Maybe you’re planning on selling your home soon, or perhaps you’re just looking to beautify your living space. In any case, you want to make some changes around your house to spruce things up without breaking the bank.

To help you out, we consulted a top real estate agent on which budget upgrades add the most value to your home. Here are the best home improvements for under $500:

Choose which projects you want to tackle based on the needs of your home

With so many budget-friendly home improvement options out there, it can be tricky to figure out which ones will actually boost your home’s value and make it more appealing to buyers when it’s time to sell.

John Thomas Sinclair, a leading real estate agent in Coeur d’Alene, ID, with over two decades of experience, tells us that the best choice comes down to the unique characteristics of your individual property.

“The most impactful project depends on the condition of your house. If it’s super dark, we’ll go with getting the lighting right. It’s totally dependent on the situation we’re walking into. As a real estate agent, I’d look for how we could spend the available budget to make the biggest impact and weigh the cost against the impact on value.”

That’s why there’s no magic, one-size-fits-all formula for home upgrades. What works wonders in one house might barely register in another. The real trick is zeroing in on the problem areas first, as addressing these issues will give you the biggest bang for your buck. Even tiny fixes can totally shift how buyers feel when they walk through your space.

At the end of the day, the best under-$500 upgrades are the ones that prioritize impact over just making things look pretty.