Doing up your home cheaply to sell it

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By Jasmine Birtles, financial expert from Moneymagpie.com

Buying and selling homes has become a much more difficult business in recent years, not to mention expensive and stressful. But you can add value to your property without breaking the bank and make the place much more saleable.

Create more space

Creating more space (or the illusion of more space) can make a difference to the way a room looks and help you sell your home. Get rid of furniture you don’t need and rearrange what’s left so that you have as much space as possible. Using mirrors to reflect light is a very easy and cheap way to create the illusion of more space.

• Make it light: Dark rooms feel cramped and uninviting so remove any heavy curtains from the windows and replace with light, pastel coloured blinds or sheer drapes. If you are looking to sell your property, when you show people around make sure the rooms have all the lights on. It may not save you money at that specific moment but it will make the rooms seem brighter and bigger and may help towards a sale.
• Clear up the floors: If you have a wooden floor underneath your carpet get rid of the rug and the room will instantly seem bigger. Use a sander and some varnish to make it look presentable and then lay down a couple of small rugs which will make the floor space seem bigger.
• Put up shelves: Again this is a simple way to create more storage space at very little cost and you can do it yourself quite easily. You can buy some really attractive shelves that can be decorative as well as functional.
• Do a loft conversion: This will add both space and value to your property. Check with your local planning office before you start the conversion – you’ll have to get building regulations approval and conform to fire regulations (which may involve installing fire doors and alarms). Choose your builder carefully. There are plenty of people specialising in loft conversions, but get quotes from three of four (you’ll be surprised how much quotes vary) and make sure they are a member of the Federation of Master Builders [http://www.fmb.org.uk/]. You can check for builders on the website.
• Sort out the garden. Don’t forget the outdoor spaces – a great garden will add value to your house while a nasty-looking one can actually harm your chances of selling. Clean up any mess and get those green fingers working. Pull out weeds and replace them with gorgeous shrubs. Put woodstain on your garden fence. It will protect it from sun and water damage and prevent peeling and cracking.

Redecorate

A lick of paint and some new furnishings can do wonders for the saleability of your home. Here are some pointers to keep in mind

• Get inspiration Read magazines, look online or browse stores to get an idea of the styles and colours you like.
• Create a focal point. Each room should have a focal point which the rest of the room is centred around. It can be anything you like – a fireplace, a bed, a window. If a fireplace sounds too expensive, a simple piece of art can work just as well. Even places like TKMax and Bhs do the odd really nice piece of art that you can put on the wall.
• Co-ordinate. Make sure the accessories, fabric and colour scheme work together throughout the room.
• Don’t choose paint from a colour chart. Go to your local DIY shop and ask for samples then test them on a small section to see how they look in natural light. Choosing the correct paint for the particular surface will infinitely improve the finished look. So if you aren’t sure, read the label and ask in stores what the best kind of paint is to use.
• Don’t overcrowd a room. Simplicity is the key. So don’t cram a room with bits and bobs – it will only look smaller. Instead select a few key items and arrange them carefully – don’t place furniture where you risk wasting space. If it means you can only have one layout in the room because of a chimney breast, alcove or any other feature then so be it.
• Decorate simply: Keep everything modern – but be warned that really fashionable styles go out of fashion pretty quickly too. Create a feature wall and work the rest of the room around it. Remember that small things can make a real difference. Try replacing just the front of your kitchen units – which you can easily do yourself – and it will transform the room.
• Buy some new furnishings where necessary. Liven up your bathroom with new towel bars and other fixtures. A new shower curtain, toilet seat and set of towels will have a real impact. If the kitchen cupboards look tired just replace the doors with more modern ones. It doesn’t have to cost much but will make a difference

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