« Back to BOE Blogs

Freshen up your house for the market

Published: March 2020
Author: Bank of England Mortgage Staff

Inevitably when you are planning on selling your home you will need to make some updates. The key is not to go overboard with upgrades but to do just enough that will make the house feel fresh. Making your home feel fresh and “new” will help potential buyers to visualize their life in your home.

The first step is to have friends or an agent walk through your home and point out things that you have might have blocked out. Your house is still your home and you might not notice imperfections that others might notice. It will also give you a good idea of how much or how little you will need to spend on freshening up your home.

The easy place to start is fixing little things that have been on your list to fix for a while but have not been made a priority. This could mean that leaky faucet in the spare bathroom, the crack in the wall, or the whole in the fence. All seem insignificant to you but could be the tipping point that drives a buyer away.

Other must-do’s that may cost some money are: deep cleaning your home, putting a fresh coat of neutral paint on the wall and decluttering. Deep cleaning your home means wiping down everything, dusting everything and shampooing your carpet. Dirt and grime builds up on surfaces that come in constant contact with humans. Your goal should be to make it look like you have not lived in your home. You can also cover a lot of wear and tear up by painting your walls. A fresh coat of paint can cover up bumps and scratches that have naturally occurred while living in a home. Also, the power of decluttering is making your home seem bigger by getting rid of the stuff you do not need and putting things in storage that you will not need until after you move. People loooove storage and want to see that you have lots of it! Give people room in your house to put themselves in it.

Once you have covered the inside of your home it is time to make a good first impression with the outside of your home. This means cleaning up the landscaping pulling up that dead bush and planting some flowers. Making sure the house looks neat on the outside and implying the same with the inside. Another thing that homeowners may not think about is the front door. Your front door can get beat up and could need a fresh coat of paint. Remember a buyer will get up close and personal with your front door and it is the first thing they will notice about your home. So make a good first impression.