Preparing your home for sale can feel like an overwhelming task that you’ll need to jam in between all the other demands and activities life throws at you like work and family commitments.
Careful assessment and planning, identified with the help of your agent, can help ease the stress and take away any uncertainty of what it might take to maximise the value of your property.
When renovating to sell, keeping your costs low is a critical factor in your preparation. You should always consider the return you’ll get on your investment. If there’s any doubt that a $35,000 investment in a bathroom refurbishment is money well-spent, leave that upgrade to the next owner and just ensure the bathroom is spotlessly clean and well presented.
With profit as the imperative, here is a list of cost-effective renovations that will positively impact your sales prices but won’t break the bank.
1. Watch the paint dry – A fresh coat of paint inside your home will make a world of difference. It will hide the bumps and scratches that walls suffer. Focus on neutral colours. Don’t go for big, bright walls as these turn off buyers who don’t share your taste. Light tones make rooms feel bigger, too.
2. Behind the curtain – Windows are often forgotten but make a tremendous impact. Clean the grime from each glass pane as this will let significantly more light into your home. Freshen up the frames with a lick of paint, and throw out any heavy curtains and install light blinds. Again, this will make each room look larger.
3. Kitchen capers – A tired kitchen can pull down the value of your home. The good news is that it’s pretty easy to fix on a tight budget. Don’t rip and replace but restrict the renovation to updating the doors, drawers and handles. If your cash will stretch to a new benchtop, that can be a sound investment, too.
4. Bathroom basics – Adopt a similar strategy for the bathroom. Pull out tired or water-damaged cabinetry, and replace it with moderately priced units. Do not move the plumbing, as this will get expensive. New taps, showerhead and towel racks will complete the job.
5. Laundry list – Assess the storage options here. If you can inexpensively install new shelves, a larger benchtop or an additional cupboard, go for it. While a laundry won’t do too much for your asking price, it can be influential with many buyers and hasten the speed of a sale.
6. Be street smart – Fix up your street appeal. Be brave and paint the front door a striking color, or a gloss black, which also looks great. If the windows look weather-beaten, take a paintbrush to them. Consider updating the verandah or deck lights or at the very least, install a bright lamp. Mulch flowerbeds to keep down weeds, maintain the lawn and trim bushes and hedges. If you have a garden path, consider planting a box hedge to give it definition. Keep the front of your home tidy, free of toys and tools, before every viewing.