Real estate brokers and building contractors have long known one thing: that adding a few special architectural and design details to a basic home can raise the sale value of the home considerably.

Adding landscaping like well-placed trees, shrubs, greenery and flowers around the property offers instant curb appeal to prospective buyers. Inside the house, modern, functional kitchens, multiple bathrooms, and high-quality hardwood flooring adds to the home's attractiveness and its sale price. Even something as simple as adding crown and baseboard molding to the rooms of the home will up the sale price when the owner decides to sell.

A few more tricks of the trade: Reface your outdated kitchen cabinets, or simply repaint them and add new, modern hardware like drawer pulls and door handles. Switch out faucets and handles on your sinks, replacing them with stylish, more upscale fixtures. And of course, repaint white walls, adding color and depth by using a range of fairly neutral tones (choose a muted light green rather than chartreuse, for instance).

It's well known in the real estate industry that well-furnished homes sell better than vacant ones, so take a look at your furniture in terms of its condition and its placement. If your couch is a disaster, think about investing in a good quality, fitted slip cover. Rearrange the furniture, if necessary, both for aesthetics and to provide good traffic flow. Also, pick up any clutter, and banish dirt, dust, and fingerprints from your home.

A relatively small expenditure of money and a few sensible adjustments can add thousands of dollars to the value of your home, and speed up its sale considerably. It's well worth the time and the money.