Making Your Property More Attractive

When you?re trying to sell your home, you need to make it as attractive as possible to buyers. A new survey has found the top 20 features that could put a potential buyer off. If your property suffers from some of these, there are ways you can improve the look and attract more buyers.

The survey commissioned by Gocompare.com asked home buyers what part of a house would stop them from putting an offer in. Top of the list were stained walls or ceilings and damp areas, which would put 70% of buyers off a property. Not only is this an unattractive sight, but it could also be a sign of a more serious issue with damp and mould.

Second on people?s list of what not to look for in a house is a property that requires a lot of repairs, which was chosen by 63% of respondents. Lack of a garden came in third (57%), followed by unpleasant smells and no dedicated parking space (both with 56%). Just over half of the respondents would be put off by a lack of natural light in rooms, building work that hasn?t been completed and small rooms. Finishing off the top ten were a small kitchen (44%) and poor DIY (43%).

Addressing the Issues

Some of these problems can be solved pretty quickly and easily. Before you put your house on the market, it?s beneficial to have a general tidy-up and also to finish off any of those odd jobs and DIY projects that haven?t been completed. If there are more serious problems, it?s best to have these seen to before you try to sell your property, rather than just masking them with a bit of paint or strategically placed furniture.

However, some of the issues, such as the lack of any outdoor space, need a bit more thought. One of the ways of solving this problem is to install an iron balcony on your property. This will make a great addition to the house and would provide a potential buyer with the outside space that many of them desire. A balcony can be designed to suit a range of properties, and you can adapt the handrails and balustrades to fit in with the style of your home.

An iron balcony could also help you with other issues that might put off a buyer. Living areas that have a lack of natural light, perhaps because of small windows, are hard to brighten up. If you have a balcony that is accessed from this living space, then the patio-style doors will bring a substantial amount of sunlight into the room. For houses with a small kitchen, a balcony could be used as additional dining space or to open up the kitchen area more.

Trying to sell a property can be an extremely stressful time, so it?s important that you have taken care of these areas beforehand. Stand back and view your home as a potential buyer to see how it could be improved.