Five Key Zones to Enhance Before Listing Your Home for Sale

When selling property, there are various strategies you can employ to increase its sale price and ensure a greater profit.

From painting your house to simply mowing the lawn, discover which focus areas and tasks will have the greatest effect with minimal cost.

Nicole Jacobs of Buyer’s Advocate Services can shed some insight on what people want from their home purchase, and how your property can meet or surpass those expectations.

1. Painting The Walls
Nicole insists that painting should always be at the top of your list as every dollar spent can pay back more than tenfold in return.

Simply stated, painting will bring value for money! But which colors should you select?

“Try to keep it as neutral as possible without being stark. There are so many white paint options out there; therefore, much will depend on the amount of natural light entering the space as well as any tones present in furniture or flooring that might interfere.

“When considering changing your floor, be mindful to consider its effect on paint colour; white hues will reflect back upon it and vice versa.

2. The Floor
Switching out flooring can be difficult, but sometimes an existing surface needs updating – especially if it has seen better days! A 20 year-old carpet might benefit from an upgrade.

Nicole advises that when choosing new flooring for a house on the market, its selection should depend on two key considerations: its type and who plans on purchasing it.

“To make sure your home attracts homebuyers as opposed to investors, flooring should reflect this,” advises Sarah. She suggests using engineered floorboards that can easily cover existing flooring surfaces.

“If you are selling to property investors, consider choosing an economical yet high-quality product such as laminate flooring for maximum profit.

One simple and cost-effective way to upgrade a floor is with floating floorboards, which interlock and are laid over existing foundations to reduce installation time. Nicole recommends Carpet Court’s floating timber floorboards which she found easy to install as well as receiving many compliments upon completion of installation.

Carpet remains an appealing option when it comes to renters and buyers alike, providing softness underfoot in bedrooms and upstairs areas. When selling to investors who intend to rent out the property, consider low maintenance options such as Carpet Court’s synthetic dyed nylon varieties; while for something luxurious – and perhaps to attract someone buying into their forever home – nothing beats wool!

Nicole advises homeowners when choosing a color or style of flooring to consider the overall architecture and style of their home when making their selection.

“To ensure the perfect lighting in each room and architecture of your house, pay special attention to both. Certain homes suit brighter or darker flooring depending on their period and style.”

3. The Street View
Nicole emphasizes the significance of street appeal to real estate sales. People typically make decisions on whether to visit a home quickly based on first glance alone; therefore, its appearance can make or break your sale.

“Declutter and remove anything unnecessary; mulch the garden; add new lawn seed if possible – these things can pay back big time at auction!”

If you’re painting the interior walls anyway, why not give the exterior some TLC as well?

4. The Kitchen Nicole emphasizes the importance of renovating both kitchens and bathrooms when selling homes, so before undertaking major work to renovate both, make sure a renovation makes economic sense before going forward with such plans.

“Make sure your upgrades reflect in the sale price,” advises Jones. Otherwise, just clean and paint as necessary (if the kitchen needs updating). Declutter as necessary and add a few attractive decorative accessories.

Nicole suggests consulting your selling agent when determining if renovating your kitchen. They should have an idea of the demographic your home attracts (first home buyers, investors or young families etc) and whether or not they expect an updated kitchen versus one that needs work.

5. Lighting – including windows
Nicole recommends cleaning windows regularly in order to create the illusion that there is more of an emotional connection between people living within your home and yourself and its exterior surroundings. Clean windows help people see straight out onto your yard while also giving a greater connection between yourself and home’s residents.

She advises trimming back any trees that obstruct views or light, since buyers prioritize homes that are well lit.

“I’ve never received an assignment that required designing dark homes,” she says.

“Take a good hard look at your light fittings; perhaps it is time to switch out for something which allows more light in.”