Should I do any home improvements before selling my property?
Improvements to a property can help you achieve a quicker sale and at a higher price. Some improvements are absolutely essential if you don't want your property to just sit on the market and others will make your property more welcoming and generally appealing.
When putting your property onto the open market, we would certainly recommend that the property looks, clean, tidy and presentable. Try to create a blank canvas with no negative distractions and your property will sell quicker.
Every potential buyer needs to feel that they could easily move into your property quickly and with very little work to do. Here is a check list of things to consider:
- It is essential that any damp patches or leaks are dealt with and made good otherwise you will create an impression that you have not maintained your property and buyers will fear that there are other hidden defects.
- Get any cracked or blown glass in any window or door replaced.
- Make sure all door and window handles and locks are working properly.
- If you have any visible stained carpets, then get these cleaned/shampooed. They might just need replacing with a new neutral carpet but certainly do not buy an expensive carpet. If you have worn out wooden flooring and it is too expensive to repair it just lay a non expensive new neutral piece of carpet.
- In your kitchen if there are any loose drawers, doors, wobbly hinges, get these fixed. If a few of the doors and drawers are looking pretty worn out but the carcasses are solid and in good shape, then instead of having a whole new kitchen fitted, just change the doors & drawers or if possible have them painted.
- Old and worn looking appliances should be replaced but again don't buy anything expensive.
- If your fridge/freezer has any broken shelves or drawers get them replaced with new ones.
- Repair or replace any damaged work surfaces.
- In your bathroom get any broken taps repaired or replaced. Clean or replace worn out looking shower heads. If there is a lot of limescale on it soak it in white vinegar over night and rinse it in the morning. You will be amazed how clean it gets. Replace or dispose of broken mirrors. Replace your bath panel if it is damaged or worn. If the sealant around your bath or shower tray or the grout on the tiles is showing any black mould use an anti mould spray to clean it.
- If some walls and ceilings need repainting, then paint them.
- Fill and paint any hairline cracks. Many cracks in properties are caused by plaster shrinkage. These are not serious but just the sight of a crack however small can cause a buyer to fear that there is a structural problem with your property.
- De-cluttering: do as much as you can before your property goes onto the market. If you have a cellar, loft, shed or garage, then use these spaces to help you store away those items. However, as you'll soon be moving, why don't you take this opportunity to do a full session of de-cluttering by making the famous three following piles. Pile one = items you give to charity. Pile two = items that you are keeping & Pile three = items to take to your local waste and recycling centres.
- If you are marketing your property during the Autumn and Winter months, do make sure that the heating is on so that the potential buyer is walking into a nice warm and cosy property. This makes such a huge positive impact and straightaway.
As we've said, you need to make your home presentable, with every room looking sparse, clean & tidy. This will now start to look like a blank canvas which creates a great feeling for the buyer who immediately feels like they could live here and make it their home.
On every viewing always make sure the property is looking clean and tidy throughout.
Today's market (Q1 2023) is a "Buyer's Market" so if your property is in need of major works then we would recommend that you do not pay out any large sums of money to do anything as you probably will not get the amount back on the sale price. It makes more sense to price your property keenly in order to reflect the cost of the works required. You could even go one step further and obtain two quotes from two local reputable builders and have these quotes available for the potential buyers. Most of the time, a buyer always estimate the costs to be a lot more than they actually are.