By properly preparing your house to sell you could potentially add thousands of dollars to the end sale price of your house. As well as increasing your profit you will also likely speed up the process of selling your house. Most buyers looking for a house are driven by emotion in their quest to buy a house. Even most investors will buy a property based on the way the feel about the property rather than the actual numbers involved.
With this is mind, selling your house can be a simple, easy process provided that you present your house in the best possible light. There are several factors that will have a large impact on the saleability of your house such as price and general market conditions, but let’s focus on the main areas that you can work on in and around your house that will improve the saleability of your house.
Prepare a House to Sell:
House to Sell Tip # 1: General Clean Up
Outside:
– Wash down the outside of the house
– Wash windows
– Mow lawns
– Pressure clean paths and driveways
– Cut back trees and hedges
Inside:
– Reduce clutter in all rooms (put unnecessary items in the garage)
– Wash down walls and ceiling
– Remove cobwebs
– Wipe dust from shelves and cabinets
– Vacuum/Dry clean carpets
– Clean flooring (tiles, lino, timber etc)
– Clean kitchen cupboards, bench top and splashback
– Clean windows & wash curtains
– Re-organise layout of furniture to a more open-plan
– Clean light fittings and ceiling fans
– Add colourful pot plants in each room
– Allow light to enter each room easily
– Repair any damage to internal walls or ceiling
House to Sell Tip # 2: Cost Effective, Easy Ways to Improve the Outside of Your Home:
– Plant new trees and/or small plants or flowers (add colour)
– Repair & paint fence
– Repaint the property or pressure-clean brick houses
– Repaint guttering
– Repaint window frames
– Repaint carports and garages
– Replace old garden furniture
– Add ‘borders’ to garden beds using rocks etc
– Install a new letterbox
– Create an entertaining area using paving and planter boxes
House to Sell Tip # 3: Cost Effective, Easy Ways to Improve the Inside of Your Home:
– Update light fittings
– Re-polish floors/replace carpet, lino, tiles
– Re-paint walls, ceiling, skirting and architraves
– Replace curtains, blinds etc
– Have pot puree in each room to improve the smell of the house
– Hang new wall prints in each room
– Install a new front door
– Repaint all internal doors
– Replace door handles throughout the house
– Replace furniture (cheap furniture from Ikea can be used to improve the presentation immensely)
Most of the tips listed above can be done even on a modest budget and can be completed in a weekend or two. Even spending $500 can bring you an extra five or ten thousand dollars at sale time. Once you’ve made some small changes, you’ll be amazed at the difference they make!