It’s always reassuring to know that we live in an attractive, appealing, and comfortable home. If we’re a homeowner looking to sell or a landlord looking for prospective tenants, of course, it’s more than just reassuring but also a way of getting the most from our hard-earned investment.
With that in mind, here are some of our top tips for making your home more appealing to buyers or renters:
Kerb appeal
- first impressions count and whether you are selling or looking to attract tenants the kerb appeal of your home creates that all-important initial appearance;
- a clean and shiny front door – you might even give it a fresh lick of paint – provides the kind of welcome you’ll want to create and, if there is a patch of grass out front, make sure it’s neatly cut and trimmed;
Niggle-free
- any home that has been lived in – by you or your tenants – inevitable develops those niggling items of maintenance. They may typically be minor matters of concern – such as wonky door handles, broken tiles in the kitchen, dripping taps, or mouldy sealant around the bath or handbasin;
- for the potential buyer come to view the place or a tenant looking to move in, however, these niggles can be a critical turn-off – so it’ll pay you well to fix them all;
Keeping up appearances
- there’s probably nothing worse than a dull and dingy room – so, make sure to let the light in;
- open the blinds or curtains and make sure the windows have been cleaned, opening one or two to let in some fresh air;
- if there are already tenants in the dwelling, persuade them to tidy up, dust, and vacuum before you show any likely successors around the place;
- get rid of clutter as much as you can – even if it means providing extra storage to your existing tenants;
Light up the smiles
- don’t forget the importance of replacing any defective light bulbs;
- making sure that the room lights up at the flick of the switch will show that you’ve cared enough to look after the place and should bring a smile to the face of your viewers;
What’s that smell?
- you might not realise it, but our sense of smell is closely and directly linked to our memory of a place – leave your viewers with a nice smell and they’ll remember the place more fondly;
- it might be more difficult to achieve if you still have sitting tenants in place, but try whatever you can to create a pleasant smell – if only to mask any lingering unpleasant odours;
Green fingers
- any garden – however small, for buyers and for renters – comes with a very definite premium these days, after successive lockdowns during the pandemic left many people house-bound;
- so, the garden’s a plus and you can make the most of it by ensuring that it’s well maintained, perhaps with a swing if you’re attracting families or a barbeque, deck, or patio if they’re likely to be young professionals.
Making your home more appealing to buyers or renters can often be achieved with a minimum of effort and modest expenditure. You’ll reap the rewards, however, if what you have done makes for a quicker sale or more reliable and responsible tenants.
