From the paint colours on the walls to installing solar panels, there are many things you can do to add the sale potential of your property.
Whether you have a small home improvement budget or want to make big changes for potentially huge returns, these tips will help to maximise the sale value of your home.
The small things
First, let’s start with a few small tasks that’ll spruce up your home to make your property listing pop and impress potential buyers when they view the property.
1. Splash out on paint
You might love the neon pink wall in your bathroom, but prospective buyers like to see neutral tones that they’ll be able to easily put their own stamp on.
Invest in some neutral colours, such as white, cream, grey, and earthy tones, to refresh your walls. Don’t just cover up the more unique colours you’ve got either: give your neutral walls a lick of paint to revive their zing and add brightness to every room.
2. Spruce up your kitchen cabinets
A new kitchen costs an average of £8,000. Your potential buyers will be eyeing up your dated cupboards and factoring the cost of a replacement kitchen into their offer on your home.
However, it’s easy to spruce up your kitchen without spending thousands of pounds. Changing old-fashioned cupboard doors is a quick way to bring your kitchen into the modern era and turn a so-so impression into a must-buy-now.
3. Upgrade your outdoor space
Whether you have a tiny patio yard or acres of grass, make sure it’s presentable and that people viewing your property can imagine themselves using the outdoor space.
Add a colourful pot or two to an empty terrace, or even a window box to a balcony, to inject some zing into the area. For larger gardens, make sure your garden furniture is clean, the grass is cut and flower beds free of weeds.
4. Get rid of pet smells
No matter how clean your pet is, they’ll always leave a little odour behind. A strong pet odour can seriously affect the price offered on your house.
Rent a carpet cleaner, or hire a professional to deep clean your carpets to remove pet smells.
Wash any loose sofa covers and soft furnishings, or arrange for someone to steam clean the ones that can’t be removed.
Invest in plug-in air fresheners, too, when you’ve got viewings. You want your prospective buyers to feel like they’re in a spring meadow, not a muddy ditch.
5. Have a professional deep clean
Even if you’re pet-free, grime and dust will build up over time regardless of your efforts on the housework. Invest in a professional deep clean to make your home sparkle in time for those all-important brochure photos and viewings.
A professional cleaner can do everything from scrubbing the grouting on shower tiles to steam cleaning your hard flooring.
The bigger things
If you have a longer-term sales plan for your property, consider investing more capital into it now to see greater returns when it’s time to sell.
6. Convert or add a room
Adding an extra useful room to your house can add up to 20% to the resale value of your property.
If your loft is lying redundant, consider how you could turn it into an additional bedroom or study. Alternatively, if you have the outdoor space, extend your home with a conservatory to add an extra living area.
7. Pave a parking space
Parking spaces are at a premium in most areas. In London, the average price of a parking space is now £219,000: the same cost as a detached home elsewhere in the country.
If you have the space and access, turn your front garden into off-road parking. It’s something that’s high in demand, and if your potential buyer doesn’t have a car they could still benefit by renting the space out.