Articles LifestyleHome & Garden5 top tips to sell your home
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5 top tips to sell your home

By Rachel - Silversurfers Assistant Editor Mar 17, 2015

The old adage of ‘you can only make a first impression once’ has never been more accurate than when you are trying to sell your home.

Preparing, or as it’s called in the business, ‘staging’, is essential to understand if you really want to entice anyone viewing and even the smallest changes can turn any deal breaker into a dealmaker.

So if you’re looking to sell, here are the five tips to prepare your home.

1. Kerb appeal

As important as getting the interior of your home correct, you will want any potential buyer to be wowed before they have even stepped inside and there are a few simple things that can make the journey from the kerb to the front door as inviting as possible.

The path leading to the front door should be swept of leaves and any loose paving stones should be repaired and pressure washed to remove any grime or dirt.

Your garden needn’t be bursting with plant life but you should ensure that it’s trim and tidy and adding a little bit foliage will show off the potential of the space without overwhelming the area.

And lastly adding a new coat of paint to your front door will really brighten your entrance and giving all of your windows a cleaned, with the frames repainted if necessary, is a must to show that you are serious about selling your home.

2. De-clutter

This may seem obvious but clearing out all of the clutter that has gathered around your house is a must. From jackets hanging at the back of your doors to the magazines and opened post that may cover your coffee or dining tables, all this clutter will only serve to give a bad impression of your home and make it feel so much smaller than it is.

Any potential buyers need to be able to see your home as their own, they have to be able to picture where their sofa will go and how they will organise the hall and the best way of doing this is to keep all areas as free of clutter as possible.

If you want to go one step further you could consider repainting in beige as it creates a neutral atmosphere and is perfect for any visitor to envision how they could redesign the space.

3. Make it homely

Most potential buyers are not looking for a house but a home and you can showcase this by making your own property as warm and welcoming as possible. Adding mirrors to the hall will not only make the space appear larger but will also bring in more sunlight creating a warm atmosphere.

Also never underestimate the power of smell. Freshly baked bread or cake can create a wonderful homely aroma that can really make your home stand out from the crowd but if baking isn’t your forte, you could just pop on a fresh pot of coffee or even just place some lemon juice mixed with water around your home before the viewer arrives.

4. Take care of your kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of any home and is the most important room to get right. If you feel its seen better days you could consider replacing the whole room as it can add value and saleability for the entire house.

But if you’re working to a budget, you could consider refacing the cabinet doors or even only replacing the cupboard handles which can be an effective way of breathing some life into a tired kitchen

Also don’t forget to leave out a bowl of fruit as it will add a lovely splash of colour and scent into your home.

5. No Pets

Removing all evidence of your pets including their bowls, baskets and litter trays is essential as well as making sure the pets themselves are not in your home during a viewing.  This may seem drastic but your home must remain neutral in all ways, so you must assume that any visitor is allergic or is not a pet lover so they will not take away any negative connotations from their visit.

By doing this you’ll also avoid any chance of your carpets being stained with grubby paw marks and even if the viewers are pet lovers, you don’t want them to be distracted from your home!

Do you have any house selling tips?

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Rachel - Silversurfers Assistant Editor

Hello there! I’m Rachel and I’m the Assistant Editor for Silversurfers. I work behind the scenes to bring interesting, informative and entertaining subject matter to the Silversurfers community. I hope you enjoy the features we have shared with you. Please feel free to comment below and share your thoughts with us, we love to hear from you!

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