It’s a well-known fact that the kitchen and the bathroom are the two rooms in the house which will help to sell a home. So it stands to reason that if these rooms aren’t up to standard a homeowner may have trouble moving the property.
It might be counter intuitive to think of spending money when you are thinking about moving but it can be one of the best ways to realise the best price for your property. Yes, you might have to spend a few thousand pounds to get it to a standard where it will fly off the estate agent‘s new property board, but it’s normally the case that all this money will be recouped by the increased selling price.
So what can you do to a property so it sells quickly?
Kitchen
A kitchen makeover is normally all that is needed to get it to a standard where viewers will not be put off by having to do some work as soon as they move in. Even a quick lick of paint on the walls can suffice in some cases, however other ideas include:
- Make sure everywhere in the room is sparkling clean - spend a few hours making sure all surfaces are spotless.
- Replace cupboard door fronts - if you can’t afford to completely replace the kitchen why not just replace the door fronts?
- Replace the floor covering - a new floor surface can make a huge difference to how a room looks.
- Add spot lights or other lighting - getting the lighting right can accentuate certain areas you want to show off
- Add a table and chairs - even if you only have a small amount of space adding a table and chairs can give buyers the idea that they can eat in the kitchen if they want to.
- Replace the wall tiles over the worktops with glass splash backs - this is a great way to add that ‘wow’ factor to the room. Glass splash backs are hygienic and they look great.
Bathroom
- Like the kitchen, the bathroom is the other room in the house which needs to be in tip-top condition if you want to sell your home quickly. Buyers will be put off by a room which looks long past its best but there are some things you can do which won’t break the bank to get the room ship-shape.
- Replace the bathroom suite - you might think this would be a lot of work, but a new white bathroom suite doesn’t have to be expensive and can really lift the room.
- Change the shower screen - replacing the old shower screen can make the room feel brighter.
- Make sure there is no mould or other dirty marks - clean the bathroom thoroughly using mould and mildew eradicator if necessary.
- Change outdated taps or showers - changing the bathroom accessories such as the taps and shower can be a real benefit to how the room looks.
- Change the floor surface - if the floor surface has seen better days replace it. It won’t cost a lot but it’ll make a real difference.
- Decorate - even a splash of paint on the walls can make a real difference to how the room looks.
One of the best ways to sell a house is to introduce a ‘wow’ factor - something which people can’t ignore.
Terry Frome is a retired engineer from Dorset. He changed both his kitchen and bathroom before he sold his home. He used Glass Splashback UK.
