Are you selling your home soon? To get the best price, take some time right now to get it ready. While you may need to tackle some basic repair issues first, these simpler cosmetic improvements can help polish your home and set the tone for a quicker sale.
Remember to put yourself in the shoes of a potential buyer before your house is listed for sale. Look critically at your space to see what might be updated, cleared out, or spruced up. Many times, there are simple fixes that will make all the difference.
Which home improvements offer the highest return on investment for sellers?
According to Quay 1 International Realty for sellers in the Cape Town property market, key home improvements that offer high ROI include creating open-plan living areas, enhancing energy efficiency with features like solar panels, and improving kerb appeal through landscaping or exterior upgrades. Kitchen and bathroom renovations are also essential, with modern fixtures and updated designs attracting buyers. These strategic upgrades make homes more appealing, functional, and energy-efficient, thereby increasing their market value.
TheSpruce shares six tips to help you start.
Put clutter in storage
If you have a minimalist decorating style and pared-down possessions, then skip this tip and go on to number 2. For the rest of us, however, it bears repeating that hiding your home’s good features behind piles of clutter will only make it harder for the buyer to fall in love with your home. Box up anything you won’t be using in the next few months (including holiday decorations, seasonal clothing or sports equipment, old toys, etc.) and send it to a storage facility. While you’re at it, take a look at your furniture and remove any pieces that look less-than-perfect or make a room feel crowded.
Style bathrooms and kitchens
A house is made of many rooms, but most realtors will tell you that the two that people see first and remember most, the two that sell more homes than any other rooms, are the bathroom and the kitchen. So if you're looking to sell now, make sure that these two rooms get a little extra care and attention. Even when a whole remodel isn't in the cards, there are still a few simple things that you can do. Try wallpapering your bathroom for a gorgeous new look. And in the kitchen, you'll be amazed to see how much you can accomplish with the right backsplash.
Remove outdated window treatments
Dreary draperies, torn window shades, or bent mini-blinds will do nothing to sell a home faster. Remove these outdated items and replace them with simple white mini-blinds or wood blinds cut-to-measure at a home center. This is a fairly simple fix that can refresh your rooms in just one weekend.
Install closet systems
Crowded closets stuffed with clothing and household items make it look like there isn’t enough storage. Instead, go through closets and store (or give away) anything that’s not currently needed. Once the closet is empty, install a closet system from a home center and refill with just enough of your stuff so the closet looks organised, but not cluttered.
Showcase wood flooring
Worn, dirty, or badly colored carpeting can turn buyers off in seconds. If you have hardwood floors that are in good shape, however, the fix is easy. Tear out the carpeting and expose the wood. Buyers won’t have to wonder what’s underneath the carpet and will likely love the look of hardwood flooring.
Paint
Any serious defects in the paint job on your walls will need to be covered, but this is about more than maintenance. More than anything, a potential buyer needs to be able to see him or herself in the space, and the color of the walls has a lot to do with how clear that vision can be. When repainting with an intent to sell, neutral colors are best. But that doesn't mean that everything begins and ends with white. There is any number of neutral colors, including a range of soothing gray tones that could be just what they're looking for.
For Tyson Properties CEO, Nick Pearson, a little goes a long way and updating decor, particularly in key rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms, is a small price to pay for a quick sale at the right price.
Pearson shared tips to help you attract potential homebuyers
Pearson says there are no formal South African figures, but global statistics reveal that investing in staging a home makes a big difference. According to a recent survey from the International Association of Home Staging Professionals, staging helps sell homes three to 30 times faster and can help increase the sale price by up to 20% on average. With an average investment of 1% of the sale price into staging, about 75% of sellers saw an ROI of 5% to 15% over asking price, according to data from the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA).
"First, there’s good old common sense remove, replace or repair the things that would put off any potential buyer before adding those special touches that will make your home the best version of itself.
“We are not all interior designers – and, if you don’t have ‘an eye’ of a close friend who is good at this, you can consult an interior designer at a very reasonable hourly consulting rate. Something as seemingly unimportant as re-arranging some furniture can make the world of difference,” he explains.
*Article updated 22 October 2024
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