Every seller asks me some version of the same question: how much do I actually need to spend before we list? The honest answer is less than most people fear, but the money you do spend should go to the right places.
Start with the things buyers notice the moment they walk in. Clean is the cheapest and most powerful thing you can do. A deep clean, clear counters, and windows that actually let the light in will do more than most renovations.
Paint is usually worth it. Fresh, neutral walls make a room feel cared for and larger, and it costs far less than the return in how the place shows. If a room is a bold or unusual colour, that's the first place I'd put a brush.
Small repairs are worth it too. The dripping faucet, the door that sticks, the burnt-out bulb, the cracked switch plate. On their own they're nothing, but together they tell a buyer the home hasn't been kept up. Fixing them is quiet money well spent.
Decluttering costs almost nothing and matters more than nearly anything else. Empty space photographs well and lets people imagine their own life in the rooms.
Now for what usually isn't worth it. Big renovations right before a sale rarely pay you back the way you hope. New kitchens and full bathroom remodels are expensive, and buyers often have their own taste anyway. You're better off pricing that in than gambling on it.
I'd also skip the trendy, personal upgrades and anything you can't finish properly. A half-done project reads worse than an honest, untouched one.
The simplest way to think about it: spend on clean, bright, and working. Go easy on anything that's really about someone else's preferences. When I walk through a home with a seller, this is exactly the conversation we have, room by room, so the money goes where it counts.