Be realistic! you’re selling a house not your idea of a home.
It can be hard when selling to keep emotions out of the equation. Invariably your home will be full of treasured memories you won’t want to let go. But remember this means nothing to your buyer. They’ll be looking forward to creating memories of their own.
It’s important to make it as easy as possible for them to imagine life in your home. This means taking down the gallery of family photos, replacing your teenage boy’s poster covered walls with neutral colours, sending the cat on holidays and doing all you can to create a blank canvass for potential buyers.
Remember you’re selling your home, so when it coms to improvements keep it simple! There’s no point planning massive extensions, landscaping the garden or totally redecorating. Instead decide which areas of your home are in most need and then which of these will have the most impact on a potential buyer. Simple improvements like a freash coat of paint and tidying up the garden can make a difference. But when it comes to major improvements like a new kitchen for example, it’s often enough to get a plan (for free) from a local supplier and have that available for buyers to see. It’ll show what can be done and will open the buyers mind to how your home could look.
Remember ‘ a few simple improvements can increase the selling price & attractiveness of your home – before spending any of your hard earned money on your house, be sure you’ll earn it back’.
By Caterina Nolan
2nd June 2010.