Ways To Increase The Value Of Your Property
The dream of every property owner is to increase the value of their property investment so that it will have more worth than when it was first purchased. When it comes to selling your land or house property, there are things that seem small and irrelevant but must be looked into, if you want to get a great profit from it.
Property buyers, on the other hand, already know what they want. While they search for the perfect house to buy, they already pictured the ideal one in their mind’s eye. They may even have sketches of the size and design and most times, location. For you to add value to your property, you have to think, first and foremost of your clients. Your house value must be close to your potential buyer’s idea of a wonderful house. It should not be about you.
Packaging, sometimes, speak louder than words. The way your product is packaged will appeal to the buyer and influence his/her decision. Do not make the mistake of showing a buyer a property that has no value whatsoever. It will be a total waste of time and energy to showcase a property that will end up being rejected. You are going to have to devote time and spend money making your property ready for the market. Below are a few things you can do to boost the value of your property.
1. Make The Exterior Attractive.
It cannot be over emphasized that when someone wants to sell a product, what everyone is looking at is the appearance of what you are marketing. First impressions are really important because whatever your clients see first, it can’t be unseen. The first impression a potential buyer will have of your house is the exterior. If you walk up to your property with a buyer and the buyer is looking at a worn out, dilapidated building, I’m not sure there’s anything that can convince the person to buy the house and even if he/she manages to follow you inside the building, it would not achieve anything.
Make sure to sweep your lawn. There should be no dead plant or flowers littering the whole place. Trim the flowers and sweep the paving places. Also take cardboard the flower beds and hedges. If you are too busy and cannot do it, employ a gardener to do it, just make sure you have an attractive exterior. Touch up the walls. If the paint is peeling, scrape it off and repaint. While you are employing a gardener, make sure to also employ a good painter, to give the building a fresh look. Clean the driveway, unblock the gutters.
2. Clean The Pool.
There’s a freshness that comes with looking into a swimming pool with a sparkling blue water. Make sure the swimming pool is cleaned out well. The swimming pool will not make a good impression on a potential buyer if it is filled with green algae and the water is smelling like a catfish died in it. Buyers like to imagine themselves living in that house and you wouldn’t let them imagine themselves diving into a dirty pool and having the water get into their mouth. That’s an irritating thing to imagine.
3. Hide The Pets.
While pets are wonderful and most people own a handful, I even know someone who owns a chinchilla, everyone doesn’t feel the same way about pets. Your potential buyer might not like pets. So when you want to show them around the house, make sure that all animals are hidden from sight. Keep them out of the way. No buyer wants a dog bursting out from somewhere and jumping on them. Make no mistake about it, a lot of people are terrified of dogs. I’ve seen someone run, screaming seriously while a dog chased her. While it seems very funny, I’m sure you wouldn’t want a potential buyer who is scared of dogs to run, screaming out of your house. And what if the dog pursues and bites them? Endeavor to keep your pets out of the way while you are showing them around the house.
4. Keep The Interior Sparkling.
The reception area is the first place anybody steps into, when they visit. Do not leave a damaged doorbell on the door. If a buyer finds out that the doorbell is damaged, he/she will start thinking that the rest of the house is the same as the doorbell. Change the door knob also, if it is broken.
Don’t forget flowers, they have their own way of beautifying a house. You can put them at the entrance. Hang up air freshener to freshen up the air and create a homely aura. You wouldn’t want a stale odor hitting your potential buyer’s nostrils the moment they enter the house, now would you?
5. Cleanliness Is Key.
There’s absolutely nothing attractive about dirt. If your property is dirty, it will not sell, even if it is a great one. Cleanliness is a great determinant factor in selling your property. If you don’t want to redecorate, you can leave the house sparkling clean. Show extra care to the kitchen and bathroom, they are the two places in the house that is supposed to be very clean because of personal hygiene. Replace old towels with new ones. No wet towels should hang around the bathroom or on the floor. Try and keep your personal products out of sight. Clean the kitchen. If there are accumulations of dust on surfaces, dust it. Dispose the waste bin, no smelly waste bin around. Do the dishes, there should be no dirty dishes from the previous day or week. Wash the sink and clean the stove or cooker. Mop the floors. Clean out the cupboards.
6. De-clutter.
Get rid of some of your personal things. Some potential buyers might already be imagining themselves in the living room, so get rid of the carved masquerade head hanging on your wall, or those ridiculous paintings, they might not share your taste. Also, remove some posters of celebrities in the kids’ bedroom. Things that you are not really using on a daily basis should be put away in storage, so that there would be much more space. Clear the clutter in the hallway so that your potential buyer will not have to jump over a child’s bicycle or trip on a toy car.
7. Fix Everything Fixable.
If there are any fixtures that need work, touch them up. Faulty tap faucet, leaking pipes. Change a light switch that stopped working. It would be embarrassing to try to put on the light and the switch is not working. Door locks should be of good quality, so that you wouldn’t try opening a door and find yourself holding the door knob while the door remains closed in front of you. If their present state does not have a good quality, replace them. Replace torn mosquito nets and remember to clean the windows. Repair and repaint cupboards and drawers. Fix cabinet handles.If there is still a little space in the kitchen, you can add counters. It’s a good place for one’s spouse to hang out and watch them cook.
8. Paint.
Put a fresh paint on the cupboards and cabinets. Those old looking, dingy cupboards can come alive just by painting. There was a time when people loved neutral colours but nowadays, most people prefer brighter colors but don’t use over bright colours. While you are painting the kitchen cabinet, also paint the bathroom cabinet and see how the colours will transform the look of the kitchen and bathroom. A building may look dilapidated or worn out but a good painting job can make a huge difference. You can redo the tiles, if you will. Repaint the front door, that is the main entrance into the house. If the drapes are too dark, take them down so as not to give the house a mournful look and make sure the house is well lightened up.
9. The Wardrobe.
Overstuffed and scattered wardrobe should be cleared out or arranged in a way that wouldn’t look too cramped up. A buyer might want to look in the wardrobe to check if it’s big enough to contain their things, especially if that buyer is a woman or a man that has a wife. You’d rather not have them gazing at clothes that are sticking out everywhere.
10. Secure Your Belongings.
To avoid having to point accusing fingers on anybody, get a security agent to assist you while you are showing your client around the house. Let’s face it, most people cannot be trusted and you wouldn’t want your valuables missing right after you showcased your property.
11. Reduce The Noise.
People like to come home from their busy day and rest. For instance, at the end of the day, I really don’t want to come back to a house that is noisy. There are things you can do to at least reduce the noise to the barest minimum. You can install double pane Windows and doors. Some of these doors are sound proof. A commotion could be going on outside the house and the person inside wouldn’t even know it, that is if you have one of those sound proof doors.
Try as much as you can to make these renovations before showing the property to a client. Don’t say you will work on the Boise after the buyer have indicated interest in buying the house. Nobody would want to buy a dirty looking house. Most buyers even make their decision on the house before they get inside.
However, while you are improving your property, make sure not to overdo it. Don’t spend too much money renovating and at the end, you won’t see a reasonable return on it. You can make a research about how much the house would cost once it’s renovated.
