8 Home Interior Tips for Selling Your Home

When putting up a house for sale, you want to get the maximum price for it in the fastest time possible. In today’s competitive housing market, it takes more than just putting up a property sale sign to sell a house. The secret lies in making a few simple changes in and around your house that will create a great first impression and boost the value of your property. Real estate agents concur that interiors are the most important selling point as they need to be visually appealing and functional as well. Here’s how to make your home interior stand out from the rest for a quick sale.

Declutter

Your house is likely filled with items you have collected over the years that you probably don’t use or need. All that clutter takes up space, which is usually the biggest selling point in a property sale. Get rid of items you don’t use on a day-to-day basis. You can sell, donate, or pack them to be stored off-site but don’t stash them in the closets as potential buyers will look in those. Decluttering also minimises your belongings, which makes the process of moving house much easier once you’ve accepted an offer.

Depersonalise

You have gone to great lengths to add personal touches to your house but now that you want to sell the family home, you need to set as blank of a canvas as possible. That way, prospective cash buyers for houses can envision themselves living in your house. Start by removing anything personal like family photos, items with your names on them, unique pieces of artwork, and so on. If you have the finances, moving house before sale allows you to prepare it for the next occupant. The biggest downside to this is you may have to carry a second mortgage and if the sale takes longer, the cost of the two mortgages may strain your finances.

Deep Clean

With the clutter out of the way, the next logical step is to do an extremely thorough clean of your house. Ensure you bring a shine to every surface in the house, from the corners of your ceilings to the baseboards and everywhere in between. Don’t forget your homewares as well. While you’re at it ensure there are no lingering odours. This can be achieved by adding simple fresh scents like vanilla, cinnamon, or citruses and, obviously, opening the windows to let in some fresh air.

Let There Be Light

Proper lighting can completely transform indoor space as it makes it look more spacious, warm, and enhances its features. Start by opening curtains and pulling up blinds to let in as much natural light as possible. It’s also worth investing in artificial lighting for maximum impact. Be sure to have different types of lighting that highlight each room’s purpose. Use overhead lights as the base lighting, task lights for specific tasks like reading, sconces for mood lighting, and of course, accent lights to highlight the most beautiful parts of the house.

Rearrange Furniture

Of all homewares, furniture tends to take the largest amount of space. The first step is to ensure your furniture fits the scale of the room – extra or oversized furniture will make the room seem small while small/little items make it feel cold. With the furniture that you now have, rearrange it in an attractive way for smooth traffic flow and to maximise space.

Add Some Plants

Plants add life and some extra colour to your interior décor, thus creating a more welcoming and brighter environment. Consider adding a flower bouquet to the dining table or kitchen counter and place a few potted plants in empty corners or places you want buyers to notice. Just ensure the plants are in good health.

Define Spaces

Each space/surface in your house needs to have a clearly defined purpose for prospective buyers to see how they can maximise it. For example, that spare room you have been using as a dumping ground won’t show buyers what they can use it for. Instead, stage it to showcase its clear purpose –whether an office, guest room, etc. If there are awkward spaces or extra surfaces, try and repurpose them to show their usefulness. For instance, a broad windowsill can function as a reading corner.

Patch and Repair

Small issues like scratches, holes, and tiny nicks can easily deter cash buyers for houses. While you may not have the resources for major renovations, it’s very important to handle easy fixes like replacing the cracked floor, patch holes in the walls, tighten leaky faucets, repair jammed doors, and so on. You may also have to invest in a few minor upgrades like adding a fresh coat of paint (keep the colour palette as neutral and pleasing as possible), installing newer home appliances, and replacing old/outdated fixtures. Little repairs and minor upgrades left undone signal neglect and lack of commitment to potential homebuyers. And, they won’t sign up to pay a mortgage if they think they’ll be spending more money to fix their new house.

Preparing to sell a family home requires you to understand the real estate market and make smart decisions. Given how competitive the housing market can be, you can seek the services of real estate agents who will guide you on other necessary changes that will add value to your property and entice property cash buyers. The right buyer is bound to come along once you’ve done everything to show your property in the best light possible.

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