If you have plans to move house in 2023 it might be worth putting your house on the market now as property launched over the festive period can attract high levels of interest. If you want to improve your chances of selling your home there are a few suggestions in our blog post that may help, some are quite obvious and others you might not have thought of.
Little repairs
Have a walk round your home and make a list of any little jobs that need completing such as holes in the wall, broken door handles, leaky taps etc. We would advise that you fix and repair all of these to ensure they do not put off potential buyers.
Clean and fresh
I know it sounds obvious but it will make a difference cleaning everything so that it is pristine. Cats hair on the floor, limescale on the taps, damp towels in the bathrooms in comparison to entering a clean and fresh home will make your home much more appealing.
No bad smells
A house with strong smells can really put prospective buyers off literally as soon as they have walked through the doors. There are a few obvious places in your home that can generate smells, so before you have any buyers walk through the doors take a look round, here are a few places that you may wish to check:
- Kitchen: Strong unpleasant cooking smells that are old (for example after cooking fish), bins that have not been emptied, drains that are not clean, washing that has not been washed or dried correctly, dishwashers that have not been turned on or emptied.
- Bedrooms: Do you have bedding that has been used for some time and not clean and fresh, are there dirty clothes in your laundry basket, old shoes especially trainers with bad odours.
- Do you have any furniture that is old and embedded with fusty stale smells that can be removed or disposed of.
- Non smokers can easily be put off going into a home of a smokers. Make sure you open windows and either use an air purifier or perhaps try bicarbonate soda or vinegar to help take away stale cigarette smells, but do bear in mind it could take a few days to do this, so you make need to smoke outside until you can get rid of the smell!
- Pet owners: If you have pets make sure litter trays are clean, there is no strong smelling food in bowls, and remove smelly animal beds that are full of hair and pungent.
Once you have implemented the above why not ask a close friend to pop round and see if they can still smell anything, you can then locate the issue if there is one. Once you have rectified any bad odours it is time to think about some good aromas that people like that you can plan for during viewings, for example fresh coffee, baked fresh bread (you can buy the part baked loaves rather than doing from scratch), baked cakes, fresh linen and flowers.
Declutter
If you have lots of ornaments, piles of clothes, no spare work surface space in the kitchen, magazines and books everywhere, toys in every room then it might not only be time to tidy up but also declutter. It does not mean you need to get rid of everything, instead you need to be able to showcase your home so that potential buyers can see how the rooms will work for them. This even includes how the rooms are laid out, if you have a bulky piece of furniture that takes up half the room then perhaps you could temporarily put it in storage and replace with something that will showcase the space better. Make the furniture and layout of the room relevant, if you have a desk in a room then make the most of this and show the space working as a home office. People will also buy into the lifestyle of a property and this is why it is important to make these spaces relevant. So if you have a room that is a bedroom and no bed, then it is time to make that room a bedroom again, of course you know it is a bedroom but by putting a bed in helps to work out the dimensions/space of a room.
First impressions do count
When you stand outside your home what are your first impressions, be critical with yourself as a potential buyer will do just what you are doing. If you have grass that is overgrown a hedge out of control, dead plants, full bins, dirty windows, over flowing gutters, fences not maintained then it would be advisable to sort this all out as most buyers make up their minds in the first few minutes of arriving at a property and you do not want to lose them before they have even walked in! This will also apply in your back garden, make sure that it is maintained and any garden furniture is clean and you have created a place that people want to be in.
Focus on key rooms
A kitchen is one of the most valuable rooms in the house and can make or break a house sale. If you always get comments just how lovely your kitchen is then you might not need to focus on this area, but if you know it is dated, tired, cluttered then it might be worth considering updating as this can seriously add value to a home. It does not mean you need to get an expensive kitchen company in, you might be able to reface just the doors, or new handles, change of worktops as this could make a big difference. As with the exterior of the property walk into your kitchen and look at what improvements can be made, then carry them out.
Get the paint brush out
If time and the budget allows then giving your walls a fresh lick of neutral paint will help. You may love bright orange walls and purple ceilings but the vast majority will not and actually find it easier to visualise when walls and ceilings are lighter and therefore also can help to make it appear bigger.
Finishing touches
Interior design / positioning of your furniture can help, as an example wall-mirrors make a room look much bigger and brighter, especially in hallways and small rooms. Include lighting that will lift a room, a lamp in a dark corner will help. Make sure your curtains or blinds are not half open or hanging incorrectly. Include flowers round the house, a fruit bowl in the kitchen, coats neatly hanging on a coat rail, towels in the bathroom are folded or hanging straight, have the lights on and the doors closed. Just a few little touches here and there will make a big difference!
Lighting
Whatever the size of a property, it becomes more appealing if light-filled, which means that you may need to reorganise your lighting. Wall lights enhance corners, while pendant lamps emphasise a high ceiling. Use a mix of floor lamps and table lamps and bounce light off a mirror.
Your aim should be to show off the space in your home, suggesting the ideal lifestyle, while also allowing people to imagine themselves living there. These tips could make a difference between selling your home and not!