When you buy a home - or when you’re trying to sell one - you immediately notice all the little things that aren’t quite right.

Whether it’s a scuffed or scraped floor, a sub-par shower or a stinky sink, these small imperfections can seriously affect how much enjoyment you get from your home.

The good news is that most of these “problems” can be easily fixed in 30 minutes or less. Your sense of satisfaction, on the other hand, will last as long as you live in your home. Try them today!

Squeaky Doors

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and that goes double for doors! If you have a noisy door, it can be a nuisance for many people in your house - from the dog that barks every time he hears that metal screech or the sleeping baby whose precious nap is interrupted to your own peace of mind when you get home from a long day at work and want some peace and quiet.

Instead of cringing each time you open the door, simply spray the hinges with a little WD-40. The only sound you’ll hear is your own voice wondering why you didn’t do this sooner.

Stained Tub

A warm bubble bath is a great way to relax and unwind, but a stained tub will put a serious damper on this ritual.

To lift stains and refresh your tub, try this DIY recipe:

• Simply combine equal amounts of cream of tartar and baking soda with enough lemon juice to make a paste.
• Rub the mixture into the stain with your fingers (remember, this is a non-toxic and all-natural concoction!) or a rag.
• Let the paste sit on the stain for a half an hour, then rinse it well with water.

Voila!

Your tub is sparkling, shiny and most of all inviting. All you need now are the bubbles and you’re set!

Scuffed Linoleum

Linoleum is an affordable and attractive flooring solution for kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms. The downside is it’s easily scuffed. To make your linoleum look new again, rub the offending spot with white toothpaste and a dry cloth or using an eraser. You can also try spraying WD-40 on a towel and lightly rubbing the spot. Just make sure to degrease the area afterward with liquid dishwashing soap and water so you don’t slip and fall!

Stinky Garbage Disposal

A garbage disposal is very convenient, but it has the unfortunate habit of taking on the smell of some of the items you toss down it.

To keep your disposal smelling fresh and clean, you can take the following steps:

• First, dump two cups of ice into garbage disposal, turn on the water, and then run the disposal. The ice will dislodge anything stuck to the blades.
• Next, dump half a cup of baking soda into the disposal, chased with a cup of vinegar. This will bubble and foam, clearing out anything the ice didn’t get.
• Finally, toss half a lemon into the garbage disposal and grind it. The acidity will dissolve anything that might be lingering, and the scent of lemon will fill the air.

Ah, much better!

Scraped Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are classic, elegant and beautiful… until they’re not. When you’re buying or selling a house, hardwood floors can be a deal-breaker.

If you want to make sure they move the dial toward yes, it’s important to make them look as good as possible. This means fixing any scuffs, scrapes or gouges in the wood.

If the imperfections are fairly small and mostly cosmetic, you can do this in less than an hour! Simply find a stain that is a very close match to the color of the floor, rub it into the scratch, then polish off the excess once it’s dry.

If the gouge is deeper than a quarter of an inch, you can also try acrylic wood filler. While these fixes require a bit of skill and a good eye, they make a huge difference!

We hope these quick fixes inspire you get your home in tip-top shape this weekend.

For more fun home ideas that might just help you buy or sell a house, follow Network Real Estate on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Neal Johnson is a CMCA, CRB, CNE and GRI-certified, licensed real estate broker at Network Real Estate, which has exclusively served a high volume of property sales and purchases in the greater Wilmington area for more than 30 years. With three offices at College Road, historic downtown Wilmington and Pleasure Island, Network’s brokers are widespread and well-versed in this marketplace, making Network a preferred real estate company for first-time homebuyers and beyond.