Did you know that selling a home in the UK from the first day of marketing to legal completion takes 4.2 months on average? Selling your home can be an arduous, overwhelming and expensive task, but there are simple things you can do to make this process all that bit quicker (and cheaper!).
Fix the little things
A simple place to start is to fix the little things! Whether that’s just making sure cracks are fixed in walls, making sure your house is in full working order is a must when planning to sell.
Cracks in walls can easily knock off £9.49k from your home, and no double glazing knocks off £9.14k! The good news is that fixing these problems is quick and simple. While you may need professional help in some scenarios, be sure to check if the cracks are under 5mm. If they are, you can use filler to fix this yourself!
House value added: £18.63k
Add modern touches
Introducing more modern touches to your home is a quick and easy win. Not only does this add up to £8.85k to your property, but it will create a home in which visitors will feel comfortable and joyful, benefiting the sales process too.
Whether it’s improving kerb appeal with metal window frames, or adding simpler modern trends such as introducing house plants or swapping out your throws for more scandi-inspired colours such as white and grey, this will provide a space where potential buyers can easily picture their life at your home.
House value added: £8.85k3
Look after your outside space, as well as in
An obvious yet overlooked task when preparing your house for sale is to make sure your garden is up to scratch. With 64% of UK residents stating that they wouldn’t buy a home if it didn’t have an outdoor space, making your outside space enticing to buyers should be high on your list.
With lockdown encouraging many to pick up their gardening tools, UK residents are valuing garden space more than ever. In fact, 30% of UK residents stated that when purchasing a home, they hold more value in the garden than inside space! So taking the time to spruce up your garden is well worth it.
House value added: Up to 5% of property value
Keep it clean and tidy
While it may be obvious, a messy house just won’t sell as well as a clean one! Did you know that a messy home can knock off £9.29k from your property? Or that 61% of UK residents said that they would put in a lower offer on a property if it wasn’t clean at their viewing?
This easy fix can be so easily overlooked but offers great reward when undertaken! The best part is that this couldn’t be a simpler fix. Only costing you a little bit of time, making sure your home is well presented to your visitors is more than worth it.
House value added: £9.29k
Add a lick of paint
Adding a fresh lick of paint around the house is another easy yet highly effective way to smooth the sales process. Not only does this present your house to be clean and well looked after, but it can help in preventing low offers.
Scuffed paintwork or marked walls can knock £9.25k off a property, so make sure to schedule in some DIY time! Use neutral colours, such as white or grey, allowing your potential buyers to picture their style.
House value added: £9.25k
Create a home office space
With the increase of hybrid working models, many buyers will be looking for an office space.
This really is a simple fix and takes hardly any time at all. That spare room filled with odds and ends can be replaced with some simple office staples such as a desk, chair, and storage to add a potential £20k to your property.
Turning a redundant room into a new, functioning space creates the perfect home office. Paint the room a light colour, add greenery and create the ideal work environment for a potential buyer.
House value added: £20,000
These fixes come in at an enormous £66k boost to your property value, for only a small amount of elbow grease and effort. Take the opportunity to maximise your opportunity and don’t overlook these simple steps.