PART 2: FIX-IT-UP

This is the second of five posts on this topic, we would recommend looking back and reading the previous post to help you get a full understanding of this topic.

So lets be clear! Fixing up your home is NOT renovating! Fixing your home involves the simple things, that although small can make a huge overall affect to your home and therefore your sell price.

Every home is very different and therefore there is no one single approach however there is common ground that we will cover so that you can have a look at your home & see were you can fix the basics. Our goal here is to suggest a few things that will get you thinking about what it is in your home you can do to give a refresh without having to break the bank.

You don’t have to spend a fortune, as we have already stated this is not a renovation. If you feel that your home does need significant work done than we would suggest contacting an Interior Designer that can help you. If you are planning to put your home on the market in the coming weeks then a renovation is probably not what you need right now, however there are a few things you can do that will help your sell price.

Lets again start with the two rooms that sell your home, the Kitchen and Bathroom.

Kitchen:

How’s your splash back? If you have chipped or cracked tiles, I would suggest getting these replaced or re-tiling the whole splash back if you have the budget for it. You don’t have to spend a fortune on this, you can get some nice tiles for as little as $20psm so your highest cost would be the labour which normally sits around $50psm. An average splash back is about 3sm so for a few hundred dollars you can make a big difference to your kitchen. The next thing I would look at is the state of your kitchen doors and handles.

Are the doors still in good condition and in a colour that works with the look and feel of the home? If so, leave them as is, if not just simply get some new doors made (any kitchen store or even a hardware store should be able to help you with this).

How are those handles? Do they work with your home or do they need a refresh? You can pick up some new modern door handles online or from your local hardware store for next to nothing and again this can make a big difference.

Bathroom:

For the bathrooms you’ll need some elbow grease, make sure all surfaces and grout are cleaned and fix that dripping tap or running toilet while your at it. Again, look at the door handles can they be updated? If you have a shower curtain, buy a new one, make it as plain as possible (you don’t want this to be a highlight). Potential buyers will always look for problems in your home particularly if they are trying to get a discount, so the less problems the better potential price.

The House as a whole:

Go around all your walls and fill in those bumps and scratches, if it’s in the budget a coat of paint is always a good option, go for a neutral colour if you can, don’t go for “renter’s cream” try a nice white, grey or latte colour depending on your colour scheme.

Outside:

Head outside and have a look at your roof, fix any broken tiles, falling drain pipes, if you haven’t already get rid of the leaves, spray any concrete with a high pressure hose and get rid of any mould.

Once again, you know your home better than us, so start going through your home one room at a time, look for some of the things mentioned above and start another list, all these little things are getting rid of the “barriers” that stop someone buying your home, the less barriers, the more buyers and the higher and faster your home will sell.

Keep posted for more weekly styling tips to come on the blog and if you live in Sydney we would love to have you at our up-coming Top Styling Tips For Selling Your Home Workshop.
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