5. Depersonalize the space.
If there are family pictures and mementos hanging around, you may want to pack them up while your home is being shown to new buyers. They'll want to picture their family in the house, not yours.
Gerri Willis is a personal finance editor for CNN Business News. Willis also hosts CNNfn's Open House, weekdays from Noon to 12:30 p.m. (ET). E-mail comments to 5tips@cnn.com.
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