If your house has been on the market for some time without any buyers making an offer, you might feel somewhat despondent. The property market is still struggling to recover from the global economic downturn and experts are generally quite conservative with growth and sales activity forecasts for the year, which is probably a bit demoralising.If you desperately need to sell your house within a certain timeframe, you could consider lowering the price of your property for sale. However, another way of improving your chances of selling is to renovate your house. Home renovation does not have to cost you an arm and a leg – you could easily repair some basic areas in your house yourself. You should however only pursue renovation projects if you are confident that you would be able to recover the money spent when selling the house.The easiest way of improving your home’s appearance is to paint it. Where exterior walls are concerned, neutral paint colours tend to work better. Bold colours can be a great move, but it will most likely worsen your chances of selling the house. Also remember that paint sample cards are rarely exactly the same colour as the actual paint after it has dried. Names can also be misleading – basic beige might turn out to be more of a light sunshine than a neutral background. Buy a small tin of paint and test it on one of the exterior walls in your backyard. The same rule is applicable for interior painting – avoid disappointments by testing a paint sample on an interior wall. Move all furniture to another room and put newspapers on the floor to prevent spills on carpets or tiles. There are numerous kinds of paint – ask your local hardware store for detailed advice. Water based paint will usually dry faster than oil-based paint but the latter is more durable and have a longer life span. While it is possible to use water based paint over oil based paint, do not use this method if you have any other options. You will save yourself a lot of time as you will be able to sidestep a great deal of prep work. If there are any cracks in the wall, this need to be cleaned and repaired with filler – a single layer of paint won’t be able to hide shortcomings in the construction for long. Experienced painters will also tell you that primer is an excellent way of ensuring that your paint looks new for a longer period of time. One coat of primer in the same colour as your paint will provide a good base for painting and will also keep other painting problems like cracks and peels at bay. Use painters tape where the wall meets the ceiling and floor to prevent paint stains. If the idea of a DIY paint project leaves you cold, consider some small improvements. Security is often a key consideration for potential home owners. Take a critical look at your property for sale – where are the “weak spots”? DIY burglar gates are available at most hardware stores and can be installed without a great amount of fuss. You could also consider installing an electric motor for your security gate or garage door.