FIVE QUICK WAYS TO SPRUCE THINGS UP IF YOU'RE SELLING YOUR HOME
I've noticed that many of my friends in real life and online are thinking about selling the family home to move onto the next phase of life now the kids have left the nest. Some want a sea change or tree change, some want to be closer to their grandkids, some are choosing to downsize, some have even decided to upsize for when the kids and grandkids come to visit (we were one of those!) Regardless of what you choose to move onto, having your current home in top shape makes the sales process so much simpler and more straightforward.Today on the blog I have a guest post collaboration sharing some great tips on ways to make your house appealing to a buyer and ready for a quick sale......
GETTING YOUR HOUSE READY FOR SALE
If you're thinking about downsizing or changing where you live now that your children have flown the coop and you're ready to enjoy your retirement, then there are a few different ways you can improve your potential sale price. If you're selling your home, you need to know all the tips and tricks to maximise the price and feather your empty nest.CLEAR OUT
You might love your knick-knacks, but potential buyers want to see a neat, uncluttered space. It's the best way to give them a canvas they can project their own belongings and lifestyle on. The benefit of having a clear-out is it saves you time when it comes to packing. You can also pack up the knick-knacks you plan to take. It's going to streamline the moving process and give potential buyers a space they can imagine themselves in.
PAINTING
Painting is a quick and easy win – it's incredible how much new paint can transform the look of your home. Whether you are looking to give the home exterior a new coat of paint, or completely repaint the interior, a professional painter will have the job done in no time at all. Af fresh coat of paint is an affordable option when compared to how much it can maximise your sale price. Opting for a professional paint job can add as much as 5% to your resale value.
TIDY THE GARDEN
Start with a general tidy-up – if there's a shed, it might be a good idea to sand and paint it. Clear out broken or rundown garden furniture. If you have dead areas, clear them out and plant some bright, fresh flowers. Think about how landscaping might create attractive spaces throughout the garden. Don't be afraid to experiment with plants, timber, stones, and pots, or some new outdoor seating to elevate the space.
HEAD OFF THE BUILDING INSPECTOR
It's possible to find out in advance and know exactly what the building inspector looks at, so don't wait for them to find faults. To be prepared and ready, you can grab a checklist that comprehensively covers all the bases and start looking at what you can fix before the inspection.
KITCHEN & BATHROOM FACELIFT
The kitchen and bathroom are typically the most popular and most expensive renovation jobs a homeowner can embark on. You don't need to rip your bathroom and kitchen out and start again, but you can give them a lift by giving your cabinetry a fresh coat of paint, and upgrading tapware and other fixtures.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
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We are in the only home PC and I have lived in since we married in 2008. At that time, we had 2 children at home. Now we are empty nesters but have family who comes to visit. 360 days a year we need about half the space we have but on those other 5 days, we really need those bathrooms and bedrooms. We are going to have some of the carpet taken up in halls, common areas and on the stairs and replacing it with vinyl laminate. Hope that will be a good idea for the big picture when it comes time to sell. Thanks for these tips. I hope to move only once more...into a retirement community when that time comes.
ReplyDeleteHi Leslie - we're the same, our house is far bigger than we need, but when the kids come to stay and the grandgirls are here, every little bit of extra room is a godsend. We're planning on staying put until it's time to downsize to retirement living or something similar too. I keep reminding my husband that we need to keep things in good shape so that when the time comes it will be a smooth transition and not a mad panic.
DeleteWe did all of these things prior to selling our home. Hiring an inspector was a huge help, as we avoided potential 'deal breakers' by fixing things prior to receiving a contract. Clearing the clutter and fresh paint are also great tips. No one wants to see your collectables or even family photos and dingy walls are a sure turnoff. Unless your price reflects 'fixer upper', follow the advice in this post!
ReplyDeleteHi Suzanne - well said! I'm always amazed at the difference a coat of paint makes (whether you're selling or not). We don't plan to move, but have been discussing the need for a freshen up soon - and getting rid of clutter makes everything seem larger and airier. Family photos (and those 'bedroom glamour shots' that some women have on the wall!) are also good to take down just for the privacy element alone.
