How to make your home more marketable before giving it to an estate agent to sell

When you’re thinking about putting your home up for sale with an estate agent, it’s not something you should jump right into. When they initially come to view the property, they will form their first impression, which is then hard to change later.

Even if you make some meaningful improvements later, it’ll be difficult to get them to budge much on their valuation once they’ve set it. For this reason, it’s best to improve the marketability of your home first and then approach one or more estate agents to get a valuation.

Here are some suggested changes you can make to your home that improve its marketability and maybe get a better price. 

Upgrade the Kitchen

Depending on how old the current kitchen is, it might either need a complete new replacement or some specific changes to remodel parts of it.

For instance, if the worktops aren’t that great or have chips out of them through accidental damage or general wear and tear, it’s helpful to get the countertop replaced even if the kitchen units are fine.  You can save on laminate kitchen worktops by working with a company such as Savoy Timber who can prepare the appropriate length of laminated worktops to suit your exact requirements. 

With the kitchen units, maybe they can be sanded down and refinished to bring out the wood grain and smooth out any signs of age. It’s certainly worth looking at before deciding that the kitchen should be entirely replaced. 

Simplify and Declutter

We all have a lived-in feel to our homes. The only issue with it is that with an open house or a private showing, the estate agent walks in with their client they like to see a blank canvas. If the home looks too disorganised with kid’s toys strewn everywhere, things not put away and the kitchen in disarray, then it will put off prospective buyers. Declutter as best you can before anyone visits. 

Have a look around your home with a discerning eye. Does everything need to be there? Often with showings, less is more. When a room has an excess amount of furniture and too much visually going on, then buyers get confused about what they’re seeing. It’s always better to simplify down and strip out anything that’s superfluous.

Always remember, that whilst some obscure knickknack might hold meaning to you, it might look strange to a visitor who doesn’t know quite what to make of it. 

Cleaning Top to Bottom

Once the clutter, unnecessary furniture, and other items have been removed, it’s time to clean top to bottom. It’s been said that a cleaner home leads to a higher offer by 2-4 percent, and who wants to miss out on that? 

Face the fact. When we clean our homes, we’re usually doing it in a hurry to get it over with. Perhaps we’re not as thorough as we’d like to think we are. You can rest assured that visitors will be more discerning because they’re seeing the place in person for the first time. They’ll spot anything that’s not clean enough!

If you don’t feel like you can do a great job cleaning your home, why not hire a cleaning firm to come in and do an amazing job for you? There are plenty of local cleaning services in every city.

Kerb Appeal

Consider the kerb appeal of your home. What do people see when they first drive up? If you’re not sure, ask a work colleague or a relative who doesn’t visit often to come over. You might be surprised by what they notice and comment on.

Perhaps the gate squeaks or the front wall has a couple of bricks that look loose? Or, the front garden isn’t well tended to and the plants look like they need more water? Could you add some hanging plants near the door or plant pots on the path up to the front door? It all helps to make the home appealing from the moment visitors pull up and see it. 

Whatever it is, there are bound to be some things you can do to spruce things up at the front of the house to make it more attractive when driving up. Remember: You never get a second chance to make a first impression. 

Don’t forget to look all around the exterior of your home too. Maybe the garden needs some work? Anything that will stand out to visitors potentially in a negative way is worth paying attention to and to possibly make changes. It doesn’t have to cost much, but it can boost the offer which makes it worth taking the time to do something about it. This way, you can get a profitable sale sooner.