8 Ways To Prepare Your Home For Selling
When the time comes to sell your home, it is important always to consider how you could improve the property and prepare the house for a sale. Taking a few steps could speed up the process of finding a buyer, as well as allow you to negotiate a higher price. Even if a few ways to prepare the home involve spending some money, you could easily recoup this in the sale, and it is highly worth doing to make your property more appealing to prospective buyers. There are many different ways that you could do this, but here are a few of the most effective methods:
Improve Curb Appeal
First impressions count for an awful lot when it comes to houses. With this in mind, improve the curb appeal of your home before putting it on the market. There are many ways that you can do this, including replacing the front door furniture, painting the fence, cleaning the gutter, tidying the front garden and purchasing outdoor lighting.
Declutter
No one wants to buy a house that feels well lived in, so take the time to thoroughly declutter the home before any viewing (also a great way to get cut down on your possessions). It is also wise to de-personalise the property so that a prospective buyer can imagine what they would do with the space and make it feel less lived in.
Consider Fragrance
Smell is an incredibly powerful sense and it will have a huge impact on how somebody feels when they enter the house. It can be difficult to know what your house smells like, but there are always ways to improve the smell including air fresheners, opening the windows, flowers, candles and cleaning. You could even do the age-old real estate agent trick of baking cookies in the oven.
Home Security
Installing home security products from specialists like eurolinksecurity.co.uk will help the buyer to feel like they are purchasing somewhere that is safe, which can be a great way to add value to your home. Have a burglar alarm placed in your home, and show that your home is ready for families or anyone who wants an added layer of security.
Deep Clean
Always give the property a thorough deep clean prior to any viewing, as this will make it much more appealing and help it to feel less lived in. If you don’t have the time or energy to do this yourself, then hire a professional cleaning company to do it for you, and then keep on top of the mess yourself.
Update The Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home, and could easily sway whether or not someone makes the purchase. With this in mind, give the kitchen an upgrade with new cabinets, a new counter top, new taps, etc. Although it may be more costly, making huge changes to your kitchen could be worth it, such as knocking through a wall so that you have a large space, and an open-planned kitchen which is very fashionable and sort-after these days.
Repairs
If there are any minor repairs that need doing, always spend the money to do this before putting the property on the market. It may cost some money (although you may be able to do it yourself), but people will be hesitant to purchase somewhere that they know needs work so always get it done first.
Garden
It is easy to forget about the garden when you spend so much time making the house presentable, however, a well-kept garden and beautiful outside is much appreciated by potential buyers. Mow the lawn, paint the shed, put out garden furniture and generally make it look like a nice space to enjoy on a warm day. For larger changes, you could include a decking area.
photos by Justin Coit
