Seven tips on decorating your home for sale

When you’re ready to sell your house or flat, it’s crucial that the property looks as good as it possibly can. A clean, well-kept home free of clutter will seem far more valuable and enticing to a potential buyer when they come for a viewing compared to a dirty and badly maintained house. And the good news is that it doesn’t cost a fortune to get your house ready for sale.

Why viewings can make or break the sale of your house or flat

Viewings are one of the most important early events that happen when you’re trying to sell your home, whether it’s a house or flat and no matter its shape or size. It’s a chance for prospective buyers to visit your property and take a tour of it, inspecting all of the rooms inside as well as the exterior to help them decide whether they want to make an offer to buy the place.

Of course, viewings don’t always happen with home sales. They are required if you’re selling through an estate agent, and similarly if you decide to try selling your home at auction then people will visit the property to see whether they ultimately want to place a bid on it the day that your house goes under the hammer. But you won’t have to host multiple viewings if you’re selling to a specialist fast property buyer.

However, if you are selling through an estate agent or an auctioneer then you need to make sure your property looks its absolute best for viewings. This can be done at no cost, at low cost, or with some significant expenditure depending on your own time, budget, and wishes.

If you listed your property for sale several weeks, months, or even more than a year ago, and it has failed to generate much interest from buyers then you need to think about ways to get people motivated to make an offer. Making decorative changes can be the simplest and quickest way to spur someone into wanting to buy your home.

Top tips for decorating your home at no cost or without spending much money

You don’t have to spend a large amount of money to get your home looking its best before hosting viewings, and some improvements won’t cost you anything at all. Take a look at the seven top tips below for ways that you can decorate your house or flat for sale.

Clean the entire house: Perhaps the simplest and most obvious tip, you need to make sure that every room in your home looks spotless. Give the bathrooms and kitchens in particular a thorough cleaning because these are rooms that are used a lot and which buyers pay special attention to when on viewings. A dirty house will decrease the overall perceived value of the property in the eyes of a potential buyer.
Declutter your rooms: If you have a lot of furniture crammed into certain rooms and other items taking up a lot of space, it will make those rooms look smaller, which in turn is not something you want a buyer to think. Temporarily store furniture elsewhere and declutter your rooms to make them look large and inviting.
Use the art of distraction: If there’s simply not enough time to fix something like a highly noticeable stain on a wall or some other negative visual, try to guide the buyer’s attention away from that to interesting items in the room or some other feature.
Tend to your garden: For those homes that have gardens you should be sure to remove and weeds, water your plants, and mow the lawn before you try to sell your home. A well-kept garden can be a huge asset to your property’s overall value, and it’s also one of the very first things that visitors will see so you want to make a good first impression.
Put some plants around the house: It’s not just outside where plants can help to give buyers a better view of your home. Consider investing in some small leafy plants that you can place in rooms around the house or flat, because they can help to create a welcoming and colourful ambience at your property.
Get your cupboards ready for inspection: When people come to visit houses or flats with an eye to potentially buying them, they tend to look in as many places as possible, and that includes checking out the available cupboard spaces. Try to have your belongings stashed neatly to give buyers another good impression of your home.
Keep pets away from potential buyers: Even though you might adore your dog, cat, or other pet, not every buyer that comes on a viewing is going to be an animal lover, and some might even have severe allergies to certain animals. Keep your pets secured away from buyers on viewings, and clean before people visit to get rid of hairs and any smells.