If you’re looking to sell your house, now is the time to get it prepped and ready to go on the market! With the holiday period over and spring on the horizon, keen homebuyers will be on the hunt for their future home.
So, to assist you in your efforts to grab their interest, we’ve compiled a list of some simple ways you can help get your house market-ready.
1. Declutter
We’ve all heard of spring cleaning, but why not get a jump start this January and start decluttering your home to help refresh and reset for the New year. As you clear up after Christmas and start to haul the decorations back to the attic it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the amount of stuff you have accrued – particularly if you’ve had an especially bountiful Christmas. So, out with the old in with the new.
As you start to think about selling your home, you’ll want to make sure you are clearing down your space, not only to give your house a less cluttered look for prospective buyers but to help prepare for when you eventually are ready to move.
2. Deep clean
Once you’ve decluttered, why not take the next step and give your home a thorough deep clean?
After you’ve cleared down the additional boxes and knick-knacks occupying your space, some of the long unseen, dusty crevices of your home may become more apparent. But a bit of dusting and surface cleaning can help make all the difference!
Approach the home with fresh eyes and put yourself in the mind of a potential buyer. Could the grouting use a scrub? Are the door frames looking a bit grubby? Here’s your chance to whip out the lemon scented cleaner to provide a fresh-scented start to the year.
3. Fix and repair
In your decluttering and cleaning efforts you may have come across a couple of minor repair jobs that you were definitely going to get around to.
Take the opportunity to mend that wonky hinge, get the stuck drawer fixed, or patch up that bit of plaster. If it’s something that annoys or stands out to you, the likelihood is, it will also be an issue for prospective buyers.
4. A fresh lick of paint
A fresh coat of paint can do a world of good! While you don’t have to change all your walls to a neutral shade, fresh paint can help transform a room, even if it’s the same colour.
Over time the paint may have started to fade or pick up marks and having a lick of paint will help to clear up any stains or imperfections you may have missed.
5. Replace outdated lighting or fixtures
If you’re looking to sell your home, it’s unlikely that you are going to spend a large amount of money leading up to this. However, if you’re worried about the house looking a bit too tired or outdated to attract a new buyer, then you may want to consider updating some of the hardware or fixtures around the home. This could be as simple as replacing the door handles or light fixtures.
6. Update the kitchen and bathroom
When perusing a home for sale the kitchen and bathroom are often the cornerstone rooms of the house that will help a buyer make their decision, so you want to make sure they’re presented in the best light. While understandably a full gut and renovation may not be on the cards, there are several things that you can do to spruce them up without breaking the bank.
This can be as simple as adding that fresh lick of paint, updating the faucet and hardware in the bathroom, or perhaps you may consider refreshing the flooring. If you have some egregiously coloured tiling or worn out flooring, installing some new laminate or vinyl could make a world of difference to the overall appearance, and can be quite cost effective, particularly in a smaller bathroom or kitchen.
7. Increase your curb appeal
Yes, it’s January and everything may look a bit grey and bleak, but the front of your house shouldn’t!
If you want to attract homebuyers, it’s best to catch their interest before they even walk through the door. So, pull out that jet wash, prune back the shrubs and make sure your home looks inviting the minute they step out of their car to view it.
8. Garden
In a similar vein, though winter may mean that your garden isn’t at its efflorescent best, putting in the effort to make sure it’s still presentable this time of year is important, perhaps even more so.
With the bulk of plants dying back for the colder months, this may expose any problem areas. This is the perfect time to ensure you’re fixing up that fence line, tidying up your hedgerows and giving the garden a general tidy up ahead of putting it on the market.
9. Give each room a purpose
Whether it’s using the spare bedroom as an office or using the end of the dining room as a makeshift laundry area, many of us use the space inside our homes for multiple functions. However, when looking to sell, it’s encouraged to revert these areas back to their key functions so that the space has an identifiable purpose for prospective buyers.
If the house is listed as a 3-bedroom property, make it clear that there is the space in that third bedroom, as it is sometimes difficult to envision the space without that visual representation.
10. Make sure you’re up to date with your certificates
If you’re looking to put your house on the market, there are some key things you will be required to present to the buyer in order to sell. Therefore, the time is nigh to get your documents in order to ensure you a swift sales process with no delays later down the line.
You may be asked to provide a gas safety certificate and an electrical certificate for the property, which if you have been renting you may already have an up-to date copy of. Gas safety certificates are usually renewed annually, and electrical certificates are recommended do be checked every 10 years. Although these are not legally required, your buyer may request these anyway and you may therefore want to consider having these issued ahead of time.
In comparison an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) is a legal requirement and needs to be available to potential buyers as soon the property is marketed.
Find out more about EPC’s and how to arrange for an EPC assessment here.