Sell My Property Tips: 7 home improvements to help sell your house

When it comes to selling your property fast, a few home improvements
can make all the difference. A nip here, a tuck there, and your house
can look as good as new – a vital step towards getting the price that
you want, especially in an uncertain economic climate when price cuts
are often a necessity to closing a deal.

There’s a careful line to watch out for, though: spend too much on
doing up your property and any extra you make from the sale will be
cancelled out anyway. Installing a swimming pool, for example, would
cost far more than you would eventually get back.

But some repairs are essential if you want to maximise your property’s value.

Here are Sell My Property‘s seven home improvements you shouldn’t forget if you want to sell your house:

1.       Paint the front door

This one is staring you in the face, but overlook it at your peril:
it’s staring your buyer in the face too. You may not have the time to
fix a screen door if it’s sagging, but a lick of paint on a standard
front door can make it seem fresh and new – an important first
impression once you get to the viewing stage. Just make sure you pick a
nice colour.

2.       Empty the gutters

No one looks at the gutters, you might think, but drain water leaking
down the walls is never a nice look when you’re hunting for a place to
live. Climb up and clear the gutters so water flows freely. If you can,
seal any holes you spot with some caulk, just to be on the safe side.

3.       Shut your holes

These days, landlords don’t like tenants to hang up pictures around
the property – and with good reason. Nail holes in the wrong place, or
in too great a quantity, can be quite off-putting. Use some lightweight
putty and fill up any obvious holes, than dab a tiny amount of primer on
top to hide them. It’s a quick fix, but it will make your walls far
more inviting to its potential new owner, who is probably already
planning where to hang up their own pictures.

4.       Get rid of the smoke

The smell of smoke is hard to shift. A fresh lick of paint on the
walls or a thorough scrub of tiles and grout may help to remove
lingering odours in living rooms and bathrooms (potpourri or incense
will only draw attention to what you’re trying to cover up). At the very
least, remove any cigarette butts from the garden.

5.       Don’t sit on the fence

Fences are a signal that a property belongs to you; a broken fence
will hardly instil confidence in your potential buyer. If you spy a
broken fence, particularly in the front garden, repair it.

6.       Repair the wallpaper

Repainting a room can be time consuming, but the most noticeable
thing when it comes to walls? The wallpaper. If your wallpaper is torn
or starting to peel off, strip it and whip out a fresh layer.

7.       Trim your garden

Messy or untidy houses are easy to solve. The same goes for the
garden. Cluttered yards and uneven lawns give the impression that you
don’t care about your property. If you want your home to look like it’s
been looked after, give the greenery a quick once over with a mower.

And there you have it. Seven easy steps to make sure that your home
looks it best for its new owner. They may not thank you in person for
your efforts, but they’ll certainly pay you for them.

For expert advice on how to sell your home and information on listing your property online, visit SellMyProperty.org