Today’s real estate market continues to be a buyer’s market, making it difficult to get top dollar for your property. However, try some of the following affordable DIY home improvements to increase your property’s appeal and help you achieve a sale.
De-clutter: removing at least half of your items from each room to create a more spacious look.
Polish furniture and floors: “cleanliness is next to godliness.” When each room exudes a pristine feel, buyers may find it hard to resist the charm of your property.
Upgrade lighting: apply modern fixtures to brighten and add warmth in your home.
Fix the front porch and paint the front door: first impressions do count. Front porches with cracks in the concrete, and a hard-to-open worn out front door are an immediate turn-off. Make good and paint the entrance to your property so buyers are encouraged to enter.
Update kitchen appliances: the kitchen is one of the most critical areas to potential buyers. Keep yours fresh and modern by updating old, dilapidated and mismatched appliances.
Re-grout tiling: apply a little bit of elbow-grease and freshen-up the bathroom and kitchen tiling. Scrape off a layer of the existing grout and replace with new.
Paint interior walls: applying a fresh coat of paint throughout is one of the most affordable and effective improvements. Use neutral colours to widen your property’s appeal.
Update kitchen cabinets: stain or paint cabinets to freshen them up; it will make your kitchen look brand new.
Assess big repairs: in some cases, your estate agent might recommend more extensive repairs and renovations, for example, installing a new roof or windows. In today’s buyer’s market this could be good advice, and although these repairs might seem costly, they often pay for themselves when buyers are willing to pay more for the property.
By Brett Hawkins
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Brett Hawkins is the managing director of GMT 24:7, a local expert in all areas of general building and property maintenance, with offices in Lagos and Almancil. | www.gmt247.eu
