If you’re planning to sell your property soon, you’ll probably be looking for ways to increase its value.
But the last thing you want to do is launch yourself in lengthy and expensive works that won’t actually make much difference to the selling price of your home.
Some home improvements can be very advantageous, whereas with others the benefits can be fairly negligible.
Here are some of the best ways to add value to your property.
Get planning permission
It might surprise you to learn that you can add value to your property without actually doing any work on it at all. You can do this by getting planning permission. Even if you don’t have the money to pay for the work at the moment, it’s still a smart move to have plans in place.
Potential buyers will be impressed if you already have permission for an extension or a conversion – it shows that the property can be easily extended and improved.
Sort out the carpets
The carpets are a big part of the visual appeal of a property, so it’s worth paying attention to them. This doesn’t have to mean replacing them entirely as this will inevitably be very costly, especially if your property is large.
Instead it’s a better to have the carpet professionally cleaned to get them looking and smelling great.
Remember that many buyers will want to come in and put brand new carpets in, so spending the money on new carpets just before you sell likely won’t be worth it – simply have them cleaned so that your home is presented in a great light.
With property value, first impressions definitely count a good quality, well maintained carpet is a great start.
Change the colours to neutral
Image Source – By Nathan Randall
It’s important to remember that most buyers aren’t going to want keep the property decorated the same way you have it at the moment. They will want to put their own stamp on it and make it their own.
This means that you meant to make it as easy as possible for them to visualise what it could eventually look like. That’s why it’s a good idea to repaint the property in neutral colours.
You don’t want your current colour scheme to put off buyers who can’t see beyond it. And it’s also true that lighter colours tend to make a property look larger, so this can work in your favour as well.
Renew the garage
Garages are often a forgotten part of a property – you might well keep the rest of your home in great condition but it is easy to neglect a garage, especially if you don’t regularly store your car in there.
Consider revamping the look by getting rid of any clutter, repainting the inside and buying a new garage door.
A good garage is a guaranteed parking space and it can make your property far more attractive to buyers. A new garage door will add far more value to your home than the cost of having it installed. It can also encourage you to use the space properly.
Extra bathroom
Property values always benefit from adding an additional bathroom especially if it is a different floor to the current one. Something that many larger properties lack is a balance of bathrooms.
It’s true that some large houses have placed an emphasis of having as many bedrooms as possible, but having only one bathroom in a four bedroom house can leave the property feeling cramped.
Make adding a bathroom a priority over other room types especially if you already have plenty of bedrooms.
Loft conversion
If you are considering adding a bedroom or a living space, one of the best ways to do it is through a loft conversion.
You likely won’t need to get planning permission to convert your loft and the works can usually done relatively easily with minimal disruption to the rest of the house.
For obvious reasons, not all properties will be able to have loft conversion. If that is the case for you it might be looking into a basement conversion or adding a conservatory. These are generally easier to acquire permission for than full-blown extensions.
Article provided by Mike James, an independent content writer in the property industry – working together Wessex Garage Doors, who were consulted over the information in this post.
Main Image Source – By Aldisley
