Most people will live in their homes for around nine years. When you move into a new property, you’re excited about all the ways you can improve it and make it feel like your own. When it comes time to move on, however, it can be difficult to part with it emotionally. You’re just not sure you’re ready to say goodbye to the place – it’s given you so many happy memories and you’ve had such a wonderful time with your family (or just by yourself!) that moving on feels almost impossible.
That’s not even mentioning the practicalities of selling your home. Brexit is making experts uncertain about what will happen to house prices once the country does eventually leave the European Union. It’s not an easy time to sell your home if you’re looking to move, so you’ll want to do everything you possibly can to maximise the sale potential of your property. Luckily, there’s plenty that’s within your power. Here are ten of the best ways you can add value to your home.
1. Work on your garden
Renovating your garden can add a massive 20% to the value of your house if you do it right. If you get creative with the kind of thing you’re doing in your garden, let Deltona tree experts to assist you it could be a serious boon for you.
Why not, for example, add a three quarter greenhouse? These features look cool, help you cultivate plants, and will be a surefire way to attract potential buyers. Think about landscaping, too, and potentially planting some flowers in an attractive arrangement.
2. Remove old furniture
If prospective buyers see moth-eaten or tatty furniture, they’re very likely to be put off. Bad furniture can make people think the property isn’t well-loved or that there’s a reason you don’t want to maintain it properly. Make sure any furniture you’re displaying in your home is well looked after and clean. You don’t have to be super-meticulous; it looks better to buyers if your home looks like an actual home would. Maybe try out some new shades just to give the appearance of a brand new home. Made-to-measure shades from NYC can provide you with some great looking shades fit for any modern city home.
3. Make sure your home is staged
It would be a serious mistake not to include any furniture whatsoever in your property. Buyers like to imagine themselves living in the house; they like to envision what it would look like as an actual home rather than just a show building. This extends to other rooms too – if your kitchen is lacklustre, custom kitchens are a good idea for showing people the true potential of a home. You’ll recoup the costs when your home sells.
4. Display some art
Art adds a personal touch to your property. You can really show off your own idiosyncratic personality with art, and that’s something buyers love. A home isn’t just a place where people stay when they need to sleep or eat. It’s your base of operations, and that means it should reflect who you are. Displaying art makes buyers more able to imagine their own artistic tastes and gives them ideas for how they could creatively display the works they love if they buy the place.
5. Redecorate and emphasise neutral colours
When you’re thinking about redecorating your house, it’s better to stick with neutral colours than to try and push the boat out. Buyers can easily be scared off by extreme colours – that’s bright shades and black – that could mean the home doesn’t feel inviting or, well, homely. When you’re redecorating, stick with classic shades that will subtly emphasise the house’s contours without drawing the eye too much. A good colour scheme is a complement, not the main event.
6. Avoid strong smells
Sometimes, your home can smell without you realising it. You should get a second opinion on whether there are any nasty smells hanging around your home. If there are, then you need to combat them quickly. Several things can be the culprit here; from pet urine to an unclean refrigerator and everything in between, you should be doing everything you can to identify the source of bad smells in your home and neutralise them. You really don’t want that to be what buyers remember.
7. Make a good first impression
Before a buyer has even stepped over the threshold of your home, they’ll be looking at the exterior. If the outside of your home doesn’t look great, then you won’t be able to make any progress with selling it. Trim the front garden and keep the path to the front door clear. Repaint your front door if you think it needs a fresh coat of paint, and make sure the front of the house looks appealing in general. A good first impression can make all the difference.
8. Upsell the neighbourhood
A home isn’t just the building itself; it’s also the neighbourhood that surrounds it. There are many factors that go into making a neighbourhood truly great. Regular maintenance by the city council, accessible park spaces, and good public facilities are all ways to tell your area is a good one to live in. When buyers come around, if you’re in, talk to them about what your area is like. Don’t let them think you’re moving because you don’t like where you live.
9. Convert your loft space
Chances are you’re probably just using your loft space for storage right now. That’s a massive waste of a space that’s just begging to be a bedroom, an office, or something similar. You could install windows and create a really beautiful study. If your loft space is sizeable enough to be a room, then you’re doing your home a disservice if you don’t turn it into one. Potential buyers will love the idea of a room that could house a child or act as a workspace for them.
10. Don’t put off repairs
If you’ve been putting off repairs or ignoring a certain issue in your home, now’s the time to address that. Your home won’t sell if you’re not prepared to put the same kind of faith in it that you’re asking buyers to display. It might cost you a bit to fix that leaky roof or install a new kitchen, but you’ll likely more than make up the cost in terms of the extra profit you’re making from the sale. Trust us when we say that renovations and reworks are well worth it.
