Highlight the best features!
Getting your home ready for sale is something that almost every homeowner does. But it can be tricky to know when to stop. Find out how to prepare your home for sale and make sure that you highlight the best features.
Getting your home ready for sale is something that almost every homeowner does. But it can be tricky to know when to stop.
Cleaning, decluttering, DIY. Should you change the bathroom tiles? Or put down new flooring? You could end up spending so much time and money getting the property ready that you will never get it on the market. You will have to draw the line at some point because if it isn't marketed, you will never sell. So, here is a list of things you could do to prepare your home, but don't procrastinate and end up doing a complete renovation. There comes the point when it is time to bite the bullet and get the property on the market.
- Declutter - One of the best things you can do to make your home look bigger and more welcoming. Particularly in photos online, where most of your interest will come from initially. The images will look untidy and cluttered if you have things stuffed under the bed or on the top of the kitchen units. If you have the detritus of family life on every surface, your home will seem smaller and cramped. Clear away as much as you possibly can. Not to the point of minimalism - this is still your family home, after all - but clear surfaces with just an eye-catching ornament, artwork or flowers can hit the mark.
- Deep clean - Ensure your home is as clean as possible before photos and viewing appointments.
- DIY - That door knob you've meant to fix for months. The scuffs on the walls that you've not got round to painting. Now is the time. Small DIY jobs give the impression of an uncared-for home and could lead the viewers to think that there is lots of work to do on your property. These are probably jobs that can all be tackled in a weekend. Make a list and get them sorted before viewings - it might increase your offers!
- Staging - once you are decluttered and cleaned up, it's time to stage your home. Look at the property objectively, as if you are the viewer, seeing it for the first time. Is the furniture positioned to make the most of the space available, or do the rooms look cramped and cluttered? Once you arrange everything, you can move on to flowers, ornaments, and perhaps artwork. Imagine your home is a showroom for a fantastic new-build site. Those sites employ interior designers to make the show homes inviting (to encourage more sales), so do the same for your home. You might decide to go one step further and set the scene too - lay the table for a huge family feast, or put a pot of coffee and a plate of cakes out on the worktop to entice those viewers.
If you are unsure what to do for the best, why not arrange for one of our expert property professionals to visit you at your home and give you a few pointers?
No charge or obligation, just a quick chat to point you in the right direction.