Often times, people that haven’t sold a property for a very long time struggle coming to grips with what exactly is required when getting your home ready to sell.
There are lots of books, advice, and free information on where to start and what to do, and if anything, often times, they can just create a lot of confusion. The most realistic way to approach the whole process of getting your home ready to sell is to understand and know what are the key areas of your home that will be important to the buying public, and then address those key areas of your home to the best of your ability and budget. At the end of this article, you should have your property looking at its very best so you can maximise the presentation of your home.
In a nutshell, the most important areas that you need to spend your time and effort (and budget) on are
- The Kitchen
- The Bathroom(s)
- First Impressions when someone enters the house
- Smells or Leaks
- The Street appeal
We are going to address each of these most important areas of your home starting with the kitchen since kitchens play such an influential part when it comes to appealing to and attracting buyers to your home and winning them over once inside. Done right, a kitchen can also help you to maximise the sale price of your home.
Your Kitchen: The Room That Sells Your Home (Or Not!)
The kitchen is the one room that can make or break a sale. It’s usually the most expensive room in any house (especially to renovate), so prospective buyers usually don’t want to see a kitchen that’s in need of a total upgrade. This doesn’t mean a total re-fit, but there are some small things that you can do to make your kitchen more appealing.
- Clear The Clutter
If you have more on your kitchen benches than in the cupboards you need to clear the clutter.
- Add Appliances
Buyers know just how expensive a new oven or dishwasher can be, so they may shy away from your house if they think they will need to spend up big on replacements for these appliances. If your appliances are out of date, consider replacing them. It may be a worthwhile investment.
- Wall Worries
A fresh coat of paint can work wonders in a drab kitchen, especially if cooking
splatters have become a feature! Don’t forget your worn tiles. A little primer and paint can make a huge difference.
- Do Up Your Doors
Swapping cabinet doors can give your kitchen a whole new look. If entirely new doors are outside your budget you can make a huge difference by simply replacing the handles of your cupboards and drawers.
- Lift The Lighting
The lighting in the kitchen is something buyers will take careful note of. Installing fluorescent or spot lights under the top cupboard can provide light for bench-top work areas.
- Benches
Many people think that replacing a scratched and stained bench-top is just too costly, but not all bench-top materials are that expensive. This small investment could save your sale!
- Fix The Floor
If your kitchen is a little worse for wear, lift the lino and if you have them, polish the timber floorboards underneath – if they are in good enough condition – otherwise lay vinyl flooring, which is easy to clean. Alternatively, you may like to use tiles for a contemporary cool feeling
Now, we take a look at bathrooms. These two areas are the critical areas of a home when it comes to attracting buyers. Get the bathroom and the kitchen presentation right when going to market and you’re a good way there when it comes to getting your home sold.
- Great Bathroom Presentation
Whatever condition your bathroom is in, whether its old, original, new or nearly new, it must be clean. Nothing puts buyers off more than an unclean bathroom or loo that smells or reeks of urine, or mould and mildew.
- Clean, Clean, Clean
Clean your tiles and grouting, make sure your windows, mirrors and shower doors or screens are spotless and free of streaks. Hairs on the bath, in the sink, or in the drains are a real put off too, so check this before your open homes. Replace any used soap bars with liquid soap bottles, there will be less mess to take care of and they look tidier.
- That Smell Won’t Sell.
Its a fact of life that bad smells can and do creep into bathrooms. Nothing will put a buyer off faster than a bad smell, so make sure you air out your bathrooms well. Open the windows, use the extractor fan and add some potpourri or air freshener if needed…..but don’t go over the top as buyers might think you are trying to hide something unpleasant.
- Fix The Fittings.
Cracked basin, toilets or tubs, or leaking showers give the impression to a buyer that the room is unhygienic, so consider replacing these if possible. It’s not usually that expensive provided you don’t change the plumbing.
- Buyers Lap Up Luxury.
You can add a little luxury to any bathroom quite simply and relatively inexpensively by including fresh plump white towels, handmade (unused) soaps, plants, or fresh flowers, and some boutique bath products set out in your bathroom will give that touch of luxury.
- Space Savers.
If you have a small bathroom don’t clutter the limited wall space with towel rails, put them on the back of the door. If you are renovating a small bathroom, consider wall-mounted sinks and toilets. Use big mirrors to make the room appear twice the size, not only will they enhance the feeling of spaciousness, but they are also very practical and easy to keep clean. The bathroom will also seem less cluttered if you keep the colour scheme simple and light as well as ensuring you have good storage to hide all those bits and pieces.
- A New Coat.
Stained or chipped bathtubs and basins can be easily fixed by enameling companies that can give your fitting a whole new look. They can even enamel old tiles, so if your bathroom’s colour scheme is straight out of the 1970’s this simple inexpensive process could save your sale. Add to this a fresh coat of paint on the walls and you have a whole new bathroom.
- The Bedroom
Create a Place Where People Feel Like They Can Escape.
When it comes to bedrooms size matters! After the number of bedrooms, buyers are most interested in the size of the bedrooms. Use neutral colours to make your bedrooms seem larger and reduce the amount of furniture to maximise the feelingof space.
Be clever with the space you have. If you have a small bedroom use a double bed instead of a queen, or bunks in a children’s room.
- Storage Style.
You can never have enough storage in a bedroom! That’s why you’ll see people peeking in cupboards and wardrobes at an open house.
To reduce the demands on limited space in small bedrooms, consider having built-in robes installed, but keep the interior simple because if you include all the bells and whistles you won’t recoup the additional costs.
- Light and Airy.
Bedroom lighting is really important in creating an atmosphere. To give a romantic feel, consider adding dimmer switches and bedside lamps. If you are having evening viewings, quality lighting is essential.
- Give Me a Sanctuary.
Buyers want a bedroom where they can escape the worries of life. You can make your bedroom a sanctuary by adding a little luxury with fresh linen, puffed up pillows and extra cushions, a comfy chair and a few special features, like candles and perfume bottles.
- Less is More.
However large your bedrooms are, they will still look small if they are cluttered with your personal knick-knacks.
When it comes time to sell make sure you clear away the clutter and personal items, such as photos. This can be very important because if you have leave too many personalised photos on display, it can make it difficult for buyers to imagine themselves in your home.
That doesn’t mean your rooms need to look totally impersonal, a few exotic perfume bottles, a vintage teacup by the bed, or a romantic candle display can make the room feel like home for potential buyers.