Selling the old to move onto the new can feel like a painfully long task, but what if there was a way to speed this up? Research suggests the average UK home selling times take 4.2 months on average from first day of marketing to legal completion. When you’re looking to start a new chapter of your life, you can make the process quicker and add value to your property with these fixes.
- Look after the details
Make sure that any cracks are fixed in window frames or walls. Cracks in walls can knock £9.49k off your home, while no double glazing knocks off £9.14k.
Fixing this is often simple, so before you call in professional help, check the cracks in your wall to see if it’s something you can mend yourself. If the cracks are less than 5mm, then you can use filler to sort them out and get your walls looking great again.
House value added: £18.63k
- Introduce popular trends
Keeping your décor up to date can add up to £8.85k to your property, so having a home that brings visitors a sense of joy will massively benefit the sales process. Ways to do this are simply by introducing modern trends that are universally liked. One way to do this is going for Scandi-inspired style; neutral colours, house plants full of life, and occasional moments of colour around the property that create a homely feeling which visitors will love. It’s an environment where people can easily picture their own design choices.
If you want to go one step further, then try dried flowers – a bold yet minimalist interior design trend that brings a feeling of edge and character to a living environment without it feeling too over the top.
House value added: £8.85k
- Look after your garden
Over lockdown, the demand for outdoor space has gone up significantly. In fact, 64% of UK residents say they wouldn’t buy a home if it didn’t have outside space. While this isn’t a dealbreaker, if you do have an outdoor space, look after it; it could be the difference in securing the deal or losing it.
30% of UK residents also said that when looking to buy a home, they place more value in the garden than the inside space. Lockdown brought out the nation’s inner gardeners with 39% getting more into gardening over the past year, so having a space where they can plan a new project is going to be important, and one factor that could make buyers favour your property over others.
House value added: Up to 5% of property value
- Cleanliness is key
It’s obvious, but a clean house is always going to be preferred to a messy one. With 43% of UK residents saying they would only arrange a viewing for a clean property, a messy home will be detrimental to the sales process. 61% of UK residents also said that they would put in a lower offer on a property if it wasn’t clean when they viewed it, so keeping tidy is an absolute must.
Look at your property with a critical eye; what could visitors be put off by? Mess and clutter can knock £9.29k off a property, so the cost of fixing this is inherently worth more than leaving it to new occupants.
House value added: £9.29k
- Paint for profit
Scuffed paintwork and marked walls can take £9.25k off a property, so don’t hesitate to give the walls a fresh lick of paint. Stick to neutral colours such as white, light grey, and natural wood, which are the most popular three colours that attracted buyers. However, going dark with your paint choice can prove to be detrimental. A comparatively small 8% of buyers were attracted by light blue and black, while 5% were attracted by light brown and dark blue, so keep it light and neutral.
House value added: £9.25k
In total, you can add a huge £46k to your property value by following these simple tips. Getting a home sold quickly is many sellers’ dreams, so take the opportunity to make some extra cash while you’re doing it. The steps are simple, but too often overlooked.
