door a brighter, welcoming colour can give you a little
bit of “wow” factor.
If the whole place looks a bit dusty, hire a power spray
to give it a good clean. You can do the concrete in the
garage and the driveway while you have it.
Walk around the whole of the house and make sure
the window frames and gutters are in good order.
Anything that needs fixing or cleaning should be
done straightaway.
If your garden is looking a little shabby, either plan
on spending a day doing some mowing, trimming and
planting or find a local gardener who can come in and
do some sprucing up for you. Even little pots of coloured
flowers added to a garden bed or containers near the
front door can make a huge difference.
Potential buyers will drive or walk past before the
home is open for inspection. A well-maintained and
tidy garden will make a great first impression.Fresh is best
On the day, there are a couple of tricks that can really
help make your house feel like a home. Fresh flowers,
if the budget allows, will make the room feel fresh,
airy, and appealing.
You have already stripped your kitchen benches of any
superfluous appliances and accessories, but consider a
big bowl of fresh fruit. There is something very striking
about a big pile of citrus in a single colour – lemons or
oranges work best, of course – in a big bowl.
You might read suggestions that you bake something
that smells delicious before buyers come to visit, but
that can be time-consuming and messy. Unless you areInvest in a fancy matching handwash and lotion, a
beautiful scented candle and some matching towels.
If you have more than one bathroom, clean them all
and then assign the whole family to use just one. That
way you only clean one bathroom before open houses
and the others will just need to be wiped over for dust.Bedroom bonanza
Of course, you can say this about all of the house, but
unless bedrooms feel welcoming and lush, people aren’t
going to feel connected to them.
Do not overcrowd any of the spaces, but if the main
bedroom has room for a beautiful armchair beneath
a window – styled with a chic floor lamp and even a
small side table – that is a great addition.
Children’s bedrooms, wherever possible, should be
styled in a gender-neutral way. It may be difficult to
believe that a potential buyer could walk into a boy’s
bedroom and discount it because their child is a girl,
but it’s worth factoring in to improve your chances of
a successful sale.Seize on street appeal
If you are selling an apartment, sometimes there is not
much you can do to make the exterior more appealing to
buyers, apart from ensuring that the hallways are clean
and tidy, there is no litter in the common areas or out
on the street, and sweeping up leaves on the driveway.
The same goes for townhouses and villas.
If you are selling a house, you have more freedom
to make adjustments to the exterior. Even if it does not
need painting, adding a shot of colour by painting thePROPERTY SELLING UP