If your trying to sell your house quick, what home improvements can help your chances? It’s a question we’re often asked. Quick repair jobs can add value and interest to your property - but which ones give you the most bang for your buck? It depends on a variety of factors.
Different repairs and rennovations can make more sense depending on the time of year they are created, the location of your property, the current market climate, and the competition from other properties. There are no hard rules for what makes the most sense for you.
Start with the Flooring
What’s currently covering your floors? In the sixties, carpeting came into vogue, and everyone had it. Today, wooden flooring is very much in demand. Do you still have that 60’s shag carpet in your home? It’s time to move quickly into the 21st century, if you want to sell quickly! It’s what buyers want, so it would be wise to consider it. Determined to keep the carpet and have a personal pet hate for wooden floorboards? Then try replacing your current carpet with some neutral coloured carpet. Light tan is easy on the eye, and appealing to potential buyers.
If your kitchen or bathrooms have ceramic tiles or stone tiles - have a look at the condition of them. It’s off-putting to see cracked tiles in a property when you have people viewing - that’s something they’ll notice and think ‘I’ll have to fix that if I buy the place.’ Not a good place to start.
Your Walls and Ceilings
Carefully examine all your walls and ceilings. What kind of condition are they in? Potential buyers will be looking from all angles at your property, and they’ll be looking for mould, damp and any signs of leaks or water damage. The best idea is to paint the lot. Don’t take any chances here - a small effort with paint goes a long way, and makes the property look like new. Fresh paint is THE most cost effective measure you can make - again, go with neutral colours.
Wallpaper
You may not know it, but buyers tend to dislike wallpaper. ‘But why?’ I hear you say. Because your taste is dreadful. Or so they think - because they would never have chosen it. Wallpaper is the ultimate in personal choice, and rarely would anyone pick the same as someone else. The chances are that someone viewing your property will have the same taste as you are beyond remote. So you have to bite the bullett and make the change. Find a steamer and take it off your walls, and replace it with neutral coloured paint.
Textured Ceilings
If you have any textured ceilings, I’m sorry, but they have to go too. They’re horribly out of date. If you need any inspiration into what to do - pop into your local interiors shop, or go online and do a search for current interior trends - you’ll find lots of inspiration if you’re having difficulty in finding ideas to modernize your property.
The Kitchen
The Kitchen is THE most important in any property. Most other rooms can be rennovated at a small cost, but dated appliances, cookers, fidges etc can be expensive to replace, and potential buyers see the kitchen as a deal-breaker. If you don’t have to modernize your kitchen, you can save a small fortune. If you think that your kitchen is looking old and dated, it is very important that you address the issue. There will be other properties on the market that have up to date fittings in the kitchen, and you need to compete with them to sell your house fast.
No need to fear though - research shows that kitchen remodelling returns are almost 100%. Nearer the more expensive end of refurbs dont return as much as mid and lower end range rennonvations, it should be noted. If you’re really going for it, and spending a fortune on the kitchen, your returns may not be as spectacular as you expect. If your simply replacing an old kitchen with a better looking model, you’ll be making a shrewd investment.
Counter tops and Cabinets
With counter tops you can get away with resurfacing. There’s no need to buy a whole new range of fittings if you don’t need to. Resurfacing involves applying a thin layer of veneers to tops and facings. If your worktops are looking tired and scratched, then it’s a good option. If your cabinets are tired looking, the same applys. If anything in the kitchen is painted, then you can look at a fresh lick of paint here too.
Sinks
Sinks tend to tire fairly quicky. How do yours look? People want to see sparkling kitchens, with shiny steel fittings. Remember and check underneath the sink too - you’ll usually find all sorts of calamity underneath there - make sure it’s all good here too. No leaky pipes or fittings.
Check out your bathrooms too. Again, the return on investment has proven to be excellent - around 100% return on your money. ‘So I get my money back… is it worth it?’ It’s not just the return on investment your looking at here. Once the rennovation has been done, your house looks better, and has more appeal to the buyer. Your creating more value to the eye, and that counts as more than just a return on investment - your increasing your chances of a sale.
Your Exterior
There’s few things worse than a property with a leaky roof. That’s the end of the game right there. If people come to see your home and the roof looks like it may need some work, you’d be as well not putting it on the market. Have a look and see what people coming to view your property will be seeing. Remember to fix all cracks in exterior tiling, look at the condition of driveways if you have them, try putting in flowers to add visual appeal, and examine your window frames for signs of aging. You can also check the condition of your fencing, and check all door knobs and paintwork. A new door may be in order - first impressions count!
Finally
Don’t forget that you can probably do with some new wiring too - you may be asked by a potential buyer the last time you had you electrics and plumbing checked. It may be a good idea to get a professional plumber and electrician in to do all the check before someone asks you.
Remember that the majority of buyers don’t want to purchase a property that needs work. It’s a big enough effort to sell a house and move into a new one! We you finally get there, and move in - you find that there’s more work to do! Not so appealing. So get your property in order, do the repairs and make it look great, and sell-your-house-quick.com!
For more articles on selling your house quick, click here.
[...] can consider improvements that you may want to make, and get round to fixing the problems you’ve been putting off - they could improve how much [...]