DeleteI've already started planting a little bug in my husband's ear that we should sell our house once our boys move out as we live in a huge house that even now feels a bit too big for us. I'm hopeful I can get him to swap out climates too for something just a little warmer with less winter snow and ice.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne - we lived on 2 acres for 23 years with our kids and when our youngest left home to go to uni it was just the incentive we needed to get away from all the extra maintenance and to move to somewhere a little more suited to two middle aged people. The house size is much the same to allow for visits - but there's a LOT less lawn to mow and no trees to fall on the house!
DeleteHi, Leanne - Currently we do not have any plans to move in the near future (at least I don't think that we do) :D but these are excellent tips to keep in mind!
ReplyDeleteAs I was putting the post together I thought that they made sense just for maintaining your home in a well kept state and having it feel like a haven rather than letting it deteriorate over time. If you live in the same home for decades you really do need to put in a bit of effort now and then to keep it fresh and welcoming.
DeleteHi Leanne - No plans to sell the apartment that we are living in now. We have been here since 2004. Many people who moved into the apartment complex at that time or even later have sold and moved to other locations. However, I haven't felt any need to do that. So, staying put here itself.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I enjoyed reading this good list of must-dos. I am sure it will be of great help to anyone who is planning to sell their house.
Hi Pradeep - we have no plans to move either, but the tips were a great reminder for me to keep the house fresh and in good repair. Allowing clutter to build up and not doing regular maintenance adds to the stress of every day life - and makes everything harder when we do eventually sell.
DeleteGreat tips! We will be moving on from our home at some stage. I love our house but not so much where it's located (very close to a school). We want to move somewhere quieter and with more nature around us (it's more me actually lol). We renovated our kitchen but both bathrooms need sprucing. When the time comes I'd planned on packing away a lot of my knick-knacks and yes the garden will get a spruce up too. I dread the actually selling part though. I find it so intrusive having people come to look through at a moments notice and trying to keep things perfect is a pain. Not looking forward to it. Last time we sold was in 2007!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel! The last time we sold was 2009 and fortunately we're not planning on moving for another decade or so. Still, we do feel the need to keep things nice and to be ready if there was a change and we needed to do something sooner - a coat of paint and a freshen up of the kitchen/bathrooms/garden can make a huge difference. I also figure that the more appealing your house is, the quicker it sells and the quicker all that intrusion is over and you can move on...
DeleteIt wasn't our forever home, but we did some huge work when we sold our house in Sweden. We had lived there for 7 years. When we bought the house it was because it was colourful and quirky, and it had lots of space, but it could be hard to sell because of the quirkiness because Swedish people love everything white and boring. So we redecorated a lot of the rooms, in lighter colours, and we finished the work in the garden - that was an ongoing work in progress since we moved in because the first thing that happened was that we need to redo the drainage around the house foundation which means most of your garden will be demolished. We did a lot of good work there (and now we're doing it again in Ireland!).
ReplyDeleteTo put the house on the market then, we actually hired a designer, to tell us how much stuff to remove, and then they would do those extra fixes to prep for photos and to show off the house to potential buyers. I took some photos after they had done their work, to get some design ideas! I like uncluttered areas very much. We're far from having the possibility for no clutter, but maybe in the future we'll get closer to it. For now, the house is a constant building/renovation site.
However, I believe we got a good price on the Swedish house for all the work and investment before selling.
Hi Susanne - I completely agree that making your home appealing to a wider range of buyers is definitely a smart move. I think that's why a clean, uncluttered and light coloured decor always seems to work well. We don't have a lot of clutter - we're both pretty minimal, but I'm sure there'd still be a lot of personal stuff that would get put away when the time comes to sell. I bet there'll also be some painting and gardening that'll happen too! The longer you live somewhere, the more you grow accustomed to it and the more you need to have a fresh set of eyes (like your designer) to give you a clearer picture of what works for a quick sale.
DeleteYes to all of the above...and yes to my husband being the main person who did all of the work. Our house, new when we moved in 1998, had quite a few changes made by us due to extensions and other good ad-ons, but by the time 2013 came, my husband who is a cabinet maker, knew we needed the kitchen re-done and painting everywhere. We had not yet planned the sale but both of us knew over time, the changes were happening. So, by the time we were ready to interview and agent, we had already decluttered and sold/given away. The agent, who sold at a higher price (we could not have imagined it in 2014) was brutal but spot on with his advice and we followed it. I am still proud of the professional photos from the For Sale shots.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being part of the Wednesday’s Words and Pics group with your post this week. It’s the last link up for 2022 next Wednesday, 21 December, and I hope you get to add a post again! The link up returns on Wednesday 4 January 2023. Warmest wishes, Denyse.
