With spring on the horizon, if you have been thinking about moving for a while, now is the best time to prepare your home ready to sell. After the dark and gloomy winter months are over, buyers start to become more active on the housing market, so if you plan to move on, now is the time to smarten up your home and make it a desirable place to purchase.

Of course, you might not want to spend a significant amount of money giving your home a completely new look, but there are a number of budget-friendly things that you can do to transform your space to make it more appealing to potential purchasers.

Declutter

This one might seem obvious, but start with a deep clean and a de-clutter. Stuff piled high in corners suggests that your home is on the small side. Clearing out everything you don’t need and showing off the full amount of square-footage available is key when presenting your home to people who may be interested in purchasing it.

Paint the windows

Flaky, peeling paint on wooden sash windows is common due to sunlight burning the paint away over time and condensation lifting the paint edges. However, if your windows look shabby, purchasers may think that they need replacing (even if they only need a spruce up), and this will turn them off your home if they think there are large repair costs. Freshly painted sash windows look clean and elegant and if you are lucky enough to have a nice view from them, will frame what’s outside. Follow my beginner’s guide to painting sash windows to repaint wooden windows in your home.

If your windows are uPVC rather than wood, they can still look tired if they are dirty. Use a strong uPVC cleaning agent to give both the outside and inside of your uPVC windows a thorough wash down.

Make Small Repairs with a Big Impact

Cast a careful eye over the fixtures and fittings of each room - a dripping tap here, a loose light fixture there, should all be rectified (you can save money and do this yourself by following DIY tutorial videos and blogs).

If the silicone around your sink and bath or shower is coming loose or contains mould, remove it with a stanley knife and reapply it using a silicone application tool (giving you a professional finish every time!)

If your cupboards have missing handles, get replacements and make sure they match! These issues cost pennies to fix, but add up to big issues in the eyes of a buyer looking for an easy move.

These repairs will appeal to buyers who find you through a traditional estate agent route, reassuring them that their to-do list won’t spiral out of control once they move in. If you’re exploring other avenues, such as cash house buyers, they’ll appreciate the work you’ve done to make the property appealing, and your efforts will help speed up an already slick process. Repairs are not for everyone and companies that market themselves as we buy houses purchase properties in any condition and offer a faster, more convenient sale.

Deep clean areas you may not have considered and remove any mould spores

Rather than a general clean, your whole home should have a through, deep clean before being viewed by any potential purchasers. Use a tile cleaning brush to deep clean any dirty grout and make sure that there are no visible signs of mould, which is highly off-putting to home buyers. Use a high-quality mould remover to rid your bathroom of any mould spores created due to condensation build-up.

Weed outside your front door

First impressions count and an unloved entrance to your home will put off buyers before they have even stepped in the door. Make sure that any pathways to your home are weeded and add flower boxes on any window sills for kerb appeal. You could also give your front door a quick repaint - look out for an inexpensive exterior paint that doesn’t require a primer before application.

Sort out any bad smells

Your kitchen or bathroom sink might look spotless, but if there is a faint whiff coming from it, this will put off new purchasers. Unscrew the plug area and deal with any food or hair build up at the top of the sink pipe which may be causing a bad odour.

Fill any movement cracks

Cracks in walls can be a big concern for house buyers, but houses in the UK move all the time due to things like fluctuations in temperature, and the odd hairline crack is usually nothing to worry about. If you’ve lived there for some time and the crack has never got bigger, you can fill this quickly and easily with a flexible filler and filling knife.

Make the most of natural light

While blinding sunlight through the windows may have led to you installing heavy window treatments while you lived there, you’ll actually want to make the most of that sunlight during viewings. A bright, light and airy home is far more appealing than a darker one, so tie back those curtains or pull up the blinds to the maximum to let the light stream in (and don’t forget to clean your windows!)

Dress to impress

Get ready for viewings by adding a few inexpensive sensory additions. A large bunch of supermarket-bought tulips in a vase adds appeal to a bland table surface, while a scented candle makes the space feel inviting and homely.

All of these small amendments are inexpensive and easy to do and take just a little time and effort, but it could make or break an offer being made on your home. Fixing minor issues helps prevent buyers from wondering about larger issues lurking under the surface, as they will only see a home that has been maintained and feels well-cared for.

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