When you first walk into an Open Home, what grabs your attention? What puts you off a house and what draws you in?
When you decide to sell your home, you want to keep those questions in mind because they will be the things that your potential buyers think of when they walk into your home.
When they do walk in, you want them to picture themselves living there. And they can only do that if your house is looking its absolute best. Don’t panic, it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to get your house ready for sale. There are actually a number of affordable things that you can do to prepare your home.
These can be as simple as clearing the clutter, updating soft furnishings and small items, as well as fixing any minor damages and touching up your paintwork. Small changes can make a big difference to your overall look if you have the right advice.
Luckily, I am here to help you with that advice. Let’s look at what you can do to affordably prepare your home for sale.
1: Clear The Clutter
Over the years you tend to accumulate a lot of ‘stuff’ and your house fills up. The clutter can make your home look messy and can also make the rooms seem smaller. This can put off potential buyers as they might not think the house will have enough room to fit all of their belongings.
To make your home look as spacious as possible, it is best to clear the clutter away. Just have enough furniture and belongings to define each room as a warm and comfortable space. You can even hire a storage unit short term to store your extra possessions.
It is also a good idea to pack away many of your personal items like photographs. People will struggle to picture themselves living in your home if it is obvious that another family already lives there.
2: Update The Small Things
Changing some of the small things in your home can really modernise and transform the whole look. These small items are cost effective to replace, and some you can even hire them from a home stager. Things like cushion covers and curtains can help to create pops of colour and a distinct style that your potential buyers can relate to.
Apart from the soft furnishings, you can change the feel of a whole room by replacing outdated items. A brand new shower curtain can make the world of difference in a bathroom. Changing old fashioned or broken door handles and ugly lampshades can make your house look more modern and attractive to buyers.
3: Fix Minor Damages
One of the first things a buyer will notice is damage. Even if it is minor damage, it can put doubt in their mind about the whole property. This could potentially cost you the sale!
So, to position your property in the best light, fix broken gate hinges, minor cracks, dents in your plaster, squeaky doors, drafty windows, and anything else that could turn a buyer off.
Your paint work is another thing that buyers will examine. If it is immediately obvious that they will need to repaint, it might put them off. If your budget stretches to it, a new coat of paint on the walls will work wonders to freshen the place up!
If you don’t have the budget for a complete repaint then a really good tip is to use a Magic Eraser to take off any dirt and marks off your walls.
Bonus Tip From Me: Proper Styling
I really believe that proper styling can really help sell your home, which is why I am offering a free styling session with every one of my new listings!
I have an amazing interior designer on board to help me out with this. So when your home is first listed, we will meet with you and make suggestions on the best way to present your home. This is a free service that doesn’t require a budget. Often simply reorganising your own furniture can make a huge difference. Of course, if you would like to invest in hiring modern furnishings then that option is available too.
We find that you become so used to living in your own home that the potential for each room might be lost. But a professional stylist can see the magic in your house. By simply defining areas with clever furniture placement and linking rooms with colour, buyers can really get a picture for how they would live in the house and use each room.
This service worked a treat for a property that recently listed with me. Their home had been on the market for 3 months with a different company and they had seen very little interest. But after we restyled the home with the seller’s own furniture pieces they have had multiple parties interested, repeatedly visiting the property.
I have proof that this freestyling session really can help you sell your home. Every home that has received the stylist’s touch has sold within 4 weeks of going on the market, even the ones with unusual layouts. The styling touches a designer can make are things you might not even realise would make a difference – but they do!
With all this talk of changes, you might be wondering if now is the time for you to sell. Have you been wondering what your house is worth? Then call Michelle Habib for a no-obligation Market Appraisal today.