Real estate agents will tell you bathrooms can make or break the sale of your house. Prospective buyers will look at your bathroom as though they were in a public restroom if its not clean, functional, and stylish. What you want is the buyer to feel as if they are entering their own home, not a messy public restroom.

I cant tell you how many times Ive gone to a public restroom and turned around and left without using it. Or how unsafe I felt when I did use it after Ive stepped over paper hand towels and other debris on the floor of a public stall. Or Ive gotten to the sink and half the faucets didnt work and pink goop was beneath the soap dispenser. You get the picture.

Here are the absolute, 7 Must Do Bathroom Updates:

1. Probably the most important thing you can do before any updates take place is to scrub the bathroom as if your health depended on it. Use an old toothbrush to clean tile grout, cracks and crevices and around fixtures. Thats what your prospective buyers expect--squeaky clean.

2. If there is a theme wallpaper, remove it. You dont want to limit your prospects to only those who may have your taste. Paint in a neutral tone and rely on accessories that can be removed for added color.

3. If there is no wallpaper and cleaning the walls can not restore them to a satisfactory finish, by all means, paint them. Ditto on the neutral paint.

4. Check all faucets, spigots, shower head, and under sink pipes for leaks.

5. Change faucet washers, if needed, if the fixtures are still in good shape and are not outdated.

6. If faucets and spigots are showing wear or dated, change them.

7. Change shower head and upgrade to something more stylish, such as a rain shower head or a multi-spray nozzle, depending on the value of your home.

The bathroom is the one room used by family, friends, neighbors, and the occasional stranger. People want new bathrooms even in old houses. So, whether your house is modern or vintage, cleanliness can give the appearance of new. Dont discount this. Good hygiene, is at the top of the list of a bathrooms first impression.

The bathroom is also the room that buyers least want to invest in renovating when theyre looking for a new home.

So, follow these suggestions about bathroom updates and you are not only likely to sell your house, but you are more likely to get a full-price offer.