How to quickly refresh your home to help sell your house..

If you have been in your house for some while, you may well have grown used to your decor, and not really thought about how it might look to potential home buyers. However, fresh eyes – as in the fresh eyes cast about by people viewing your home – might spot signs of wear and tear, or trends long past, as an indication of a lack of care, or that they’ll need to commit to some serious DIY should they buy.

Without a complete, and costly, overhaul, how do you overcome this? Here are our top tips for an effective, fast, home refresh.

1. Start with your front door

If this is a traditional wooden door, the chances are it will have taken a beating over the years and be looking a little unloved. Give it a fresh coat of paint, and tidy up, or replace, the brass work. If you have a uPVC door, make sure it’s clean and any windows are sparkling. And make sure your doorbell works!

2. Touch up your woodwork.

Check every door frame and skirting board for chips and scratches. Use a touch up paint pen (you can find these on Amazon) or a tiny brush to just white out any visible marks or chips. You don’t want to use too much paint – if your frames and skirting boards were painted a few years past, they are likely to have discoloured slightly and changes will show.

3. Assess your lighting

You can take light fittings with you, so if your centre lights are a bit wonky, or old-fashioned, find something more contemporary you can live with in your new home, and make the change. Then check the bulbs in every room – they not only need to all be working, but they need to all be the same colour – a mix of warm white and cool white is bothersome.

4. Check your curtains and blinds

If there are any curtains or blinds that don’t hang straight – fix it. Tighten up poles, make sure when you draw your curtains back you create even, neat folds, and be sure to pull blinds all the way up. Remove any voiles or nets (though we don’t see so many of these today) and either give them a hot wash with a whitener, or leave them gone. 

5. Add a statement wall.

A fast and effective way to add a touch of wow and refresh a bedroom or living room. In the bedroom, choose the wall behind the bed and add a bold, contemporary colour or choose a wallpaper that reflects one of the colours already in the room. In your living room, the most usual place to paint a statement colour is the chimney breast.

6. Review your large furniture

Are your sofas a little saggy and worn? You won’t want to invest in new furniture till you have found your own next home, so every day, give sofa cushions a good plump up and make sure they all sit square. Add some plump new scatter cushions and invest in a faux fur throw (you’ll definitely find a use for this in your new home) and drape it artfully across the end of the sofa or armchair. You are seeking to create a feeling, a space in which viewers can imagine themselves living.

7. Invest in new bedding – and iron it! 

Life’s too short to iron your duvet cover, generally, but when you want to give the impression of someone totally on it when it comes to home care and housekeeping, fresh, crease-free bedding is a good start Choose a plain colour, a fresh white is always a good place to start, and make sure it’s carefully set out for when viewers arrive. A couple of scatter cushions and a cosy throw won’t go amiss, either,

8. Scent your home

Fresh scents in the kitchen and bathroom, and warm or fruity scents in the living room and bedroom have instant impact. Blow candles out before viewers arrive, however – don’t give the game away! On a weekly basis, leave a bowl of white vinegar (just an inch deep) in your living room overnight, or any room where you think there may be a whiff to which you have become unaware – teenage rooms in particular! This rids the room of odours, and the scent of vinegar itself soon dissipates. 

9. Don’t worry about an ageing kitchen or bathroom

Kitchens and bathrooms are the key things people pretty much expect to replace, so don’t worry if yours are a little dated. Do however make sure surfaces are clear – nothing more on show than a kettle and toaster – and clean and it all smells good – no curries in the kitchen or bleach in the bathroom!

Call the Chorlton & Didsbury team on 0161 882 2233 to book your marketing appointment.

Friday 28th October 2022 – Eddie (Picture used from Sandy Lane, Stretford).