Many of us are in self-isolation while we protect ourselves and others from COVID-19. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get things done. In fact, this might be the ideal time to enhance your home’s value. In this article, we’ll provide some ideas.
Some are small tasks and others take more effort and money, so check your budget and see what a difference you can make to your property’s value while you’re stuck at home.
Make a great first impression
The old expression ‘three strikes and you’re out’ relates well to how buyers inspect property. If they see three negative things about your property’s presentation, they’ll tune out.
First impressions are everything. To test this, go outside to your front footpath and examine your property with an objective eye. How good is the presentation of your:
- letterbox
- garden
- gutters
- bargeboards
- lawn
- driveway.
You can probably see things to fix straight away. If your home tends to be a bit dark, don’t forget to prune the bushes and trees to bring more light into the home.
What would be a buyer’s first impression of your home? Well looked after? Or neglected and needing TLC? If it’s the latter, now is the time to change that.
Try these tips to improve your buyer’s first impression:
- Prune the bushes and trees to bring more light into the home.
- Fix any raised brick paving that could be dangerous.
- Scrape back any peeling paint and repaint.
- Place mulch in the garden beds to provide contrast.
- Remove any weeds.
Clean and declutter
This is the time to minimise the clutter in your home – and you need to be ruthless! Buyers are attracted to clean, uncluttered surfaces. So the key is to minimise everything.
Homes actually look larger once all the clutter is removed. The more stuff you have, the smaller the space looks.
Hire a storage room if you need to or ask someone if they have temporary space in their garage.
Don’t take down all your personal photos – you still want to present a home that your buyers can imagine themselves in. Just minimise the number of them.
Add extra room where possible
Buyers have expectations about what they want in a home – the more you can meet them, the more buyers you’ll attract. For example, if you have a four-bedroom home, buyers expect two bathrooms.
If you have two-bedroom, two-bathroom home, they expect another bedroom. If you have a carport, can you make it two carports for families with two cars?
It doesn’t have to be expensive undertaking. Sometimes rooms can be created out of wasted hallways or a bathroom can be built onto the side of the home. We’ve seen an extra bathroom incorporated into a large balcony!
These changes will make a big difference to the final sales price.
Paint the walls
Sometimes, small changes can have a big impact on the feel of a home. If your wall colour is outdated, you could paint a room, or even the whole home, to bring it up to date.
Alternatively, you may only need to patch up some holes and paint over marks. These small jobs are essential for a good first impression.
Re-tile or paint the tiles
Re-tiling a bathroom is expensive, but worth it if it brings more buyers. However, you may be able to use tile paint to achieve a good result at minimal cost.
Also check your shower screens. If they’re old, armoured glass, replace them with transparent safety glass.
You may be able to do small, simple jobs yourself, but make sure you get a professional for larger jobs.
Resurface kitchen doors and benchtops
If your kitchen cupboards and benchtops are outdated, you may not need to replace the whole setup. Often, you can keep the kitchen cupboard carcass and just add new doors and benchtop.
You can choose from stone or composite materials, though stone tops do considerably enhance sale prices.
Update your lights
Check your property for outdated light fittings and replace them with modern ones. Often, changing quartz halogen lights with LEDs can improve the look and the amount of light in the home.
Replace the carpet
If the carpet on stairs and corridors is worn, you could recarpet these areas to improve the property’s presentation. If room carpets are particularly old or damaged, they should be replaced with timber or tiles.
There are many other ways to improve your sales price. If you have any queries or would like assistance with your sale, contact Alan Bourke or anyone from Bourkes on (08) 9474 2000.
