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A well-prepared and well-presented property invokes a sense of home, and in most cases, assists in a sale for the vendor. Just as you have to make a mess to be able to clean up, sometimes you have to spend some money to make it.

So, if you’re going to spend some coin on your home before you sell, here’s where can you create some real ROI with limited time and without breaking the bank.

1. Paint dirty or dated walls and doors

Sometimes it’s this simple. While painting can be done as a DIY job, you’ll get a much nicer finish by engaging a professional. How far you go is really dependent on your budget.

You’ll get a much nicer finish by using a professional painter.  Picture: Getty

2. Update benchtops

Change them completely or simply grab a DIY resurfacing kit from your hardware store. Kitchens sell houses, so it should be no surprise that dated benchtops – just like dirty doors and walls – can make a kitchen feel dirty as opposed to lived in.

“Duh” I hear you saying, but you’ll be surprised how often this is overlooked. Trying to sell a dirty house is no easy feat and, as a result, I highly recommend absorbing the cost of a professional cleaner to get your place looking schmick.

4. Clean the roof

The roof is one of the biggest components of any house, so getting it squeaky clean for inspection day might give your place a point of difference. My suggestion would be to spend around $500-$1,000 and to get a professional roof cleaner up there with a pressure washer – as opposed to jumping up on the roof yourself.

Your roof is a significant part of a house facade, so it’s worth professional cleaning and maintenance. 

5. Change your window furnishings

Depending on the size of your house this could be a relatively cost-effective way to add some real pop to your home and windows. An investment of $3,000 and upwards should be enough for you to notice a real difference.

 

 

6. Update hardware and handles

If you’re at all handy you could easily do a great DIY job at updating the hardware and handles of your doors and cupboards. All you need is a screw driver set and a drill. A minimum $1,500 spend on new door hardware should easily update the knobs and handles on a standard three-bedroom home.

7. Update your lights and globes

The importance of uniformity should never be forgotten. A large percentage of homeowners don’t actually realise there are different temperature globes or LEDs out there, for example warm and cool white globes. If your home has different temperature globes in every room I strongly suggest you head to your hardware store to update the ones that don’t match.

8. Go nuts with some greenery

Indoor plants are still all the rage so why not drop a few bob on some greenery? It might be as simple as hiring the plants for the open home. Try to avoid fake plastic trees as these can stand out like a pimple on your nose.

Every room in the house can benefit from some greenery. 

9. Hire a stylist to decorate your home for the open

This might involve hiring new furniture and placing your own in storage for the weekend, but if it brings you big $$$$$ in increased sales value, then the small pain of organising everything might be well worth it.

10. Update your carpet

Lived-in carpets with well-worn hiking trails through the middle of them can really detract from an otherwise well-presented home. At the very least get your carpets professionally cleaned to revitalise them for your open home.