When selling a house, you always want to entice a buyer to make a higher offer. You can add significant value to your home ahead of putting it on the market by making a few small changes

The value is in the detail| Published in Tips on 21 April 2017 by our Marketing Team

This article is over 9 years old

It’s hard to please everyone when decorating your home and it’s especially difficult to know what a prospective buyer will be looking for. It’s best to play it safe when it comes to décor – neutral, light colours are the most popular with buyers and are more likely to draw in offers. Tip: If you still want to keep some colour in your home whilst going through the selling process, do this with your soft furnishings. It’s much easier for potential buyers to see past these if they have different taste.

Bring in the light

The brighter the space is, the more attractive it is to buyers. If you usually have heavy curtains that cover a lot of the window, switch these for lighter curtains which will allow more light into the room. Nice patio doors leading to the garden or bi-folding doors make a huge difference too – they can open up the room and create a sense of space.

Tip: Try to book viewings during the day, your home will be brighter and your visitors are less likely to be tired and fed up after a day at work.

Clear the space

People looking around your home want to be able to envisage their belongings in it, that’s very hard to do when they can’t see most of the floor for kids’ toys or if you have a pile of washing on the arm chair. Hide it away, even if it’s in the bottom of your wardrobe or under the bed. Make the space a blank canvas and a new family are more likely to imagine themselves living there.

Tip: Even storage boxes look messy so pack these away if you can. It’s rare that anybody asks to see the loft and nobody expects a garage to be tidy so they’re your best options.

Spice up the kitchen

Although neutral walls are definitely the way to go, don’t be afraid to add a pop of colour in the kitchen. There’s no need to go to the expense of a whole new kitchen to make your home more attractive, you can simply refurbish the units you already have. From a lick of paint to new handles, there are plenty of ways to do this without breaking the bank.

Tip: If your cupboards aren’t suitable for painting, you can buy self-adhesive vinyl film to stick over out-dated units that looks great for a short-term fix.

Put up a good front

The better the outside of your property looks, the more likely it is that somebody will want to see the inside – first impressions count for a lot. A wooden front door is more attractive than PVC and a new coat of paint around window and door frames will always make the outside of the house look better. Symmetry is really popular with prospective buyers so two shrubs either side of the door or driveways will subconsciously appeal to visitors.

Tip: Hang a nice wreath from the front door, these are not just for Christmas and you can but some great variations throughout the year that will just make your house feel that little bit more special to a buyer.

Boiler works

If you can afford to, replace your boiler with the latest model you can before putting your house on the market. This is really attractive to new buyers and shows them that you are thinking of their long-term future in the house. If you can’t stretch to a full new boiler, it’s definitely worth getting your current boiler serviced and any necessary repairs done. A warm house is a happy house.

Tip: People often forget about radiators when decorating but if they are shabby it can really have a detrimental effect on a room. Tidy these up but make sure you use paint made specifically for radiators.

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