When it’s time to sell a house, many homeowners start thinking about sprucing
up their home or doing some renovations to get the most out of the sale. While
renovations are a good idea, some are more important than others.
Kitchen and bathroom renovations help a homeowner recoup the investment
more than laying a new lawn or replacing the windows. However, some
renovations are simple, inexpensive, and worth doing.

1: Fresh Coat of Paint
Over time, the walls and skirting in a home can look dull and have marks and
scuffs where the paint has been dinged. An instant renovation that can make the
home look up to date and fresh is to paint the rooms in your house that may need
it.
If you have an accent wall in an extremely bold colour, you should paint over it,
most potential buyers prefer neutral colours. It helps them to imagine themselves
living there.

2: Simple Kitchen Fixes
The kitchen is one room where you’ll find that making renovations are well worth
it. If you have some very old appliances, you should update them. If you have a
faded looking splash back, consider re-tiling in an up-to-date stylish pattern or
even adding a stainless-steel splash back.
Potential buyers also like to scrutinize the countertops in a kitchen. The most
popular but expensive materials used are granite and quartz. They are long
lasting and will stand up to a lot of wear and tear. If they are out of your price
range, you can get cheaper replacement worktops like wood or laminate, they
look great too and are a nice quick solution.
It’s a lot less expensive than you might think. If your kitchen units are in good
shape, then you can just spruce them up with a fresh coat of paint.

3: Bathroom? Quick fix or full re-do
In addition to the kitchen, the bathroom is a strong selling point in a house, but it
can be very expensive to fully re-vamp your bathroom. Some quick fixes might
be all that’s needed to get that all important sale.

Here are some points to consider:

• A deep clean of toilets and baths to get rid of stubborn stains.
• If there are patches of mould use an anti-mould spray to remove them.
• It tiles are cracked and broken you should have them replaced.
• Adding a contemporary mirror and some sleek shelves can really boost
the over-all look of your bathroom.

4: Curtains and Blinds – replace or refresh?
Cast a critical eye over your window treatments – are your blinds broken and
coming away from the window? Are the curtains dreary, outdated and faded?
Some of these issues can be easily fixed. It can be expensive to replace blinds
so it might be worth hiring a professional to fix and clean them. If some are
unsalvageable remove them and hang a pair of neutral-coloured readymade
curtains.
If your curtains are tatty and outdated, it is well worth replacing them.
Readymade curtains are now widely available and come in a range of colours
and sizes, many high-street shops carry a range of readymade curtains at very
cost-effective prices.

5: Kerb Appeal
Stand back and look closely at the front of your home. Is the paint faded and
cracking? Could the driveway benefit from a power wash? Is the grass
overgrown or is the lawn covered in leaves and fallen debris?
You want to ensure that your home makes that all important good first
impression. These are renovations that don’t have to cost much. A fresh coat of
paint sets the tone and tells a potential buyer that your house is worth making
time to visit.
You should clean and tidy the front garden and add new mulch around trees and
shrubs. Colourful flowers in planters around the front door or some extra stone
around garden edges can really set the tone for a successful viewing.

If you’re keen to sell and are ready to start marketing your home this spring, get
in touch and we can discuss the best strategy for finding you a buyer in time for
summer. Phone on 045 815855, 01 912 5500 or email us on
info@byrnemalone.ie or pop over to our Contact Us page and we’ll get straight
back to you