INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME

Without breaking the bank

The property market may not be moving very quickly at the moment, but there’s still plenty that you can do to help give your home the edge over the competition.

Taking the time to make a few simple changes and do some basic DIY jobs could mean the difference between your property languishing unsold and being snapped up straight away - and you don’t need to spend a fortune or have a Grand Designs-style budget.

Here are some top tips for adding value to your home:

CLEAR CLUTTER - AND CLEAN
Even if your house is a little tatty around the edges, at the very least it should be thoroughly cleaned. Blitz the grease and the grime, particularly in the kitchen and the bathroom; it’s worth paying for a window cleaner to get your glass really gleaming, and grubby carpets can be easily revived by a professional carpet cleaner. A wooden floor may benefit from a coat of varnish.

A good deep clean will be easier if you de-clutter first – and getting rid of things you don’t need will have the added bonus of freeing up some space and making your home appear larger, lighter and airier.

If you really can’t part with much, consider investing in some smart storage solutions to keep your things tidy; neat baskets, stacking boxes or a compact trunk, perhaps - things you can take with you to your next home too.

It shouldn’t cost too much to freshen up paintwork, either; there’s no need to go for a full redecorating job, as a general touch-up to cover scuff marks and stains can go a long way. If your bathroom tiles are rather tired and you can’t face replacing them, try re-grouting or bleaching the existing grout.

Make a good impression on your buyer before they even step inside: tidy and weed the front garden, if you have one, and make sure your front door, letterbox and door knocker are sparkling.

DISCUSS THE DETAILS
With your house clean and tidy, you can now look at the finishing touches to make it look even more inviting. If the basic structure of your kitchen cupboards is sound, it’s simple to replace the doors - or even just the doorknobs.

Replacing old plastic knobs with pretty glass or ceramic ones will instantly give a more upmarket impression. The same goes for handles and knobs throughout the house - on doors, drawers, wardrobes and bathroom cabinets, for example - and you could also replace scruffy light switches and power socket covers.

New taps are relatively affordable, even if you can’t stretch to a complete overhaul of your kitchen sink or bathroom; whilst you may not be able to show buyers a luxurious wetroom, a shiny new limescale-free showerhead will make your bathroom a bit more inviting. If you have a reasonable budget to invest, replacing rusty old radiators will not only make a room look better, it’ll increase heating efficiency as well.

THE SOFT OPTIONS
Whilst you should be cautious with the colours you choose for the walls and floor - everyone’s taste is different, so settling for a neutral shade is the safest option - you could add a splash of colour with some new soft furnishings.

Coordinating fresh curtains, lampshades and cushions will instantly update a living room, and covering up faded duvets and ill-matched linen with new bedspreads can help to bring a bedroom up to scratch.

Whether you spend hundreds or thousands of pounds on preparing your house for sale, a little investment can reap the reward; using a Credit Card for the smaller purchases can help to spread the costs.  And, with many offering interest-free periods for new customers, you may be able to achieve more by spreading the repayments over a few months.

Issued by Sainsbury’s Finance