10 Ways to Dazzle Buyers This Spring
Planning on selling your home in the coming months? Maximise your chances by making your house attractive to potential buyers
Spring is a key time in the property market and, thankfully, it’s easier to make your home look sparkling and inviting when the sun’s shining. Use the warmer weather and longer days to prepare your home for sale following these tried and tested tricks that don’t cost much, but make a world of difference. The sooner you sell, the sooner you can be moving to your new home.
Pep up your porch and hallway
Once they cross the threshold, your buyers need to see your home is clean, tidy and has plenty of space. Store your coats, shoes, buggies or bikes out of sight. If you have room, a console table with a pair of lamps and a large mirror is a classic way to show your home is spacious and attractive.
Do watch out for any unpleasant odours from pets, shoes or strong cooking smells. Don’t try to mask smells with a spray air freshener. Instead, remove the source of the problem, clean thoroughly, air your space and use a room diffuser or scented candle to create a luxurious and welcoming scent for your visitors.
See 10 easy ways to pep up a tired hallway
Once they cross the threshold, your buyers need to see your home is clean, tidy and has plenty of space. Store your coats, shoes, buggies or bikes out of sight. If you have room, a console table with a pair of lamps and a large mirror is a classic way to show your home is spacious and attractive.
Do watch out for any unpleasant odours from pets, shoes or strong cooking smells. Don’t try to mask smells with a spray air freshener. Instead, remove the source of the problem, clean thoroughly, air your space and use a room diffuser or scented candle to create a luxurious and welcoming scent for your visitors.
See 10 easy ways to pep up a tired hallway
Deal with the little jobs
Attend to any little defects and unfinished projects. Your buyers will notice these subtle visual hints at damage or neglect, even subconsciously.
You may struggle to see the chips in the paintwork or scuffs on the woodwork, so before you get the estate agents round, take lots of photos from different angles and really scrutinise the not-so-smart areas of your home. List everything that needs to be done, then either tackle all the odd jobs yourself, or hire a handyman or decorator.
Remember, your buyer may be put off by signs of neglect or poor maintenance and either walk away or make a low offer.
Attend to any little defects and unfinished projects. Your buyers will notice these subtle visual hints at damage or neglect, even subconsciously.
You may struggle to see the chips in the paintwork or scuffs on the woodwork, so before you get the estate agents round, take lots of photos from different angles and really scrutinise the not-so-smart areas of your home. List everything that needs to be done, then either tackle all the odd jobs yourself, or hire a handyman or decorator.
Remember, your buyer may be put off by signs of neglect or poor maintenance and either walk away or make a low offer.
Cull the clutter
Bathrooms should be ordered and tidy. There should be plenty of storage to stash all your everyday toiletries, leaving space to display clean white fluffy towels, scented candles and pretty jars and soaps.
The better you make your house look for the photos, open house or viewings, the quicker it will sell, so stash your bits and bobs out of sight – and always put the loo seat down!
Bathrooms should be ordered and tidy. There should be plenty of storage to stash all your everyday toiletries, leaving space to display clean white fluffy towels, scented candles and pretty jars and soaps.
The better you make your house look for the photos, open house or viewings, the quicker it will sell, so stash your bits and bobs out of sight – and always put the loo seat down!
Create a welcoming feel
Depending on the time of year and time of day, use soft lighting and a lit fire to create a cosy feel. If it’s a warm, sunny day, pull back the curtains wide and open the windows to let in fresh air.
Add cut seasonal flowers, ideally from your garden, to really impress the buyers.
Depending on the time of year and time of day, use soft lighting and a lit fire to create a cosy feel. If it’s a warm, sunny day, pull back the curtains wide and open the windows to let in fresh air.
Add cut seasonal flowers, ideally from your garden, to really impress the buyers.
Make your kitchen count
The kitchen is a key room for potential buyers. You’ve probably heard the old adage, ‘kitchens sell houses’, so make sure yours looks as smart, clean and modern as possible.
It’s generally not worth installing a new kitchen when you know you’re going to be selling, but consider updating tiles or worktops, or re-grouting and sealing to make your kitchen look well maintained.
Update your existing kitchen without spending a fortune
The kitchen is a key room for potential buyers. You’ve probably heard the old adage, ‘kitchens sell houses’, so make sure yours looks as smart, clean and modern as possible.
It’s generally not worth installing a new kitchen when you know you’re going to be selling, but consider updating tiles or worktops, or re-grouting and sealing to make your kitchen look well maintained.
