Selling your home is perhaps one of the most stressful things you’ll ever have to do, so to say making the sale in a quick, easy, painful and profitable fashion is in your best interests is a monumental understatement. Contrary to popular belief though, you don’t have to spend a small fortune to get your house looking its best for sale. The most important thing you will need to do is find a balance between revealing what the home means to you and what it could potentially mean to somebody else. This means making sure that your personality is present, but not overbearing. Here, we’ll take you through your home room-by-room, examining in each, exactly what needs to be done to ensure that the positives are played up, and the negatives are played down.

The Bathroom

Coloured bathroom suites go down with most viewers about as well as a bacon sandwich at a bar-mitzvah. There’s something ever so slightly ‘dated’, and ‘dirty’ about coloured baths and sinks that immediately puts people off. Buying a whole new bathroom suite might seem like a drastic move, but its importance cannot possibly be overstated. It’s also important to make sure that your bathroom is as clean and polished as possible. Clean the surface mold from between your tiles and wipe down your shower doors with steel wool to get rid of any excess ‘gunk’. A fresh coat of paint is also an option for the walls and your tiles if they are looking a little dated, if you’re painting tiles though, make sure you’re using a ceramic epoxy covering instead of conventional paint.

The Kitchen

The area of your home where you’ll be spending a significant proportion of your time, how much the kitchen impresses viewers will largely come down to its  surface aesthetics. Older cabinets and units can be lent new life with a simple lick of paint or varnish, but an old oven or washing machine could give off a bad impression. You don’t need to upgrade them if they work perfectly fine though. A great low cost trick would be to swap out any exterior panelling with a stainless steel, stick-on covering for a more elegant, modern look. Of course if your appliances are seriously dated (and barely functional) you might want to think about installing some new equipment. Spending a little today, could net you a lot more in the long run.

The Lounge/Living Room

The beating heart of your homestead, as its name suggests, the living room is where you have no doubt spent the lions share of your free time and where potential buyers will spend most of theirs. It is imperative to make the room seem comfortable, clean and adaptable, so clean, bright colours are ideal. The living room is possibly the most personal room of the house and as such, personal touches should be kept to a minimum. Family portraits and personal heirlooms don’t necessarily need to be put away (after all, it’s important that the house feels ‘lived in’) but they shouldn’t be too noticeable. If you have hard wood floors, make sure they have been freshly stained with a rich, inviting colour and if your floor is carpeted, be sure to vacuum regularly and hire an industrial carpet cleaner if necessary.

The Garden

If your home has a substantial garden, it could very well be the clincher that ‘seals the deal’. This is especially important if the viewing is during the Summer. The garden is perhaps one of the cheapest areas of your home to maintain so make sure the lawn is freshly cut for each viewing and that all the most attractive vegetation and plant life is well fed and placed out front and centre. If you have an attractive patio area that catches the light well meanwhile, try purchasing some new garden furniture or accentuating an already existing, attractive patio feature.

Bedrooms

The bedrooms need to remain as blank as possible. A bedroom should be a place of comfort and relaxation so first and foremost, any unnecessary clutter needs to be dealt with. Simple, relaxed colour schemes (soft greens and blues for example) are popular with most modern buyers and it’s important that every aspect of the room adheres to this scheme (from the walls to the pillows). Remember, with the bedroom more than any other room you’re not just selling your home, you’re selling your lifestyle.

The most important thing to impart on any buyer is a sense of ‘space’. Clutter is not attractive and whilst it might pain you to strip away some of the personality and ‘soul’ that made your house your home, remember that nothing worth having comes easy and there’s nothing stopping you from making your new home even more special!

Crispin Jones has written this post on behalf of Internal Doors. With a wide range of internal and external doors you can be sure that checking out their websites is worth 5 minutes of your time today.