We can’t all live in a mansion with picturesque waterfront views, but there are plenty of things you can do to make your home more appealing. It’s all about the little details, knowing what buyers are looking for and what they don’t care about. Whether you’ve already listed your house or you’ve just started researching the market, there’s plenty you can do to tempt potential buyers.

Planning to list your home for sale? Is your house already on the market but you’re not getting any bites? That could be because it lacks character and needs something to make it stand out to potential buyers and piques their interest.

Read on to learn how to take a house from “so-so” to “sensational” by adding a little character.

1. Choose Bold Paint

Plain white walls are fine if you want to bore potential buyers to death. Instead, spark a bidding war by using some bold colors. Add an accent wall in the living room or bedroom, choosing a color that stands out, like emerald or maroon. Paint your front door an eye-catching color, such as plum, navy blue or pineapple yellow. Bring light into your kitchen with something cheerful and bright, like yellow gold or turquoise. Don’t be afraid to mix and match cohesive colors and show off your home’s personality.

2. Upgrade Your Lighting

Lighting is meant to brighten your rooms and make them seem larger. Often, however, what comes preinstalled doesn’t get the job done. If you’re ready to add character to your home and make it sell quick, upgrade light fixtures. Choose fixtures that adequately light up rooms. An interesting design or shape can add a new focal point to an otherwise boring place, perfect in areas such as hallways, kitchens and bathrooms. Even if you’re on a budget, you can find plenty of exceptional lighting options at flea markets and vintage stores.

3. Add Some Trim

Add trim to your interior as an easy way to incorporate a sense of completion into your home. It’s not meant to capture attention, but it will tie everything together in a way that makes sense. Use simple baseboards at the bottom of the walls to protect paint and hide the seam at the floor. Add dimension to any room with textured wainscoting, which reaches one-third of the way up the wall. Spruce up ceilings with a decorative crown molding. You can also add full casings around windows and doors to make any room feel whole.

4. Find Vintage Hardware

Take a look at your home’s hardware. Is it plain and boring, something that fades into the background never to be seen again? Give potential buyers something to look at with vintage pieces that make a statement. Look at resale and antique shops for inexpensive items to replace your commercial-grade stuff. Find doorknobs that match your home’s decor and capture attention. Use decorative hinges to add the perfect finishing touch, or spruce up the cupboards in your kitchen with unique knobs and hooks.

5. Use More Granite

Granite offers a classic, warm look that makes it easy for potential buyers to imagine themselves at home. Replace counters in the kitchen with granite that’s resistant to stains, scratching, and hot surfaces. Perfect for the kitchen or bathroom, granite is ideal because cookware or curling irons won’t burn it. Plus, it will match almost any color scheme. Granite is also an easy way to turn a boring bathroom into a cozy nook and is available in natural tones like blacks, browns, creams and greens.

6. Build a Fireplace

A fireplace is a simple way to add a touch of coziness and character to your home before selling. Buyers will love fantasizing about curling up in front of the flames on cold winter nights, clutching a cup of hot cocoa. Even if you build a faux fireplace just for looks, it can offer a gorgeous focal point for any room. Creating a fake fireplace is as easy as finding or building a mantel, which is then affixed directly to your wall. You can also add logs and fireplace accessories to bring the scene to life.

Don’t wait for buyers to make the first move. Bring them to you by making simple improvements that will add a little excitement to your home’s design. From upgrading light fixtures to playing with paint colors, there are plenty of projects you can start today to see benefits tomorrow.More:CountertopsIdeas & InspirationInterior Design & DecoratingKitchensLighting & ElectricalMovingPaintingReal EstateSelling A HomeSpaces

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Kacey Bradley is the lifestyle and travel blogger for The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. Along with writing for her blog, she frequently writes for sites like US Travel News, Thought Catalog, Style Me Pretty, Tripping.com and more! Follow Kacey on Twitter @kacey_mya and subscribe to her blog (driftercollective.com) to keep up with her travels and inspiring posts!