Tips that will help sell your home, giving your property an immediate face-lift, increasing its sale price and helping you achieve a faster sale
You may have tried some of this advice yourself in the past, some tips may be new to you, either way we believe that the cost of following them through is insignificant compared with both the value you’ll add and the interest you’ll produce. You may need to spend some time carrying them out and you can hire a local handyman to help you with some of the work, we will be pleased to introduce you to the people who work for us doing similar work on rented properties. Just make sure you’ve taken care of everything before you ask us to put the FOR SALE sign up.
Tidy Up!
Still have unopened boxes in the loft or garage from your last move? Perhaps its time for a clear out! A few trips to the local tip may be in order, or if there’s a mountain of stuff you want to be rid of, hire a skip and fill it up before the neighbours do! Use the opportunity to dispose of any unwanted and unused furniture, appliances and odds and ends you've been saving in the hope that they might come in useful. If you haven’t used something for five years perhaps it’s time to wave it goodbye.
You can hold a garage sale, take a load of stuff to a car boot sale or even sell items on eBay. Whatever you have left after this can be donated to the local charity shop or take it to the local dump.
Weed out every cupboard and drawer ruthlessly and don’t turn a blind eye to your garage and garden shed if you have them.
Only keep the items you use regularly, if you do, your home will look organised and inviting, and when you finally come to move, you’ll save time organising and packing and with the costs or removal.
First Impressions Are Important
Start at the front of your property or if you have a flat or apartment, at the common parts.
With a house, start from the street. Check that your property name or number be read from the street so that buyers can easily find you. Repair fences, trim hedges and make sure the front gate works. Weed paths and driveways and power wash concrete and stone to a bright as-new finish. Spend some time tidying and weeding the garden and throw out any dead plants in borders. Mow the lawn and trim weekly during the growing season, in the autumn rake and bag leaves. Add an instant spot of colour by visiting your local garden centre and investing in some bedding plants.
If it’s possible hide unsightly bins away. If they can’t be hidden make sure they are clean on the outside and not smelly on the inside. While it may be eco-friendly, crates of empty bottles and paper for recycling look untidy. Like the bins, hide these away while you’re selling. Newspapers will be useful for packing when you move, so hoard them out of eyes way!
If you have a flat or apartment, take the time to sweep and polish floors and vacuum carpets in common parts. Change burnt-out light bulbs and consider using a higher wattage bulb to make the space more attractive and brighter. Clean windows both inside and, if you have access, out. Make sure that any entry phone is clearly marked with your name and/or flat number so that prospective buyers can find you.
Roofs & Windows
Damaged gutters and loose tiles will jump out at prospective buyers. So clean and repair broken gutters and loose soffit boards. Repair loose tiles and flashing, especially when they are visible from the ground.
Replace cracked windowpanes, clean windows yourself or find a window cleaner.
Inside Cleaning & Maintenance
Give your home a good spring-clean. If you’re too busy, hire a professional to do it for you; they will probably also be able to provide a carpet cleaning service.
Make a list of any maintenance tasks you may have been putting off and take care of them yourself, or get an odd-job man to take care of them for you.
Rattles, squeaks and leaks give the impression that your property may need a lot of work doing to it and reduce the offer price, so get rid of them! Open doors and windows and check and oil squeaky hinges; tighten loose doorknobs. Repair dripping taps and noisy cisterns.
A fresh coat of paint can transform a room and add value to the property. Just take care of the rooms that need it most. It’s best to use light, neutral colours; dark colours tend to turn-off buyers, white or off-white walls make rooms look bigger as do bright lights. It may be worth using higher wattage bulbs.
Make Rooms Look Larger & More Inviting
Do you have too much furniture and clutter in each room making it look crowded? Buyers like space and the removal of a few items of furniture and general clutter will visually enlarge a room. Take some tips from a property developers show home where it is easy to walk around furniture and through rooms.
If you have lots of paintings on walls it might be a good idea to remove a few of them as long as doing so doesn’t leave marks on walls. If you have shelves overloaded with books, photo’s or trinkets take time to tidy them up and put some away until you move. In fact now might be a good time to start packing a few boxes for your move. Rent a storage area if needed, or use the garage, if you have one.
Tidy up extension cords and cables. If you can, remove posters from teenager’s rooms and decorate in a more neutral manner.
The Kitchen
Keep the kitchen clean and free from cooking odours. Clear kitchen surfaces, including windowsills, of any clutter, put away any small appliances you don’t use daily. If your have kitchen cabinets that are glass fronted, make sure interior shelves are tidy.
Clean the oven and grill; polish stainless steel and chrome; repair or clean caulking around the sink and silicon beading between walls and work surfaces. Tidy up pin-boards and fridge magnets.
When you’ve finished put a bowl of fruit or some fresh flowers on display.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms should be kept clean and well aired. Keep toilet lids down, and make sure there is no hair in the sink, bath or shower tray. Wipe shower glass after each use and polish if necessary.
Replace or repair broken tiles on walls, floors or in showers. Don’t leave dirty towels out; put out fresh towels and decorative soap for showings.
Outside
Gardening equipment and hoses should be kept neatly out of sight. Outdoor furniture should be kept clean or put away. Balconies and patios should be swept or pressure-washed.
Last Minute
Make sure beds are made, that there are no dirty dishes in the kitchen or clean ones on draining boards. Potential buyers might call at short notice and your home must look its most attractive.
Final Tip! Get yourself a clutter box. Mail, newspapers and magazines, books and other odds and ends can soon accumulate in your tidy home. Before a viewing you need a clutter box to quickly hide them all away...until your visitors have left.
