Posted on
Monday, April 6, 2020
Although the current government guidance is for home buyers and sellers to delay house moves while strict measures are in place to fight the coronavirus, this doesn’t stop sellers from putting the groundwork in to get their home ready for a sale once the restrictions are lifted and the lockdown is ended.
What’s more, with the current rise in virtual viewings to enable buyers to view homes remotely, it’s more important than ever that your home looks at its best.
When selling a home, it’s often the case that the small things will count the most. Consequently, getting all those little odd jobs completed, in order for your home to be tip-top before anyone sees it, is one way of upping your chances of a successful sale.
Odd jobs are those tasks you’ve probably put on the backburner for the last few months, those DIY jobs and inconvenient changes that you’ve been actively avoiding. However, getting them out of the way will bring with it a sense of relief and a home that looks the part.
Below, using our experience as independent agents operating in Romford, we explore the areas of the home that will gain most from those unfinished odd jobs being completed.
Bathrooms
Nowadays, most buyers will seeking bathrooms with a boutique, contemporary look – of the sort you might see in a nice hotel or B&B. If your bathroom is currently more old-fashioned in its look and feel (carpet flooring, 80s décor, etc), then it could be a good idea to update your bathroom to provide a fresher, more modern feel.
This could simply be tearing up the carpet and replacing it with tiled, vinyl, laminate, wood effect and rubber flooring instead, bringing your bathroom into the 21st century to attract as large a pool of buyers as possible. Carpets in bathrooms were a popular trend in the 70s and 80s, but that is no longer the case now and is only likely to scare prospective buyers away.
New taps and a modern shower screen/curtain to give off a more modern, stylish vibe might also help. Neither of these additions will cost much and will once again help to improve your sales pitch.
Outdoor space
If your home includes a garden or outside space, it’s important to make as much use of it as you can because of its large appeal to certain types of buyers, including parents with young children and young professionals with busy social lives.
Now is the perfect time, with the warmer spring weather and the current guidelines to stay home as much as possible, for garden maintenance to be carried out to ensure your outdoor space is looking the part for when summer arrives. Luckily, it doesn’t take much time, effort, money or expertise to transform a garden into an inviting looking space.
Mow the lawn, de-weed where you can, plant some shrubs and flowers, and make sure any BBQ areas or decking space you have are clean and tidy. If you have a pond or water feature, ensure you maintain this and keep it in good shape as it could be a real selling point to some buyers.
It could also be a good time to clear out/rearrange the garage or shed, if you have one, to give buyers an idea of how they could transform this space if they so wish.
The kitchen
In recent years, lots of research has suggested that the kitchen is now the most important room in a home and the one prioritised by would-be purchases above all else.
As a result, a sparkling, high-quality, well-maintained kitchen could be the most potent weapon in your sales armoury. Prospective buyers may also pay extra special attention to this room, which makes it doubly important that it looks the part.
A tidy, clean and attractive kitchen will, of course, have far more appeal than an old-fashioned, crumbling one.
The gleaming, ‘just new’ look can be achieved with a thorough clean, while you should also make sure that all fixtures and fittings are in fine working order. New taps, handles and work surfaces could all help to give your kitchen a refresh, and won’t cost nearly as much as you might think. It could also help to transform your kitchen into something that makes buyers look twice.
The kitchen is likely to be the place where many buyers will be spending a lot of time, so it’s vitally important that you get this space right. If you are going to spend time improving any area of your home, to make it ready to sell, the kitchen is the one to concentrate on.
The odds and ends
These are the smaller things which can easily be ignored or overlooked, but are important to ensure your whole property looks its best.
These include simple steps such as making sure windows are free from dirt and dust, ensuring that curtains or blinds are in good condition and that all the light bulbs within the property work properly.
Here at Keys & Lee, we assist buyers, sellers and home movers looking to move up the property ladder in Romford and the surrounding areas. For more information on our services, please contact us on 01708 766 241.
To find out how much your property could be worth in the current marketplace, please request a free and instant online valuation.
