To DIY or Not To DIY if You Are Planning To Sell Your Home

We all know that when it comes to selling a house, the more money you can get for it the better. Many people decorate and fix any issues before putting their house on the market, hoping that it will be more appealing to potential buyers. There is nothing wrong with this, however, some people unknowingly decrease the value of their homes because the DIY jobs / DIY trends they’ve followed or carried out aren’t actually appealing or done to a good standard. So if you’re thinking of following a DIY trend before putting your house on the market, maybe you should think again.

When we moved into our house, there was wooden cladding through the hallway, up the stairs and landing. The previous occupants had put it there and although it wasn’t a deterrent when we moved, it would definitely be something I would avoid in the future for when we next move.

Another thing I would be wary of in future when looking at a potential new home is blown vinyl wallpaper. Again, when we moved here, this house was newly decorated and it looked beautiful. With a newborn baby, it was ideal for us as it meant that we could just move in and not worry about anything. It wasn’t until we were settled and ready to start making our own mark on the place that we realised how awful the jobs that the previous occupants had done were.

Do’s of DIY before selling your house

• Deep clean – Cleaning the house before a viewing will help give potential buyers a clear view of the property and all the things it can offer them once it’s theirs. If your home renovation project has left you with large amounts of debris, consider hiring a TX dumpster rental firm (or another local service) to handle the waste efficiently. This can make your cleanup process much easier and give buyers a tidy, clutter-free home to view.
• Declutter – remove anything that you no longer need or use, again this will make the house look bigger and give buyers a better idea of how well suited the house is for them.
• Clear the garden – By keeping the grass cut and flowerbeds weed free, your property will look nicer when buyers come to look around.
• Make sure safety equipment works – smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, if the property has them, should all be working
• Decorate where needed – a fresh lick of paint won’t do your home any harm but keep to neutral colours
• Be honest in your listing – don’t make your house out to be something it isn’t. If the furnishings are old and need modernising, state this in your listing and be prepared to take less money for it if needed.

Don’ts of DIY before selling your house

• Fix electrical issues – get a professional in to do these as there are no shortcuts when it comes to fixing these
• Fix things if they’re in disrepair – either replace or remove them and consider reducing your asking price to reflect this
• Don’t undertake big tasks – If you need to replace a kitchen or bathroom take into consideration the outlay of this job both in terms of money and time spent on completing the job.
• Decorate too much – if you go over the top with the decorating this might put potential buyers off as they might think you are trying to hide things from them

Are you planning to sell your house soon? If so, is there anything you need to do or planning to do before you put it on the market?

*This is a collaborative post