Update your existing kitchen without spending a fortune
Go for the boutique hotel look
Bedrooms are actually pretty easy rooms with which to make an impact. Provided you have a suitable-size bed for the space and a pair of matching bedside tables and lamps, the rest is more or less about dressing the bed. Make it first, of course!
Home stagers and interior designers generally dress rooms with crisp white bed linen, a stack of fat pillows and a nice plump duvet to match. By then adding a bedspread and co-ordinating cushions, the room can be styled and updated very inexpensively, accessorising based on the existing colours in the room.
Again, make sure the room has been cleaned, tidied and had a good airing before viewings and your buyers will dream of moving in.
Get more ideas by browsing these traditional bedrooms.
Bedrooms are actually pretty easy rooms with which to make an impact. Provided you have a suitable-size bed for the space and a pair of matching bedside tables and lamps, the rest is more or less about dressing the bed. Make it first, of course!
Home stagers and interior designers generally dress rooms with crisp white bed linen, a stack of fat pillows and a nice plump duvet to match. By then adding a bedspread and co-ordinating cushions, the room can be styled and updated very inexpensively, accessorising based on the existing colours in the room.
Again, make sure the room has been cleaned, tidied and had a good airing before viewings and your buyers will dream of moving in.
Get more ideas by browsing these traditional bedrooms.
Tame the toddler (or teenage) bedrooms
Children’s rooms can be a bit of a clutter zone, and even downright hazardous, with errant dinosaurs and toy cars to tread on.
Two key things here – have nothing that will offend potential buyers, such as dodgy teenage posters or piles of stale laundry, and show there’s no problem with storage. Recruit the kids to have a good clear-out and donate anything they’ve outgrown or won’t read, watch or listen to again, then ruthlessly stow everything else away. Again, a good airing is always essential before viewings.
Children’s rooms can be a bit of a clutter zone, and even downright hazardous, with errant dinosaurs and toy cars to tread on.
Two key things here – have nothing that will offend potential buyers, such as dodgy teenage posters or piles of stale laundry, and show there’s no problem with storage. Recruit the kids to have a good clear-out and donate anything they’ve outgrown or won’t read, watch or listen to again, then ruthlessly stow everything else away. Again, a good airing is always essential before viewings.
Define your dining room
Thanks to open-plan living, dining rooms often become the home office, playroom or an extended zone of the living room or kitchen. A dining table and chairs, dressed as a dining table and not a desk, will create the impression of a relaxed lifestyle, where you have time to dine together as a family and plenty of space in which to do so.
Add a simple table runner and a vase of flowers and you’ll be setting the scene for your buyers to imagine future dinner parties here.
Thanks to open-plan living, dining rooms often become the home office, playroom or an extended zone of the living room or kitchen. A dining table and chairs, dressed as a dining table and not a desk, will create the impression of a relaxed lifestyle, where you have time to dine together as a family and plenty of space in which to do so.
Add a simple table runner and a vase of flowers and you’ll be setting the scene for your buyers to imagine future dinner parties here.
Create an outdoor lifestyle
When your home is on the market, you want to encourage potential buyers to see themselves living there. They want to imagine relaxation, socialising and barbecues in the garden.
Help them visualise their new life and show your garden as a practical space in which to sit, play and watch the sunset with a bottle of something chilled. That means get the garden pruned, tidied and planted. A little outlay early in the spring will reap the rewards as soon as the sun warms up. Oh, and don’t forget the allure of freshly cut grass: who doesn’t love that smell?
TELL US…
Do you have any top tips for selling a home? Please share them in the Comments below.
When your home is on the market, you want to encourage potential buyers to see themselves living there. They want to imagine relaxation, socialising and barbecues in the garden.
Help them visualise their new life and show your garden as a practical space in which to sit, play and watch the sunset with a bottle of something chilled. That means get the garden pruned, tidied and planted. A little outlay early in the spring will reap the rewards as soon as the sun warms up. Oh, and don’t forget the allure of freshly cut grass: who doesn’t love that smell?
TELL US…
Do you have any top tips for selling a home? Please share them in the Comments below.
Set the tone for your buyers with a beautiful front garden and exterior. Whether you have a driveway, a small garden or a large landscaped frontage, make it look the absolute best it can for the time of year. In spring, add bedding plants in hanging baskets or tubs, and make sure you have a well-trimmed hedge and lawn.
Fix that squeaky gate, loose fence panel and ivy in the guttering, too.
Discover thousands of beautiful front garden designs.