Hi Denyse - I've heard that an updated kitchen and bathroom can make a huge difference to the sale price - and also following the advice of the real estate agent helps because it's what they specialize in - and the more money they make for you, the more they make in commission - so it's a win/win if they can give you good advice - and if you're smart enough to follow it - it certainly paid off for you. x
DeleteGreat advice, Leanne. I didn't know you were interested in real estate. I've always loved looking at houses since I was a little girl. My dad became a realtor and so did my husband.
ReplyDeleteWe are in the process of selling. Vince is a retired realtor, so he worked hard to do all of the tips you mentioned to update the home. It's Christmas, so our table is now decorated and set with Christmas dishes. This is the link to my post with the video of our house. http://alwayswrite.blog/2022/11/23/wqw-45-thanksgiving-gratitude/ if anyone needs a house in Prescott, AZ, LOL!
Showings and offers are slow because of the snow, the season, and probably the slowing market. However, there are very few homes in our home's price bracket. Price is another important aspect of selling. Sellers are emotionally connected to their homes, so it is important to have a reality check with the realtor. :)
Hi Marsha - I remember looking at the video walk through of your home and thinking how lovely and saleable it looked. It's getting harder now that the market is slowing. My brother is planning on listing his house in the next few weeks and I'm betting he wished he'd gotten onto it a few months earlier when homes were being snapped up almost overnight. Still, he's done all the right things to prepare for sale - culling the majority of his "collectables", repainting, tidying the garden etc.
DeleteI love looking at other homes in the neighbourhood for sale online - it'll be a while before we decide to move on and it's a bit of a relief because it's quite a stressful time isn't it?
Oh my goodness Leanne. Our house went up for sale just before COVID shut the world down in 2020. We remained on the market for 2 years before our work transfer got pulled and we didn't need to sell. We tried so many things from re-painting, and decluttering, we even paid to lay new carpet in the basement and let the real estate agent pick it for us . . . The list goes on; it just wasn't in the cards for us. Living in a house when it is for sale is a challenge.
ReplyDeleteHi Shari - that would have been a nightmare time to have been trying to sell a house - it could have been carpeted with cash and still been hard to find a buyer! Maybe things were meant to work out this way, but it would have been so stressful trying to keep things tidy and ready for last minute requests for a viewing. I bet you were relieved when you took it off the market.
DeleteWow. This is a big step (handy hints in post tho). I would be interested in a post on the emotional side. My husband gave me '10 years notice' that we would move. Then mentioned a beachside suburb. I just thought he was insane. As much as I love the beach, I'm a city mouse. But I guess as I age maybe the stuff I do now will be physically too hard. I don't know. It will be harder than menopause for me, I think, that whole retirement thing (not the work aspect, the rest of it). And with all that emotional spiral, I wish you a Happy Christmas and enjoy the holidays!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Lydia - we're your husband and you in reverse! I've just started giving my husband the 10 year warning that we're going to need to downsize before we get too old - I'm thinking by mid-70's (he's thinking mid 80's!) Making a big move is so daunting but a friend told me that every marriage should have a forward planner so that you are prepared for things down the track - rather than reacting and regretting later when a change is needed. Enjoy your Christmas and we'll both stay put for now!
DeleteHi Leanne, These are great tips to follow before selling a home. Even though I have no plan to move atm, I do regular home maintenance to keep the house clean, tidy and in good repair. Thank you for your weekend coffee share. Happy holidays to you and your family. See you in 2023.
ReplyDeleteHi Natalie - I think that's really the key - keeping your home up to date and fresh. It's nice to live in a maintained home and it gives us more value if we've enjoyed the improvements rather than just doing them to sell our house. Enjoy your Christmas and I'll be back for coffee next year :)
DeleteGreat tips Leanne. At one time I thought it would be neat to be a real estate photographer.
ReplyDelete