How To Prepare Your Home For A Sale
According to the leading property experts, an economic crisis hit to the property industry is expected next year when the number of house buyers, especially mortgaged buyers and particularly first-time buyers, will drop.
The light “at the end of this tunnel” is going to be on in 2024 – a “year of recovery” as these experts say. They predict that in the fourth quarter of 2024 house prices will be 2% higher than in the same period in 2023. They also predict that house sales across the UK will rise from around 1.1 million next year to 1.2 million in 2024.
There are home owners who would rather keep their houses off the market and gain a waiting list of potential buyers for when everyone is ready to move, beating the mad rush typically associated with a chain. We recommend spending this time to make some improvement certain areas of your house. They will not cost a fortune but will add value, and you can update your off market home profile as you go!
There are four key areas that, we believe, could benefit from some revamping.
The kitchen has always been considered as the heart of the home. For a great number of house buyers this is the first and the main focus.
A whole makeover may not be reasonable when you are selling your house. But such things as giving the walls a new coat of paint, possibly re-tiling, replacing the counters or updating the lighting could and should be considered – the kitchen will look refreshed and undoubtedly increase the number of viewings.
If your kitchen is quite small, it could be a good idea to remove some of the cabinets and replace them with open shelving – it will automatically open up some space and make the kitchen look more modern and spacious.
The bathroom could be one of the selling points, if it is fresh and clean. Again, a whole makeover can be expensive – not what you want if your house is on sale. But a few minor updates will really smarten it up.
We recommend to take the same approach as towards the kitchen – add a fresh paint to the walls, replace the cracked tiles and worn down cabinets, change the shower head and shower curtain. Many modern bathrooms have a glass screen installed instead a shower curtain. Glass screens come in different sizes and forms, large or small, curved or straight, some of them fold when not in use – the choice is yours. The prices vary and can definitely fit within your allocated budget.
The living room is the centre of the home. Here we spend our time together, see friends or chill after a long day at work. It is crucial that it looks inviting and cosy, whether you intend to continue living in the house or list it for sale. There are some things you can do to brighten the living room up, especially when it comes to staging it for house viewings.
In our previous articles, we have brought your attention to the importance of knowing how colours affect our minds – colour psychology. We highly recommend to read it here.
An instant lift up could be achieved by refresh the walls with a coat of light neutral paint. Neutral shades are perfect when it comes down to revitalise an outdated space and make it look bigger and brighter.
Do not forget to declutter the living room before taking photos for an online house description or ahead of any house viewings. Create some happy mood by adding colourful home accessories – bright colours work really well in the neutrally painted environment.
Hallways often get neglected. Usually they are not even in the description of a house for sale, unless they really are spectacular.
We believe that hallways are as important as any other room in the house. They are the first area that potential buyers will walk into, and give that first impression which is extremely important.
There are many simple things you can do to revamp the hallway. They are the most high-traffic area of the house, the potential buyers should be reassured that it is easy to clean and maintain it.
A coat of a stain resistant paint will help keep the walls clean. If space permits, a coat and shoe organisers will help the hallway look tidy and neat.
If replacing the flooring is out of your budget, then you may want to invest in a nice rug.
If you would like to list your home off-market and start gaining a waiting list of buyers for when you are ready to move, download Houso today: