First impressions count: a few easy tips to help a home sell faster

NOT all DIY and home decoration is about making where you live more comfortable. These days, with the property market in the doldrums and anyone selling a house facing a tough buyers market, any advantage you can find is vital and a little DIY, work that won’t cost the earth, can often be the difference between closing sale and losing out on a buyer.

Never underestimate the power of a first impression. The initial impression your home makes is long lasting and very hard to erase. If there ever was a time to make sure your house looks its best then this is it.

One of the first things you should do when getting your home ready ‘For Sale’ is to depersonalise it. Purchasing a property is largely an emotional decision and you want to do your best to make your house evoke feelings of “home” to potential buyers. Here are a few tips to make this easier to achieve:

Firstly remember you have decorated your home to suit your style and taste. While it may be gorgeous and you may love it the style may not appeal to everyone.

The best thing to do to make your home appeal to the widest range of buyers is to neutralize it. Paint walls in a neutral colour and show off any original features. This will enable buyers to visualize their furniture in your home.

Try not to have a lot of family photos displayed around the house, as well as collectible items.

If at all possible, remove most of these items from view. Try not to stuff them into the attic or the garage. Savvy buyers will be eager to view these areas to assess the available storage space in the house and serious buyers will look at everything in detail.

Make sure your bathrooms and kitchen are gleaming. These are probably the most important rooms in the house for many buyers so touch up any scuff ’s on the walls with paint. Check your ceilings for water stains and paint them if necessary.

Check all windows and doors to make sure they open and close easily and give your carpets a good clean and polish your floors. Maintaining the exterior of your home is a vitally important part of showcasing your home.

Remember that it is the first thing a potential home buyer will see from their car and can even be the deciding factor as to whether or not they wish to see more.

The front door of the house should be very attractive to visitors. It is the first part of the home that potential buyers will be directly exposed to up close. Polish the door fixtures and repaint the door if necessary. Remember that you are trying to depersonalise your home as much as possible so that potential buyers can visualise themselves living there. Lastly, make sure the lock and key to your front door work smoothly and the door opens and closes easily.

Finally remember that your goal is to maximize the attractiveness of your home, not entirely redo it. A few cosmetic changes are usually all that’s necessary to make your home more desirable.