You ever watch "Designed to Sell" on HGTV? It's got lots of neat fixin-up advice about that.
Paint everything white.
We're thinking of doing a ceramic tile backsplash all the way from the countertops to the underside of the cabinets. We've had a problem with the puny 4" backsplash, and water getting behind it from being splashed when I'm washing dishes. This will solve that problem, and the problem of splatter when we put the cooktop in the corner.
I watch "Designed to Sell", "Sell This House", "Flip That House", and others. I always learn something from them, even if it is something NOT to do. ;o)