Best ways to add value to your home before selling
If you are thinking about selling your home, you will want to do everything you can to make sure that you get the best price. In this article, we will go over some of the easiest ways to add value to your home as well as things to consider over a longer period to improve or maintain your home’s value.
If you have decided that you are putting your house on the market, you will likely be deciding on which estate agent you want to sell your home with and will be obtaining valuations. Here are some quick and easy tips you can use to improve your home’s appeal straight away.
How’s the street view?
The view from the street is important to how your house is perceived, after all first impressions count. Improving the view of the property can be done quite easily, for example giving the front door a lick of paint or a wipe down, making sure the windows are clean, and if you have the time, perhaps washing the street-facing walls down or giving them a coat of paint.
All of these will help your house look more appealing from the outside and can improve the value of your home.
Clean and Tidy
Following on from the first point about the outside of your home, the next thing is to make sure that when prospective purchasers view your home it is clean and uncluttered.
Making sure that surfaces are clean and clear, together with wash areas etc will give off a good first impression to not just an agent valuing the home but also people arriving for viewings. Clearing rooms of child toys can also help give the appearance of more space. Air fresheners will rid any lingering cooking smells to make the home feel as appealing as possible for anyone coming to view it.
Redecorate
Have a check around to see if a fresh lick of paint here and there is required. This can do wonders for how the property looks and feels.
If your home is decorated in a more elaborate way or on the brighter end of the colour palette, this can sometimes be off-putting to a potential buyer. Try using more neutral shades. Generally neutral tones are more appealing to prospective purchasers and they are also easier for the new owner to change if they choose.
Carry out minor repairs
If there are any minor issues with your home, you should try and tidy them up before any visits or valuations. Things like scratched walls, damaged guttering, creaking floorboards, or loose tiles can all have a negative impression and potentially devalue your home.
You want to try and give any prospective buyer or those valuing your home the impression that all is well and not leave them wondering if they will face issues if they move in.
Make your bedrooms, bedrooms
This one might sound a little confusing, but if you’re selling your home as a 3-bedroom house, when people come to visit having beds in all three of the labelled bedrooms can be beneficial.
If you’re using your third bedroom as an office space or playroom, we suggest that turning it back into a bedroom can help prospective buyers visualise how the room will look if they move in and that there is enough room for a bed and bedroom furniture.
Now that we have gone over some quicker and easier tips to increase the value of your home, we will cover some ways in which you can increase the value of your home over a longer period and with more cost involved.
Energy Efficiency
With the price of gas and electricity at an all-time high, having an energy efficient home is a great benefit for new owners. Installing double glazed windows, good loft insultation and smart technology such as Hive, which allows you to control your home temperature from anywhere, are all major selling points.
Increasing your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to be a band or two higher could potentially add great value to your sale price.
Kitchen and Bathroom Makeovers
If you’re thinking of redoing an area of your home to try and add value, we recommend choosing either the kitchen or bathroom as a good place to start.
Often, people who are viewing houses will be drawn by the kitchens and bathrooms of a property as standout rooms. This may be because they are more expensive to refurbish and are a key part of the house used on a daily basis. If your current bathroom or kitchen is in need of a little updating and you are looking to sell now, replacing cabinet doors and giving these rooms a spruce up before viewings may also be beneficial for obtaining a better offer.
Add Bedrooms
If you’re able to add bedrooms to your home, you will almost definitely see the value increase. The most obvious way to do this is with a loft conversion, however, you will need to make sure that you get the planning permission otherwise this could have the opposite effect. Other options are adding garages or outbuildings to the home to increase the value.
It’s worth doing your research or speaking with an estate agent before committing to the project. They will be able to give you local information into the types of buyers in the area and also the increase in value between a 3 bedroom and 4-bedroom home.
Add a bathroom or en-suite
Adding bathrooms to your home might not increase the value as much as adding a bedroom, but it can still increase the value of your home by up to 5%. If your home currently has one bathroom, adding a second could be a more affordable way to increase the value of your home than adding bedrooms or extensions.
The average cost of a new bathroom in the UK is about £5000, although if you need to create a room to add the space this fee will be higher.
Extensions
The last tip we have for adding value to your home is by adding an extension or outbuilding if you have the room, it could add significant value to your home. If you don’t have the money available to do this, it could be worth obtaining planning permission for the area and letting potential buyers know what is achievable should they move in.
Are you thinking about selling?
If you are thinking of selling your home and need a conveyancing solicitor to help you with your conveyancing process. Youngs can help you achieve a faster, smoother completion. We have a dedicated residential property team who can help you nationwide.
