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Home.co.uk

Home Selling Guide: Preparing Your House For Sale

Before you start welcoming potential buyers for viewings, spend a bit of thought, time, and maybe even some money on polishing up your home. Although a clean bathroom or freshly painted kitchen ceiling do not increase the value of your house substantially, they improve the overall impression of your house and thus help to convince hesitant buyers.

Remember, the better your house looks, the more people will consider buying it, the more quickly you will get it sold and the higher the price you will eventually get for it. Sounds good, doesn't it?

Repairs

Address any major and minor faults in the house, things that you actually wanted to do ages ago but never had the time to tackle:

  • Get rid of damp and dry rot
  • Check that all the doors and windows open smoothly
  • Fix the roof
  • Replace dead light bulbs
  • Fix dripping taps
  • Mend loose or broken handles
  • Check that all cupboards and drawers open and shut well
  • Make sure that your doorbell works
  • Stick peeling bits of wallpaper back to the wall
  • Fill small cracks with a thin layer of filler and sand them down
  • Paint over any dirty patches on the wall

Refurbishments

Nowadays, many people are too busy or too lazy to undertake any major revamping after having bought a house. Therefore, you will be able to attract much more interest with a nicely done-up property. Use neutral cream colours and refrain from eccentric design ideas.

A cost-effective way of getting the most out of your renovation is to play to the property's strength. Refurbish open fireplaces or ceiling ornaments. Emphasise large windows, high ceilings and wooden floors.

Outside Edge

The first thing a potential buyer will see of your house is its exterior. Follow the same approach as inside and make sure that everything is clean, tidy and in a good state of repair. This includes doing up your garden, steps, front door, elevator and whatever else there is between the street and your front door. Make sure that there is no rubbish lying around and that the neighbour's dog has not used your front garden as a loo again.

Clean & Tidy

Doing a bit of cleaning before you show your place to others does not involve any costs, but is extremely effective. Potential buyers will feel much more comfortable in a tidy and well-groomed house, and it will look more spacious, too.

Tidying the place and getting rid of the accumulated junk of the past years will make it much easier to clean too. Bathrooms and kitchens especially should be clean and hygienic. Remove any lime-scale and greasy remnants of past meals. Washing your carpets and curtains will do miracles to a house, and cleaning the windows is not a bad idea, either.

Find a Home Improvement Professional

To find a home improvement professional in your area please visit www.homepro.com.