What Not To Do While Preparing Your Home For Sale

The prospect of selling a home brings to mind endless possibilities to give it a face lift and make it look more attractive to prospective buyers. There is also a hidden incentive due to the conviction that a small renovation expense will yield a large profit.

However, there are numerous things that must not be done, while preparing your home to sell it off. One of the main reasons not to undertake such measures being that they may not prove to be cost effective, but will be wasteful in terms of time, effort, money and lack of returns.

Changes not to be made

• Expensive emulsion paint on walls – Though dirty walls and exteriors are a major impediment in the path of selling the home, it does not mean repainting the house with the most expensive emulsion. Chances are that the buyer will wish to bring down walls, renovate and restructure and hence the new paint will be a waste. All that may be required is cleaning up of walls or just touching up where the paint has worn off, to give a clean, presentable look.
• Luxurious carpets, furniture and fittings – A home on sale is expected to have a lived-in look, with used furniture, carpets and fittings, albeit in good condition. Even if they are worn out and need to be replaced, it would be foolishness to buy a luxurious carpet, solid wood expensive furniture and branded fittings. This is because the buyer will wish to renovate the house before living in it, according to his tastes and preferences, and will probably just discard all the existing furniture, carpets etc in the house.
• Renovating bathrooms completely – Bathrooms may be one of the first places to be seen by prospective buyers, and it is understandable that as home owners you want to make a good impression. But all that is required is cleaning up, replacing broken fittings and perhaps even changing the flooring with some inexpensive materials that makes it neat and clean. A complete renovation with the use of tiles, marble and granite is a waste and uncalled for.
• Trendy designs and shades – The use of very contemporary décor, trendy designs and vibrant shades may not have too many takers. One of the golden rules for preparing properties for sale is to use, ‘safe’, muted colors that have universal appeal, are easier to change as well. It would be a waste to make dramatic changes to give the place a trendy appearance.
• Adding the latest gadgets and appliances to the kitchen – It makes no sense to get new appliances for the kitchen when the home is being put up for sale. This is because the new buyer may prefer their own brands and appliances they are comfortable with. Or they may not be using the kitchen much at all, preferring to eat out most times.

These are some of the renovations that will never pay, or whose expense can be justified. So it is best not to consider such changes while preparing the home for selling.