House going on market, 10 quick fix improvements please

[Madmog]

If you were going to put your house on the market and didn't have too much time to do improvements, what 10 things (or less) would you do to make your house look better. I'm going to:

1. Totally clean the house, dust everywhere
   
2. Replace bathroom blinds which have mould stains on them
   
3. Try and clean up grout and bath seal (has mould stains) - will change bath seal if time or in a few weeks if not successful
   
4. Cut grass
   
5. Quick tidy of borders and weeding
   
6. Clean patio & put flowers in pots
   
7. Declutter
   
8. Clean windows

[OliviaMumsnet]

Your entrance make a big difference, driveway/porch/path/front door/hallways
Old House Doc used to say take down all the really personal stuff
Like massive photos of your DC
Makes it easier for buyers to imagine living there.

[ArbitraryUsername]

Does your paintwork need touching up anywhere (and do you have the original paint available for touching up)? Hallways in particular are often home to grubby walls or chipped skirting boards that you've stopped noticing.

Make sure you have storage for shoes, coats etc so that your hall doesn't look like a disaster.

Hire a carpet cleaner and give your carpets a clean. It's amazing how much difference this can make. Sometimes they'll come up like they're just about new.

Deep clean your oven. It'll make the house smell better.

Buy some viewings bed covers and duvets/pillows. Keep these under the bed (somewhere else hidden) and swap them with what you normally use when you have viewings. It should make things easier.

Explain to your teenage/young adult sons that posters of scantily clad women will have to come down until you move (going by my house viewing experiences, it's amazing how many people don't think to do this).

[nannyl]

i would also bear in mind market conditons....

we had 3 months from house going on the market to first viewing....

obviously things like dusting and tidying the garden would need to be done again.

We put some larger things in the car (out of the way) when we had viewings

[tattykitchen]

I agree with the others, I think the entrance and hall are the most important as they set the scene, but do keep it clean and tidy, clutter free and touch up any chipped paintwork etc.
Make sure you air the house well when you have viewings too.

[Beamur]

Clean off any mould, repaint over water marks if you've had any leaks. If you've had any problems that have needed repair but have left a mark - make sure that you remove the marks as otherwise a buyer may be suspicious there are bigger underlying problems you're not telling.
Keep the place as clean and tidy as possible.
Try and ensure as much natural light as possible - I viewed a house with my Mum and every room was shown with the lights on, I went round switching them off to see how dark the house was really. It was horribly gloomy and meant it was immediately discounted.

[Madmog]

Thanks for your replies. We're trying to get as much done ASAP. My flat sold within 24 hours many years ago, but not expecting that this time!

[MmeLindor]

Open the windows wide an 1/2 hour before viewing, and doors to let fresh air into the rooms.

[Piffpaffpoff]

When we had a mad moment and decided to move, this is what we did

Removed personal photos and clutter
Got cupboards as empty as possible and put contents up the loft temporarily
Gave main rooms a quick coat of paint (easy 'cos all magnolia) - did one a night for a week
Tidy garden
Bought new 'viewing' towels and cushions for a bit of colour - only came out for viewings
Cleaned carpets
Cleared counters in the kitchen so they were clear of clutter
Bought flowers for viewings

House sold in 3 days for asking price .

[Amphitrite]

Estate agent is coming today to photograph our house. We have hired a storage unit and moved out a load of books, paperwork and general clutter. Repainted bathroom and touched up other paintwork. I bought a load of underbed storage boxes and drastically decluttered DC's rooms. Decluttered kitchen surfaces. Garden has been returfed and tidied, hedge clipped and front door looks great.