Quick walk-up DIY wins that will help you sell your property

More landlords are expanding than reducing their portfolios in the current climate, but selling needs just as much care. And selling your home in today’s financial climate is no small feat. With so much competition even the smallest detail can mean the difference between months of waiting and getting on with your move. Often the updates required to tip the scales are relatively small in the great scheme of DIY, which is why Yale front doors UK have outlined their top 5 tips to ensuring you get as quick a sale as possible.

Change Your Shoes

Step out of your shoes and step into the shoes of a potential buyer. Next time you come home from work, park the car and take some time looking at your house from across the street. What stands out? Are there things that would scare off a potential buyer or does it look warm and inviting?

Everything you do after you have decided to sell your property, should work towards improving this first impression. Be objective, not subjective. Remember, it‘s not your home anymore, it’s a show home.

Be Nosy

Potential buyers often get to a property early, so that they can snoop around without the estate agent on their back. Imagine that you are the buyer, snooping around your garden, looking in through the windows. Is there rubbish floating around the garden? Does the living room look clean and tidy from the outside? Are the windows clean? Buyers will also look at the neighbours’ houses to see what kind of people they would be living next to. Make sure that you are keeping up with the Joneses, or your property may look cheap and run down in comparison.

All of these things add to people’s first impressions and most potential buyers will make up their mind about a property, before they even step inside!

Outdoor Lighting

Potential buyers often drive around the area they want to move to after they finish work, looking for houses with “for sale” signs. This means that their first impressions are often based on seeing the house in the dark. If your property looks like some kind of dark and dangerous haunted house, it’s unlikely that they will get that warm glowing feeling inside or want to come back to see it again.

To brighten up your home and make it more appealing, install some simple low-voltage lighting and use it to enhance any strong features. This could include a beautiful front porch or a well landscaped footpath which leads to your front door.

Remember that the lighting is meant to make your home look warm, safe and exciting. Try to avoid overly powerful lights, you don’t want to make your home look like a football pitch.

Upgrade and Enhance

It’s hard to be objective with our own homes, but we have to be when trying to sell. Take note of the very first thing you notice. If it is a good thing, like a beautiful bed of flowers, try to come up with ideas and ways to enhance that feature. Is there room for more flowers and plants?

If the first thing you notice is a big ugly stain of rust coming from old hanging basket brackets, make a note to remind yourself to take it down and paint the house. Don’t just paint over the stains, paint the whole house.

Is there mould growing on the front door? Maybe you could clean it off or simply buy a new composite door. They are cheaper than you think and when you consider that every potential buyer will enter through the front door, it really could make a huge difference to their first impressions.

Don’t take short cuts when upgrading your home. If you’re going to do it, do it properly. You may not be keen to spend money on your property knowing that you plan to leave soon, but remember, if you don’t, you may never sell it!

Remove Your Signature

When people visit a house that they are considering buying, there want to be able to imagine themselves and their family living there. This can be very difficult to do when all of your possessions are spread out all over the place.

Remove any personal items which may interfere with the painting they are trying to paint in their heads. This may mean taking down your Liverpool football flag or any OTT family portraits. Try to keep things neutral, so they don’t feel like they are intruding on somebody else’s home.
Another little tip is to leave the drive way clear. A potential buyer should be imagining their car in the driveway, removing your car will make this easier for them.

Quick Tips for Better Curb Appeal

• If you really can’t afford a new front door, make sure to clean any mould or moss off and to polish the hardware. There are no excuses.
• If you have a front gate to your property, make sure it is well varnished and kept well oiled. Nobody likes a rusty old gate!
• You do not have to completely re-landscape your garden but you should at very least make sure that the footpath is de-weeded and that the lawn is mown and maintained. You have to do this until the day you sell the property.
• A small amount of money can buy you some beautiful flowers to put in the window. This produces all the right connotations and will make your home all that more welcoming.

These hints and tips on selling your property were brought to you by Yale front doors UK. All Yale doors come in a variety of period styles, are police approved and adhere to strict environmental code.

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