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Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer’s advice to increase the value of your house; see what the Love It or List It stars recommend
Trying to sell your house? No doubt you’ll be keen to entice potential buyers and get the highest fee possible for it, and might be planning significant renovation work in order to do so. However, you don’t always need to spend a fortune to add value to your home; we’ve rounded up Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer‘s top tips which can boost your property value by thousands of pounds, and some of them won’t even cost you a penny.
WATCH: Get inspiration from some of the most beautiful celebrity kitchens
It’s all about the kerb appeal
First impressions matter, and when you’re trying to sell your house, that means the exterior of the property is just as important as what is inside. Make sure potential buyers get a good first impression (and add as much as £5,000 to the value of your home) by giving it a fresh update before listing. It could be as simple as a fresh coat of paint or cleaning your windows, and tidying up any outside space. According to Phil, it will help to make your house look well-maintained and “reassure buyers” about the overall condition of the property. It’s a no-brainer.
MORE: Kirstie Allsopp’s Devon holiday home is available to rent – see inside
Re-think that dramatic renovation
Think about decluttering, and keeping your house clean and tidy
While extensive renovations and re-configuring your home may help to add significant value when you’re trying to sell, don’t carry out work for the sake of it. Instead, Kirstie encourages homeowners to have a decluttering session first. “Quite often doing a bit of a chuck out and tidy up will have the same impact as knocking down walls. So many people are selling their homes because they’ve outgrown them, but they’re hoarding stuff – so be really tough with yourself,” Kirstie told British Gas. “What absolutely adds value to property is keeping everything super clean and finished. Never try and sell anything half-finished: if you can’t finish it, don’t start it. If you haven’t used it or worn it in a year then sell it, give it away, recycle it…do something positive with it. Somebody will want it.”
Give your bathroom a makeover
According to Phil, some low-cost updates to a dated bathroom can add as much as £7,000 to the value of your home. From a new set of taps to a fresh glass screen or a power shower, spending just a few hundred pounds can have a big return.
Don’t waste cash on a new kitchen
You don’t need to splash out on a new kitchen to add value to your home
Don’t think that you have to speculate to accumulate; while it may be tempting to think that spending thousands on a new kitchen will add the same value to your home, Kirstie says it doesn’t always work that way. “It is almost irrelevant how much you spend on your kitchen,” she told Daily Mail. “Layout and functionality is key.”
MORE: The one thing you should never do at a house viewing, according to Phil Spencer
Give your house a name
An unexpected way of boosting your property value by as much as £5,000 could be as simple as giving it a name, and better still, it is free to do. “Regal-sounding names such as ‘Crown Cottage’ or ‘Clarence Estate’ are popular with buyers, while pastoral names such as ‘Harvest Lodge’ or ‘Owl Corner’ evoke a rural setting,” Phil told This is Money.
Keen to give your house a name? You must contact Royal Mail and your local council to formalise the change, and ensure it is locally unique. Phil advises that it is best to keep a house number as well.
Transform your home on a budget with fresh paint
A lick of paint can refresh tired decor and increase the value of your home
Phil and Kirstie helped one couple on Love It or List It to add £20,000 to the value of their property by giving their tired décor a fresh update with a new lick of paint. However, if you’re deliberating about opting for a shade of grey, think again. Kirstie said that painting a room grey can impact the light, and instead recommended paler tones and off-white for the best effect.
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