Nowadays, many people are too busy or too lazy to undertake any
major revamping after having bought a house. Therefore, you will be
able to attract much more interests with a nicely done up property.
Use natural, cream colors and refrain from eccentric design ideas.
A cost-effective way of getting the most out of your renovation is
to play to the property's strength. Refurbish open fireplaces or
ceiling ornaments. Emphasize large windows, high ceilings and wooden
floors.
Outside Edge
The first thing a potential buyer will see of your house is its
outside. Follow the same approach as inside and make sure everything
is clean, tidy and in a good state of repair. This includes doing up
your garden, stairs, front door, elevator and whatever else there is
between the street and your front door. Make sure no garbage is
lying around and the neighbor's dog has not used your front yard.
Clean & Tidy
Doing a bit of cleaning before you show your place to others does
not involve any costs, but is extremely effective. Potential buyers
will feel much more comfortable in a tidy and well-groomed house,
and it will look more spacious, too.
Tidying the place and getting rid of the accumulated junk of the
past years will make it much easier to clean, too. Especially
bathroom and kitchen should be clean and hygienic. Remove any lime
scale and greasy remnants of past meals. Washing your carpets and
curtains will do miracles to a house, and cleaning the windows is
not a bad idea, either.
You should have a rough estimate of how much the whole selling
process will cost you. This helps you adjust your financial
priorities and prevents you from unpleasant
surprises when the bills start coming in. Please keep in mind that
these are only guidelines for estimates - how much you end up
spending always depends on your individual circumstances.
Costs of preparing your house for sale
It is eventually up to you how much you want to spend on getting
your house ready for sale. If you are a DIY crack with all the
necessary materials at hand, you can end up spending very little
money and a lot of time on repairs and polishing. If you are not,
however, you will have to pay someone to do it for you. Make a list
of things that have to be done and get quotes!
Selling fees
These costs depend on how you decide to sell your house.
Repairs: If any repairs are necessary, do it before the
buyers discover it. They would probably make you do it
later. So why not spend a little and take care of all the
repairs ahead of time.
Advertising and Marketing: Save a lot of time and money
and get it done in a professional way by hiring a marketing
company that specializes in private sales.
Selling with agent: Do your home work ask around and get
some feedback from friends or neighbours who hired an agent
to handle their sale. Once you sign up with the agent you
are tied to a contract for 3 months or even more. If you
take your time on this, you will find an honest and hard
working agent.
Private sale: You will usually incur some costs for
marketing and advertising. The advantage is that these are
one-off costs unrelated to your property's sales price, so
clear budgeting is easier. When you sell the house you get
to keep all the money.
