When you have outgrown your flat, and it is time to upgrade and move, you want to ensure it is in excellent condition to help you sell it quickly and for a decent price. You can do many things that can help boost your home’s curb appeal, and some things may also increase its value. The more money you can get for your flat, the more you will have to put towards your new home, so it is worth investing the time, effort, and money to make it look appealing. Below, you can see some tips and advice that can help you prepare your flat and get it ready to sell quickly and for a good price.
Look At Surrounding Properties
One of the first things you should do is look online at similar properties to yours and see what people are asking for them and how they look. You may see reoccurring features in people’s homes that you do not have, which could be worth including to boost its curb appeal, such as a breakfast bar or walk-in closet. You can get ideas of any changes you want to make to your flat and inspiration for decorating it. However, before making wholesale changes to your flat, put down your hammer and paintbrush and speak with some experts.
Talk With Real Estate Agents
To get a true idea of the property market in your local area, it is worth speaking with potential real estate agents who can appraise your flat. You can talk to them about possible changes you can make to increase its value and things to avoid doing that increase cost and add little value. It is worth speaking with as many real estate agents as possible to see how they value your property and whether it would increase with any changes. The more opinions you get, the better, and it can help you decide how to prepare your flat for the property market and how much to spend.
Make Your Plans
Before you start tearing down walls or redecorating, you want to have a plan of everything you need to do to get your flat ready to go on the market. If you are making structural alterations, you must check if planning permission is required for what you want to do and find suitable contractors for the work. You can create many different smaller tasks that will make things seem more manageable and make it easier to make progress. If you are making structural changes to your flat before selling it, there are things you will want to do before starting the process.
Declutter Your Flat
Before any work or decorating starts, you first want to give it a thorough decluttering. Start with one room in your flat, go through everything, and make three piles. One pile is for things you want to keep, one for giving away or selling, and the last for throwing away, which can go in the bin. If you come across something with no sentimental value or practical use, get rid of it, and you will appreciate how less cluttered your flat looks. However, you may need to make more space in your flat when decorating, or if you have too much stuff you do not want to get rid of, you can consider hiring a storage unit to keep your things until you are ready to move.
Making Repairs
If you are not making any structural changes to your flat, you can start making repairs that will help it sell quickly. If you have any dents or bumps in your plasterboard, you can purchase new drylining and repair them before decorating your flat. Ensure that all the doors and locks work correctly and that the property has no leaking taps or toilets. Fix all the minor things in your flat that need doing, and you will be one step closer to getting it ready to go on the market.
Decorating Your Flat
Once your construction work or repairs are complete, you can start decorating your flat and ensure it presents nicely to potential buyers. You will want to avoid bold colour choices and present a blank canvas to people that they can imagine customising to their tastes. It is often best to choose soft and neutral tones that will suit various colour schemes, and you can get some suitable colour ideas that can help sell your home by clicking here. You can save money by doing the painting yourself, and you will want to take your time to help ensure you do a fantastic job and there are no drips or spills. Once the decorating is complete and everything is dry, you can move everything back into place and make your flat look organised again.
Make Your Flat Look Homely
You can now start putting everything back in its place and make your flat look like a home again, ensuring everything has its place and there is no clutter. Colour coordinate your soft furnishings, such as duvet and pillowcases, and ensure they match perfectly with your chosen colour scheme. Try to ensure there is no visible mess in your flat and it is ready for the real estate agent to send around the photographer and get your flat on the market.
Choosing A Real Estate Agent
It is now time to speak to the real estate agents again and show them the finished work if you have made structural changes. You must negotiate a deal with the estate agents to help sell your home, and most of them have similar fees. Once you have chosen your preferred real estate agent, they can put up a for sale sign outside your property and send someone around to take lots of pictures. Ensure your flat is clean and presentable when they take pictures, and it can help encourage viewers to visit your property. Before you know it, your property will be on the market, and you will hopefully have a queue of people wanting to view it and place an offer.