Tips for selling your home quickly

If you are considering selling your home, it’s important to make your home stand out from others to increase the chances of a quick sale at your target price.

Here we look at 15 ways that you can wow potential buyers and increase your chances of selling your home at the asking price – all without breaking the bank!

Interior and exterior lighting

In the winter months, reliable exterior lighting makes a property feel more secure, while lamps in dark indoor corners make your house feel cosier.

Try and make the interior look light and airy in spring and summer. Use wall mirrors to make rooms and hallways look bigger. Exterior lights can illuminate your garden and outdoor living space showing how attractive it is to spend time in during summer.

Clean windows inside and out and replace any broken bulbs to make the property look more attractive overall.

Laundry room

Research shows this is a really popular option for buyers – so if your home has one, it may help sell your property.

A laundry room is ideal for reducing clutter in your main living area, especially if you have a large family and there is washing every day. A laundry room is a separate space where clothes can be hung to dry, ironed, and folded before being put away.

If your home already has one, make the most of it and market it as a selling point. If not, if you have a suitable room or closet or back lobby, consider converting it into a laundry room.

Now read about how to cheaply increase the value of your home

Energy efficient windows and doors

As a selling point this means cheaper energy bills as well as being environmentally friendly. They also keep your home warmer in winter because it’s more difficult for heat to escape. Plus, new windows and doors tend to be more secure than older units.

Although energy efficient windows and doors cost more initially, the extra cost will be recouped in around five years from savings on heating bills.

Patios and decking

If you have an outdoor space, it’s a very good idea to improve the area with decking or a patio. Potential buyers will see it is a place to relax in, or for inviting friends over for a meal – both very attractive selling points.

But remember: any outdoor space needs to be maintained. The garden (and the inevitable weeds!) needs to be kept under control, and decking must be cleaned of stains to remain a selling point. If you have lots of plants that require maintenance, a potential buyer might not necessarily see it as a plus.

Wood or laminate flooring

Wood or laminate flooring gives floors a cleaner look and are easier to maintain. They often last longer than carpet and as long as you maintain them properly, they can last a lifetime.

Flooring is one of the first things a potential buyer will see and if they don’t like what they see, they may use this to push for a discount. Engineered wood flooring is a cheaper alternative to pure hardwood flooring.

Garage space

A garage is an asset in any property because, these days, it’s potentially an extra room that will cost you less than buying a house with an extra bedroom. It’s also a lot cheaper to convert a garage into a bedroom than building an extension.

If your house has a garage, be sure to market it as a key selling point.

Now read: How to sell your home without an estate agent

Outbuildings and sheds

With space at a premium, especially in expensive cities like London, a shed can provide an extra space not only for storing gardening equipment but also potentially as a home office or hobby room.

If you or your partner like to spend time writing or painting, a shed or purpose-built outbuilding can be the ideal space to nurture your muse and this can be an attractive selling point to potential buyers.

Author Roald Dahl famously wrote many of his children’s stories in his shed, and in 2017 former prime minister David Cameron invested in a luxury hut to write his memoirs.

Enhanced broadband and WiFi

Broadband and WiFi are extremely important services, particularly for younger people and people who work from home, and are increasingly a major selling point for buyers.

Of course, the speed of your internet connection is mostly luck of the draw – but if your home is in a Virgin Media or BT Ultrafast area, be sure to emphasise that to potential buyers.

It might also be worth adding internal network connection points and WiFi hubs around the house to impress buyers.

Stainless steel appliances

These add to the wow factor when selling a home, especially if they’re clean and well maintained. However, stainless steel is not particularly easy to clean so use a small amount of baby oil applied with a soft cloth to clean your appliances.

Part of the appeal is that they resemble the type of appliances used in professional restaurant kitchens.

Fireplace

A fireplace has always been a selling point in the UK because of our fairly long winters and weather. The appeal of a fireplace grows as autumn turns to winter. A fireplace evokes a sense of community and comfort.

A focal point in a home’s main living space, a fireplace draws people together towards the warm glow that comes from it.

Many potential buyers will also be attracted by a fireplace because it forms a character feature that adds value to a home – and if you live in a location where you can collect free firewood, then it can reduce your heating bills as well.

Neutral colours for decor

Even if you’re very proud of your bold and colourful design, potential buyers might not be. It’s likely they’ll want to use their own colour scheme and may not be able to visualise this above your design.

It’s best to sell your home with a neutral colour scheme as it will make the property seem lighter and bigger, and will enable potential buyers to better visualise how they would change the rooms to fit their own aesthetic. Tan colours and grey are good, particularly in small rooms. Also keep ceilings white as this makes rooms look taller.

Tidy the garden

Gardens are a desirable feature and any outdoor space is a great selling point. Weed and mow, tidy edges and borders, and use a pressure washer on surfaces to give them a quick and easy makeover. If you don’t have any already, put out a few simple pots with attractive plants.

Clean up any rubbish in the garden and tidy up pots you don’t use and any other clutter like gardening equipment, broken items and dead plants. Clean garden furniture and the patio. You don’t need to do much, just keep it simple and clean so a buyer can see how easy it is to use and maintain a nice outdoor space.

Deep clean

Deep clean the entire property until it sparkles. This makes such a big difference to a potential buyer. Check for and fix any holes in walls, peeling paint, locks that don’t work, and broken lightbulbs.

Get rid of limescale in the bathroom and clean and repair tile grout, get rid of any lingering smells and steam clean any tiled floors. Clean carpets, sofas, windows and all surfaces.

Declutter

When selling a house, you need to declutter without completely depersonalising.

Start by throwing away old papers, leaflets, cardboard boxes, and any stuff that’s just sitting around gathering dust. Store away ornaments that don’t add anything to the visual appeal of the property. Clear out unwanted books and toys, magazines and newspapers and rubbish.

Put products away in cupboards in the bathroom and kitchen, and tidy up coats and shoes in the hallway and by the front and back doors.

Focus on the kitchen

The kitchen is potentially the most important room in the house when it comes to selling. It can also be the dirtiest so clean it thoroughly.

Deep clean all surfaces, cupboards and scrub stains off doors. Clear out the fridge and clean it well.

It’s expensive to change kitchen cabinets and surfaces, but a thorough clean – and a new lick of paint if you’re savvy at DIY – can give them a new lease of life and make a big impression on potential buyers. You should also fix any broken handles, knobs, and shelves – it’ll probably be the single greatest thing you can do to improve the saleability of your home!

Now read our guide on whether you should renovate your current home – or move

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Last updated: 2 October, 2019