You don’t need to spend a fortune to increase the value of your home. Improving the curb appeal of a home can boost its value by as much as 17 percent, according to Texas Tech University researchers Emmett Elam and Andrea Stigarall. HomeSmart real estate agents Kim Panozzo and Aladin Abdin concur that people buy from the curb. They’ve shared their top five tips to hook prospective buyers from the curb so you can get the most out of your sale:

Brighten up the front door area 

Many people neglect the front door area and this is an important component to a potential buyer’s first impression, according to Abdin. He recommends fresh paint or varnish on the door, coupled with some colorful, inexpensive plants to help increase curb appeal. Panozzo says, “You can tell a lot about a house when you walk up to the front door.” She adds that buying a nice new doormat is a simple and inexpensive way to improve the overall look of the front door area.

Paint your home’s exterior 

Because of Arizona’s extreme desert climate, Panozzo says that owners of stucco homes should fill the cracks in the stucco and repaint every 7-10 years to ensure that their homes look appealing from the curb.

Spruce up your landscaping 

By spending as little as $200-$500 on yard maintenance, you can greatly increase a home’s curb appeal, according to Abdin. He recommends removing weeds and any dead vegetation and sprucing up the landscaping by adding fresh rocks and colorful plants.

Follow the “less is more” principle  

Abdin recommends that homeowners use the “less is more” principle. “It’s kind of like selling your car,” he says, “You want to make it look as clean and presentable as possible.” He recommends that homeowners declutter their homes, restage furniture and “make the house as light and bright and neutral as possible.”

Your neighbor’s curb appeal is just as important as yours 

Panozzo shared an example of a house that was on the market for a while, but it hadn’t sold because the neighboring home’s poor landscaping affected potential buyers’ first impressions. She said that for about $400 she was able to convince the neighboring home’s owner to hire a landscaper to come in and clean up the yard. Less than a week later, the house was sold. “They’re not just buying a house, they’re buying the neighborhood,” Panozzo says.