9 Effective Ways to Freshen Up Your Home for Sale

Picture: David Pisnoy

There can be a lot to think about when you decide to put your house on the market, such as where you will move, how to manage the logistics of packing, transporting furniture, and redirecting your mail. However, one of the most important things to consider when you’re pondering a sale is how to maximize your property’s value. Undertaking a few home renovations, such as these below, may just help.

Paint the Exterior

Dull, faded, or flaking paint stands out for all the wrong reasons. If it has been several years since your property’s exterior saw a paintbrush or an experienced exterior and interior painting company like Paysons Painting, consider this as one of the most effective ways to freshen up your house for sale.

When prospective purchasers turn up to view your home once it’s on the market, they can see a vibrant and neat home that’s clearly cared for rather than one that looks unkempt and unloved.

Refresh the Interior Paint

You may not need to undertake a full-scale interior repaint, but freshening up some rooms in your home may be worth your while if they’re looking dull, dark, or dated. A new coat of light paint in a room that sees very little natural light may brighten it up, while warm colors in living spaces may allow prospective purchasers to see your home as warm and welcoming. Put some time into researching color psychology so that you can understand how each color can evoke different feelings in potential buyers.

Clear the Clutter

A crowded home with too much furniture and too many personal possessions may impact how much buyers willing to pay and even how easily they fall in love with your home.

You may be able to freshen up your house without spending any money by simply clearing the clutter. Use your upcoming moving day as an opportunity to sell possessions you no longer need, donate things you don’t use to charity, and throw away anything that won’t be of use to anyone else.

Clearing clutter out of your home may take several days, but it can leave your property looking larger, cleaner, and brighter. These are all factors that may influence how quickly you sell your home and possibly even how much you can sell it for.

Look At Lighting

Lighting trends change over time, so brand new lighting fixtures you have today may be dated and off-trend in just a few years. When you want to freshen up your home on a budget, consider investing in new lighting fixtures that elevate and modernize any room in your home.

Some light fixtures can be fast and straightforward to replace yourself, while others may see the need for a qualified electrician.

If you notice that some rooms are darker than others, consider hiring an electrician to install in-ceiling lighting or purchase lamps and brighter light bulbs. The lighter each room is, the more attractive it may be to prospective purchasers.

Perform Yard Maintenance

Life gets busy, and not everyone has time to dedicate several hours each week to the task of yard work. It can also feel like as soon as you’ve pulled a few weeds, new ones grow in their place just as quickly.

However, image is everything when that ‘for sale’ sign appears on your front lawn. Dedicate at least a small amount of time each day to yard work so that your property can be as pretty as a picture when the time comes to sell it.

Small, straightforward jobs like lawn mowing, hedge trimming, tree pruning, and weeding may all make more of a difference than you might think.

Paint the Fence

Fences have the critical job of marking your boundary and keeping pets and children safely within the confines of your property. As they are so practical, it’s easy to forget that they can succumb to the elements and look a little worse for wear.

If your fence has peeling paint, natural growth, or is just looking weathered, spend some time giving it a new lease on life. This might involve washing it, applying a moss-killing product, or sanding and painting it until it looks as good as new. A front fence is one of the first things homebuyers can see, so it can be worth your time and effort to refresh this part of your property.

Clean It

You can easily freshen up a home with a new coat of paint, but another excellent option can be cleaning it from top to bottom. Floors, walls, and ceilings can all require cleaning from time to time, and the need to sell can be the opportunity you’ve been looking for to dedicate time to this task.

However, you don’t have to stop at these three areas. Undertaking a top-to-bottom clean may make your home feel more comfortable to live in and possibly more attractive to buyers.

Fix the Small Issues

The housing market is competitive, but that doesn’t mean house buyers want to be dealing with those minor, finicky issues that can stop them from appreciating a property. Before you put your house on the market, take the time to identify its flaws.

As you’ve likely lived in your property for many years, you may even see the value in having a friend or family member pointing out things you may not notice. Anything from grass growing out of the spouting to dripping faucets and loose wall sockets may require your attention to smooth out the sales process.

Stage It

After taking the time to paint your property, improve the lighting, and fix minor issues, you may notice that your furniture looks out of place in your refreshed home.

Industry analysis has shown that staged homes sell for more money and faster than those that haven’t been staged. As a result, you may wish to hire a company to stage your property with modern furniture that matches all the renovations you have undertaken. The furniture can remain in the home until it’s sold, while your furniture can go into storage until it’s time to move.

There are endless ways to freshen up your home for sale, but it can sometimes seem like the majority require an extensive budget and a lot of spare time. These easy, effective options above may be all it takes for you to have a home you’d proudly put on the market for sale.