DIY to get your home ready for sale

When it comes to selling your house, one of the most important things to consider is how it appears to prospective buyers. Buyers can often be put off by issues such as dusty units, moss on the roof or even dirty patios or decking. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of quick yet effective tasks to make your home more presentable for those all important viewings.

Starting with the inside of your home, there a number of tasks you can do to improve the appeal of your property to potential purchasers.

Clean the carpet

Vacuuming is the first stage to cleaning the carpet, and it may be that this is all your carpet needs, together with a sprinkle of carpet freshener. However, if your carpet is damaged or stained, then you may need it professionally cleaned with specialist cleaning products and a steam cleaner. Stains on the carpet are sure to put buyers off, because not only does it show a lack of care and attention to detail on the seller’s part, it’s potentially another cost to them to replace it when they move in.

If your carpet is damaged beyond repair, then you may want to consider laying a new floor. There are number of different flooring options out there, from carpet to solid wood, through to laminate and vinyl, with each one coming with pros and cons. For example, a carpet is warm in the winter, but requires regular vacuuming and is prone to discolouration and staining, whereas a laminate floor is easy to clean and maintain, although doesn’t provide the warmth of a carpet.

Mop the kitchen & bathroom

Continuing with flooring, you’re likely to have a tiled or vinyl floor in your kitchen and bathroom. This will need mopping with hot water and floor cleaner to remove dust, stains and marks from areas of your house which see a lot of footfall.

Clean grouting

The grouting between tiles can be prone to discolouration and even mould in some cases, if it’s not looked after properly. There are many grout cleaning products out there which will revitalise your tiled areas and make them look as good as new!

Clean windows

When showing potential buyers around your home, it’s vital that windows are free of smears, smudges and other dirt. There are a number of ways to clean your windows, from the old vinegar technique to using glass cleaner available to buy from the supermarket and homeware stores, but arguably the most important stage of cleaning them is to dry them. Use a squeegee and microfibre cloth to ensure that there’s no excess liquid on them and that there are no soapy smears apparent.

Remove scuffs from walls

Scuffs and scrapes against walls do happen, especially in busy family homes. However, when you come to selling your home, it’s important that these have disappeared by the time it comes to house viewings. Some marks can be removed with a hot cloth and a bit of elbow grease, however, some can prove to be a little more stubborn. For these areas, test pots of paint are a great way of covering up marks without having buy large pots of paint, as long as the colour matches!

Replace light switches/sockets

Switches and sockets can have a yellowish tinge to them particularly if they’re in an older house or have been in contact with direct sunlight. It’s best to replace these with modern, clean sockets which fit the interior decor of the room to improve the overall appeal of the house.

Oil hinges 

Believe it or not, squeaky doors can put people off! It may seem like a minor detail, but it only takes a couple of minutes to do and could make all the difference. Just take care not to spill oil on your clean carpet! The appearance of the outside of a house can be just as important as the inside – after all, the outside is the first thing prospective buyers see when they come to view!

Mow the lawn

Nobody wants to see a jungle for a garden! An unkempt lawn looks scruffy and is quite a large potential blocker for prospective buyers. If the garden is overgrown, then you may find that you will need to use a strimmer to cut the grass to a length suitable for a lawnmower.

Deep clean the decking/patio

 By deep cleaning your patio or decking, you will be able to restore it to its natural glory. The most common way to do this is to use a pressure washer like the one you wash your car with, and blasting away grime from a short distance. Using a broom will help you get to those hard to reach ridges, cracks and crevices. If you do this with your decking, then you may also consider oiling or staining to protect and revitalise it and increase the appeal of your outside space.

Deweed

Similarly to having an overgrown lawn, having weeds appear in your flower beds and edging can be off-putting to buyers. Use a strong weed killer or get your hands dirty with a garden trowel or fork to pull them up and ensure your garden is weed free.

Repair fences

Repairing a fence is often a job which gets put off, but when you come to selling, it’s vital important that your fences are in a good condition. Sometimes all they need is a lick of paint, but in some cases you may need to undertake a more strenuous task such as reinforcing a rotten post.

Remove moss

Buyers may think that a roof will need to be replaced if they see excessive amounts of moss on top of it, and so by removing it, you get rid of a potential objection to buying. You can remove moss by using a long-handled scrub brush, but be careful not to displace any tiles.

 

With all of these small improvements you're that much closer to being ready to sell. When you're ready to take the next step, Hunters are here to help. Get in touch with your nearest Hunters office today, because when you're ready to move, Hunters gets moving.

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