Redecorating your home can be expensive but it does help keep feeling new, fresh and welcoming. Usually you do this knowing you are going to be spending the next year or few years living there and choose the décor to match your style and preferences.
When thinking about selling, however, the goals change. You are not the main audience anymore, and you don’t want to spend all your money when you won’t be the ones to enjoy it. That’s normal, so we’ve been looking at ways to help you freshen up your home that won’t use up all of your money and will still appeal to potential buyers.
Deep cleaning
It might sound obvious but a thorough clean throughout the house will do wonders for how it looks, especially to potential buyers! It’s easy to get complacent with our routines, cleaning what we use or see but when it comes to house viewings, this isn’t enough. We need more to make sure no potential buyers are put off by something we missed.
Get into every corner, under each sofa and wardrobe, pull up the rugs and clean it all. Not only does it look great but there’s a sense of satisfaction and pride that shines through to potential buyers when they visit and that’s almost as important as building a rapport with them.
Fresh paint
Possibly one of the easiest things to do is repaint the walls in rooms that haven’t been done in a couple of years. They might be well-used rooms or ones you don’t spend much time in – it doesn’t matter, potential buyers will be looking at them all in the same light and you should try to make sure they’re presented in the best way.
You don’t have to do every wall, and you don’t have to change the furniture or style of the rooms, either. Keep the colour choices to warm or neutral tones that are easy for new owners to change if that’s what they want. Warm, bright rooms are more likely to appeal to a wide range of buyers, too, meaning you have a much better chance of getting offers.
Rugs and throws
A very easy way to add life to a room, as well as colour and texture, is with rugs and throws. You can make older carpets come to life with contrasting, or complementing, colours and their position can be just as important – just don’t forget to clean under them too!
Throws are much more interesting. They can cover sofas and tables with a variety of colours and patterns, which is an easy way to liven up a room in a way that can be changed easily. Using throws as wall hangings is another option but not as an alternative to painting tired walls. They can be used alongside the new paint and can also be changed easily.
Pictures and mirrors
Still looking at the walls, think about pictures and mirrors. Mirrors helps light reach all corners, removing the shadows and making the room bigger. Pictures are a good way to add colour and personality to a room, and they also help potential buyers imagine their own belongings in their place – or other ideas completely.
Make use of shelves for smaller pictures and photographs, and alcoves are great for longer mirrors, for example, that shows off the space while making use of it at the same time. It’s a clever tactic that can pay dividends in the long run.
Waxing and varnish
Most of us will have some wood in our homes, from furniture to flooring to decorative beams. Some of this might be painted but a lot will be showing natural tones and other than a good clean, there’s more you can do.
Wax and varnish can not only preserve wooden floors and furniture but also help it look better too. From wardrobes to kitchen cabinets to tables and chairs – everything can be treated and cared for. Some pieces will be leaving the house with you but others won’t, so showing potential buyers you’ve cared for everything will also reassure them that you’ve looked after everything in your home. Perfect to help persuade them to make an offer!
Have you got any other tips and advice on how to make your home look and feel newer without emptying your bank? We’d love to hear them – and so would our other readers so let us know!
