Whatever the housing market is doing, there are a number of tips that will always help your house appeal to potential buyers. These are ways to make your home appeal to the greatest number of potential buyers.
First impressions
Your house needs to look great from the very first impression; curb appeal is critical! Make the front of your house look as good as it can. Plant flowers, trim bushes, weed, pick up leaves, repaint your front door, clean or replace house numbers, park your old car somewhere else.
The front of your house is a good place to spend a little extra time and money. If it looks good, it may even attract passersby.
De-Clutter
Potential buyers need to imagine themselves living in your house. You need to show a blank canvas, in which they can picture their own belongings. Estate agents can tell you stories of potential buyers rejecting a house because they didn't like the DVD collection! Buying a home is an emotional decision; you want potential buyers to make an emotional connection with your home by being able to "see" themselves in it.
Put away everything you don't use on a daily basis. Pack up ornaments, photos and posters in kids' bedrooms. Large pieces of furniture should go into storage; this will make rooms feel much bigger. In the hallway, clear away coats and shoes. In the bathroom, hide all your toiletries. In the kitchen, clear the worktops of appliances, jars and tins and replace any ragged tea towels or grubby bins.
Watch out for over-stuffed wardrobes - yes, people do look in them to check the amount of storage space - so clear them out.
Clean, clean, clean
Your home must sparkle and smell clean! Getting professional cleaners in can be money well-spent. Have the carpets, curtains, sofa covers and oven cleaned. Make sure your windows are clean inside and out. Pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms, which need to be inviting and hygienic. Buy a new toilet seat and some fresh white towels. Clean grubby fingerprints from light switches and doors. Make mirrors sparkle. Add a strategically placed plant or two, or some fresh flowers.
Fix it
Go around the house room by room and make a checklist of all those little jobs which need doing. Fix dripping taps, repair peeling wallpaper, touch up paint chips. If you can't stretch to re-tiling in the bathroom, re-grouting should bring it up like new. A couple of new kitchen doors can really smarten up a tired-looking kitchen.
Leaving these little jobs undone will give the wrong message to potential buyers - that you haven't looked after your house.
Freshen Up
A fresh coat of neutral paint, new tiling or lino, and will transform rooms. Neutral colours may be a little boring to live with, but buyers really do find it easier to imagine themselves living a home where they can't object to your colour scheme; they find it easier to imagine brightening it up, than toning it down!
You can add some character back with a few bright accessories. A new shower curtain in the bathroom, some new cushions in the sitting room, some bright bedlinen on the beds - all these can add a little spark, without detracting from the feeling of light and space.
If you have too many different floor coverings, it can make any area seem smaller. If you can't stretch to replacing all your flooring, close the doors on the other rooms until showing each room in turn.
Pets
Leave pets with a neighbor, and thoroughly clean up any cat hair in particular, as many people are allergic to animal hair. Your beloved pooch may make viewers nervous, or leave a distinctive aroma which won't appeal to the buyers.
The best side
Most properties have good and bad points to them. Don't point out the bad side, or even comment on it. Remember, buyers will only buy what they perceive your house to be worth. If your house is presented at its best, then people will want to live there.
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Date Published :
Mar 19 2009