It’s often said that the key to selling your home is to attract the right type of buyer. That’s all well and good, but there’s a lot you can do to make your home more attractive to anyone looking to move.
Thinking of selling your home? Here’s our 12 top tips to make it more appealing to prospective buyers. None of them will cost you a small fortune yet could make a difference to the interest you receive from buyers.
Tip 1: Tidy the front garden
First impressions are everything so make sure your front garden is clean and tidy. A minimal front garden is ideal as many people are busy and won’t necessarily want to maintain two gardens.
Tip 2: Make the entrance of your home appealing
In the same way that the front garden helps to create a first impression, when prospective buyers step into the entrance of your home, it will add appeal if the area is clean, fresh and smells nice. Make sure it’s and tidy. Remove coats, shoes, and any clutter from your hallway.
Tip 3: Fix broken fences and mow the lawn
This not only demonstrates that you’ve kept the property in good order but will ensure that buyers aren’t deterred from making an offer before they’ve even been inside the property.
Tip 4: Make sure your home is nice and bright
Before you welcome any potential buyers into your home, ensure the place is well-lit and doesn’t look dark and dingy. Replace any lightbulbs that aren’t working. Open curtains and blinds to let as much light in as possible.
Tip 5: Replace old carpets or get them cleaned
If you want to maximise your selling price and can afford to replace old and worn carpets, this will help to create a better impression. However, don’t go for anything too unusual or fancy. A new carpet should be a neutral colour. If this isn’t affordable for you then see if you can get the carpet cleaned.
Tip 6: Fix dripping taps
Even if DIY is not your passion, it’s still important to give the impression that your house is well cared for, and any problems are resolved promptly. Dripping taps will give the impression of neglect or underlying problems with the property.
Tip 7: Put beds in all upstairs rooms
Even if you’re using a spare room as an office, it’s important to put a bed in the room as prospective buyers might want to use it as a bedroom and may want to see that it has space to accommodate a bed.
Tip 8: Get rid of pet hairs
It’s not an easy thing to do as animal fur tends to linger on furniture and carpets but have a clean-up and make sure you get rid of as much of it as possible. Remove pet food bowls so that the kitchen doesn’t smell of cat or dog food. When your visitors arrive, make sure you don’t have pets on the sofa or the bed. Not everyone is an animal lover, and some people may think having pets on furniture isn’t hygienic.
Tip 9: Clear any general clutter
The less clutter you have the better. You want to give the impression that your home is spacious, or even if it’s not, make it look as roomy as you can. Clear items from coffee tables and make sure kitchen worktops are uncluttered.
Tip 10: Decorate in a neutral way
If you decide to paint or wallpaper the house, don’t go for anything adventurous. Think of your walls as a blank canvass. Have neutral paint or plain wallpaper on the walls rather than anything too bright or overpowering. Most people will want to put their own stamp on the place anyway.
Tip 11: Make the kitchen look good
For many people, the kitchen is one of the most important parts of a home so if you have an old kitchen with wobbly cupboards in a bad state of repair, it may put buyers off. Get cupboard doors repaired or replaced and freshen it up as much as you can. This doesn’t mean installing a brand-new modern kitchen that costs you a small fortune but simply carrying out some repairs to cupboards and applying a fresh lick of paint to make the kitchen look smarter.
Tip 12: Use air fresheners throughout the property
Making your place smell nice may seem like an obvious tip, but we’ve viewed homes where vendors have cooked smelly food before inviting prospective buyers in. Avoid creating any pungent smells and use air fresheners so that the place smells good. Ensure the air fresheners aren’t too sweet or overpowering.