Making the decision to sell your home and move is a big one, there are many factors to consider before you think the time is right. What are the house prices like? Is there interest from potential buyers in your area? Will you get a good price for your home? These factors might not always be positive, but there is one area that you can try to improve – your house price. By doing these few things (or better yet, by embracing a key Scandinavian styling concept), you might be able to add a considerable amount to the value of your property.
Get Your Home Inspected
Although you can do many of the essential repairs and renovations that need doing to your home yourself, there might be other issues that you might not know. It is best to hire an inspector to come in and check all the areas of the house including the attic, basement and outside. They will then be able to give you a detailed report on what needs doing and the general condition of your home. That report is important, because the more things you can get fixed, the more your property will be worth. Another reason is that if you have a small water leak for example, then this can quickly become something more serious and more expensive to repair.
Painting
One of the easiest and most cost-effective things you can do to improve your home is paint. Even if you think the walls are fine, giving them a fresh coat of paint will instantly make them look brighter and cleaner. If you have bright or contrasting colors on your walls, then you might want to think about repainting them a neutral color like cream or white. When buyers view your home, they like to have a blank canvas to work with; if they have to repaint before they even start, then this might influence their offer.
Check Your Energy Costs
It might sound like a strange idea to be checking the energy costs of a home you are selling, but it could have an influence on the future value of your home. Check with your local energy supplier to see what tariff you are on and how much energy you are using. If you are using a lot, then see if there are ways you can lower your energy usage and make your home more efficient. It might be that you need new insulation in your attic, or perhaps better draft proofing. These new measures will make your home more energy efficient and in turn, make it more desirable to future buyers.
Improve Your Garden
You may have heard the expression ‘curb appeal’ before, it means how your home looks from the curb of the road. Along with the house itself, the gardens also say a lot about a property. To give your house added curb appeal, you need to think about how your garden looks and where it can be improved. Try planting some new flowers or shrubs around the front and side of the house; these will soften the look of the property and also help with cooling the house in the summer. If you have a large mature tree in the front, think about getting it trimmed by a tree surgeon. You don’t want the tree to obscure the front of the house from the road.
Think About Your Flooring
Although you might think your flooring looks good, it might not appeal to new owners. If you have laid carpet in your home, then this can be less appealing to a buyer than laminate or wood flooring. The reason is that carpet can hold odors, allergens and they require more cleaning than laminate or wood. You might want to think about replacing your carpet with a floor that is easier to maintain or take the hit of a lower house value.
Clean Up the House
Even if you are always doing the housework, you can guarantee that someone will spot something that is dusty or dirty. You only get one chance to make a good impression, so you need to make sure the house is spotless from the moment people walk in the door. For a few hundred dollars, you can get a professional cleaning company to come in and clean every surface for you. They can take on the hard work for you so that you can concentrate on other things. If your budget doesn’t stretch to that kind of money, then it might be worth considering a loan from a company like Bonsai Finance to cover it. The cost will be worth it when you see the impressed looks on the buyer‘s faces.
Declutter Your House
When potential buyers come to see your property, they like to imagine themselves living there. To do this, they like to see how much space there is in each room and how much storage space there is. It can be difficult to do this if your home has a lot of clutter in the rooms, so you should think about removing as much as you can before any viewings. It can be a good time to throw out old or unwanted things before you transfer them to your new home.
If there are any things that you want to keep, consider putting them in storage for a while so that they are out of the house. You can even start to pack things away and store them as well; this will save you time later. It is also an opportunity to sell some unwanted things to generate some cash; you can then use that to get your home ready for sale. Take a look at this comprehensive decluttering guide to get started.
It might seem that you need to put a lot of work and money into getting your house ready for sale. However, with competition for homes and house prices fluctuating, you need any edge you can get to increase your properties value. Any money that you spend on improving your house will hopefully lead to a bigger increase in the overall value of your home.
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