Selling your home is never an easy decision.
Not only is it your home, but it is your taste, your décor, and your style and full of memories. We are all not the same and therefore you must accept that what people see, may not impress them or to make it worse offend them.
So, to make you house saleable, you must consider giving it up as being your home and make it something that for a few months be a strange environment. This is the first important decision one needs to accept.
So, what do you do first? This is perhaps the simplest of questions to answer. Look at your property with fresh eyes. This is not the time to be intransigent or unsettled with yourself. It may hurt a little but call on a close friend or a neighbour and ask them to look around your house.
Let them point out the corners or areas that you have seen so often that you have ignored or neglected. It is surprising how small details are often more important than we realise, and potential buyers will not be sparing with their criticism.
Once you have completed your walk through and been given the findings, it’s time to prioritise.
Décor
If you can, make any room a neutral as possible. It does not have to cost much, try to make the living room look as big as possible, try rearranging the furniture and remove items that take up space.
The pink wall in your daughter’s bedroom may be better white or cream. The same goes for other rooms. Wallpaper is both time consuming and expensive to change, so why not ensure that the furniture next to it is as neutral as possible. Remove the ‘lovely’ red and green vase you like so much and buy a cheaper white one for a while and whilst the curtains in the lounge may be the perfect red, if you can, get something less you.
Blinds
Blinds are always a cheap but effective alteration. Go through the house like this and keep saying to yourself, I want as many people to like this room as possible, I must remove as much of my taste as necessary. There is one golden rule that we should all obey, remove as many personal photographs as possible. They are both a distraction to the viewer but interestingly does not allow them to think of the house as their own.
Curb Appeal
We have all heard of curb appeal. Go outside to the front of the house. This is the first thing the potential buyer will see. Simple things first, is the grass cut? Does the gate not quite close or does it look shabby?
These are easy fixes and can be done quickly. Perhaps the most important area is the front door and the surrounding area. This is what their friends will see first when they arrive. Make sure that it is in good order. Welcoming, clean, respectable. Any plant pots close by, make sure they are at least filled with something living and tidy. Everything should say, you are welcome.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you do not need to always replace the kitchen or the bathroom. These are common misconceptions as most buyers replace any kitchen within a few moths of purchase anyway. Likewise, unless the bathroom has a royal blue suite (that could be an issue!), it will be fine.
The important things to remember therefore are try and make it as neutral as possible, declutter and remove very personal items. Allow the potential buyer to see their furniture in the space and not be overwhelmed by yours. Lastly, and most important of all, if you do not want to do any of this, the one thing that is vital, keep the house as clean as humanly possible. Untidy rooms, gardens and kitchens reflect on you and believe it or not that is noticed by the viewers.