Preping a house for sale..

We are deciding at the mo that towards the end of the year that we wanna sell this house and buy a bigger house in a similar area but that needs work done to it (cosmetic more than anything)..

In order to do this we of course wanna get the best price possible for this place. Lucky we have a few months to prep this place to make it look as good as we can.

We are gonna make sure the outside is immaculate as poss. Finish off the little bit of painting I have to do, make sure the gardens are all tidy and just clean everything. Same goes with inside.

What I wondered though. When you are looking at potential houses what are the things that you are looking at, critiquing when you go round a house. We don't want to put much money into this place now so have to prioritise where the little money we will spend will go. What are some of the things that you really hate vs don't mind?

Neutral, I hate going places and seeing Pink rooms, or old carpet. You can get cheap end of run carpets IYGWIM.

Also tricking people with size, by decluttering.

I like a tidy yard, if it's messy it makes me worry I won't be able to maintain it!

HTH... Can't think of anything else!

Fresh and clean is the best. Kitchens and bathrooms. No need to get new cupboards etc but a coat of light paint to spruce up these areas and a new window treatment like a blind can make a huge difference.

When we sold our house we had a stager thru and she said to neutralise all the paint, take down family photos and declutter especially kitchen counters. Take all the small appliances and put them away. If you have sterilisers and bottles etc put them in the microwave during the day. Add a splash of color in accent pillows etc and not on the walls. Put outside hoses in the garage and not hanging around along with outside kids toys etc. Take kids toys out of the lounge and put them in the bedroom where people would expect them. Makes lounge bigger etc. Also clean out garage so if it is a two car garage show it as a two car garage.

In bathrooms fold one towel on the rail and put all personal stuff in a bucket in the cupboard. Right down to the choice of shampoo. Everytime we had a shower I would pull the bucket out and use stuff. I you have moldy grout re-grout.

Get some nice air-fresheners or candles etc.

I was actually reluctant to unpack all the boxes as I got so used to having not a lot to pick up after that it was nice. Way easier to keep the place tidy. Good luck with the move.

oh and when we put our house on the market one of the estate agents was telling us about putting a house on teh market in winter. If you are ready to sell, sometimes it can be really good as summer there is alot of competition and winter there are still buyers but less properties on the market.

We only have our living room left to paint thankfully. All the other rooms have been painted. Our bedrooms aren't neutral and I'm not going to paint over those as the paint job itself is good and fresh.

We have replace light switches and fittings as we have painted rooms. Carpet is only a couple of years old so just needs a rug doctor.

We do have to clean all the walls and ceiling. Flys were nasty this year but I'm not gonna do that just yet.

We are quite lucky with clutter as the back of our garage has 2 rooms where one is a storage room and one is a play room.

I don't think the walls have to be neutral, not everyone is a fan of bland walls....

Sounds like you've done a great job with the place, ensuring it is clean and tidy inside and out without clutter should be all you need!

Our kitchen is small but nice so don't really need to do anything there thankfully. This thread has reassured me we don't have that much to do, just finish off our jobs and have a major clean to make sure everything looks its best.

I think the gardens need a good going over, easy done thou with help (talk to me nicely I need the distraction too). Your lounge does need the paint job done but that is all.

If you can borrow a spare bed dress that back room off your garage as a bedroom - its been used as a sleep out before and that adds an extra selling point to your property.

i always look for mould - evidence or smell.